Director of Masterplanning
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Key skills for this role
About the Role
Blake Anderson Recruitment is seeking a Director of Masterplanning to lead planning, vision, and design direction for major development programmes in Abu Dhabi. The role requires 18+ years of experience in large-scale masterplanning and urban development.
Key Skills for This Role
Responsibilities
- Lead the planning and design direction for complex masterplanning programmes
- Establish planning strategies aligned with commercial objectives, market positioning, and placemaking ambitions
- Advise executive leadership on planning opportunities, risks, and design direction
- Direct multidisciplinary consultant teams from early visioning through implementation
- Maximise land value, development efficiency, and long term project performance
- Establish planning standards, design governance processes, and quality assurance procedures
- Build strong relationships with executive leadership, government authorities, utility providers, and strategic partners
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high performing masterplanning team
- Promote innovation in planning methodologies, digital tools, and urban development practices
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, or related discipline
- Master's degree in Urban Design, Urban Planning, Architecture, or related field preferred
- Minimum 18+ years' experience delivering large scale masterplanning and urban development projects
- Significant experience leading multidisciplinary consultant teams on complex developments
- Background with a leading developer, master developer, or internationally recognised planning/design consultancy
- Proven track record across mixed use, residential, waterfront, destination, tourism, or city scale developments
- Strong understanding of development strategy, land use planning, infrastructure coordination, and project delivery
- GCC experience and exposure to government/public sector stakeholders required
- Minimum 3 years experience in UAE
Full Job Posting
Role Overview
- The Director of Masterplanning will lead the planning, vision, and design direction for major development programmes across a leading Abu Dhabi developer's portfolio. The role will shape large scale communities, destinations, mixed use developments, waterfront projects, and strategic urban initiativ
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the planning and design direction for complex masterplanning programmes.
- Establish planning strategies aligned with commercial objectives, market positioning, and placemaking ambitions.
- Advise executive leadership on planning opportunities, risks, and design direction.
- Translate corporate objectives into practical planning frameworks and implementation strategies.
- Champion design excellence while balancing programme, commercial, and delivery requirements.
- Direct multidisciplinary consultant teams from early visioning and feasibility through authority approvals and implementation.
- Lead the preparation and review of masterplans, planning frameworks, development strategies, and urban design proposals.
- Resolve complex planning, design, infrastructure, and delivery challenges across multiple projects.
- Ensure planning solutions respond to commercial, environmental, operational, and customer requirements.
- Maintain consistency and quality across all planning deliverables.
- Maximise land value, development efficiency, and long term project performance.
- Lead land use optimisation, density studies, phasing strategies, and development scenarios.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, or related discipline.
- Master's degree in Urban Design, Urban Planning, Architecture, or related field preferred.
- Minimum 18+ years' experience delivering large scale masterplanning and urban development projects.
- Significant experience leading multidisciplinary consultant teams on complex developments.
- Background with a leading developer, master developer, or internationally recognised planning/design consultancy.
- Proven track record across mixed use, residential, waterfront, destination, tourism, or city scale developments.
- Strong understanding of development strategy, land use planning, infrastructure coordination, and project delivery.
- GCC experience and exposure to government/public sector stakeholders required.
Skills & Competencies
- Exceptional masterplanning and urban development expertise.
- Strategic leadership with strong commercial judgement.
- Ability to shape compelling development visions and planning strategies.
- Strong understanding of development economics, land use optimisation, and project viability.
- Ability to influence senior stakeholders and build consensus.
- Strong negotiation, decision making, and problem solving capabilities.
- Proven ability to lead multiple complex programmes simultaneously.
- Sound understanding of planning approvals, governance, and regulatory processes.
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