Project Director

Overview

KEO is a creative enterprise, where innovation is a way of life. We are uniquely resourced with end-to-end services to take clients from inspiration – through conceptualization – to realization of planning, design or project delivery in the built and natural environments. For over 60 years we’ve led with vision, contributing to many of the world’s most ambitious projects, iconic places, remarkable experiences and prosperous communities.

As a highly integrated and agile AEP/PMCM firm, KEO is recognized by ENR as one of the Top 225 International Design Firms and one of the Top 20 International PM/CM Firms. We are also ranked by World Architecture as the 51st largest global architecture firm and the #1 Firm in the Middle East Region in their 2024 WA100 Survey.

We invite you to join us. Why?

When you join KEO, you’ll discover more than just a job – you’ll find a supportive environment that fosters your professional development through internal global mobility and career development and does so within a culture that supports company-wide health and well-being through on-demand counselling services and regular workplace clinics. You will be invited to celebrate community events such as sports days, fun-runs, in-house sports teams and beach clean ups. In addition to your competitive package and benefits you will have access to a suite of policies that include hybrid working arrangements, individual athletic sponsorship, study assistance sponsorship, employee referral rewards.

Responsibilities

Our newest opportunity is for a talented Project Director to join our team based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

We envisage success in this role to include:

• Providing overall leadership and strategic direction for the successful delivery of the project, ensuring alignment with client objectives, project requirements, and KEO standards.
• Acting as the senior point of contact for the client and key project stakeholders, maintaining strong relationships and ensuring effective communication throughout the project lifecycle.
• Leading and managing a multidisciplinary project team, ensuring effective coordination, collaboration, and accountability.
• Establishing and maintaining project delivery strategies, governance structures, processes, and performance standards.
• Overseeing project programme, budget, resources, procurement, commercial performance, and overall delivery to ensure project objectives are achieved.
• Monitoring project progress against approved programme, budget, scope, and quality requirements, identifying potential risks and implementing appropriate mitigation measures.
• Providing strategic oversight of design development, technical coordination, construction activities, and project interfaces.
• Ensuring effective coordination between the client, consultants, contractors, authorities, and other project stakeholders.
• Leading project meetings and providing clear direction on critical project matters, decisions, and actions.
• Managing project risks, opportunities, changes, and complex issues, ensuring timely resolution and minimal impact on project delivery.
• Overseeing project controls, reporting, document control, change management, and governance requirements.
• Reviewing and monitoring contractor and consultant performance to ensure compliance with contractual obligations and project requirements.
• Supporting the management of variations, claims, commercial issues, and contractual matters in coordination with the commercial and contracts teams.
• Ensuring that health, safety, quality, environmental, and sustainability requirements are maintained throughout the project.
• Providing regular senior-level reporting to the client and KEO management on project progress, programme, cost, risks, and key decisions.
• Developing and implementing recovery strategies where projects are at risk of delay, cost overrun, or underperformance.
• Mentoring and developing project leadership teams and fostering a high-performance working environment.
• Representing KEO at senior-level meetings with clients, contractors, consultants, and other stakeholders.
• Ensuring compliance with KEO policies, procedures, quality standards, and applicable Saudi Arabian regulations and requirements.

Qualifications

To be successful in this dynamic opportunity, we envision that your career journey to date will include a minimum of 15-20 of relevant professional experience in PMCM, Project Management or related consulting environments partnered with a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or related field. Master's degree or MBA preferred.

Professional Registration PMP, PMI-PgMP, Chartered Engineer (CEng), or equivalent recognized professional qualification.

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• A Master’s degree and/or PMP or equivalent professional qualification would be advantageous.
• 15 years of professional experience, with significant experience in senior project leadership positions.
• Proven experience as a Project Director, Senior Project Director, Programme Director, or equivalent senior leadership role.
• Strong experience working within a PMC/consultancy environment, preferably managing projects on behalf of major clients.
• Proven experience leading large, multidisciplinary project teams and managing complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong knowledge of project management, project controls, programme management, commercial management, risk management, and contract administration.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex project interfaces and drive projects through design, procurement, construction, and completion.
• Strong client-facing, leadership, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance scope, programme, cost, quality, and risk.
• Proven experience delivering major projects in Saudi Arabia is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of Saudi Arabian codes, regulations, authority requirements, and project delivery practices would be an advantage.
• Experience working with major developers, government entities, or large-scale developments in Saudi Arabia would be advantageous.

KEO’s performance is founded upon integrity, results, innovation, safety and our people. We embrace diversity and recognise its’ contribution to client success wherever we work.

We are excited to hear how you can partner with our award-winning team and treat all expressions of interest confidentially.