My client a leading real estate developer in Abu Dhabi requires an Associate Urban Designer to lead the creation of innovative, sustainable, and commercially successful urban environments across a portfolio of major residential, mixed-use, waterfront, hospitality, and destination developments.
Working within the Master Planning and Design team, this role is responsible for transforming development strategies into high-quality urban design solutions that create vibrant, people-focused communities. The successful candidate will lead the urban design process from early visioning through concept and master planning, ensuring projects balance placemaking, commercial objectives, infrastructure integration, sustainability, and long-term value.
Key Responsibilities
Urban Design Leadership
- Lead the development of urban design concepts for large-scale master-planned communities, mixed-use districts, waterfront developments, and destination projects.
- Translate development objectives into innovative urban frameworks, neighbourhood structures, and place-making strategies.
- Develop land-use plans, movement networks, density strategies, block layouts, and public realm concepts that support commercially successful developments.
- Establish the character, identity, and spatial quality of projects through high-quality urban design.
Master Planning & Design Development
- Lead projects from visioning and concept design through master planning and planning approval stages.
- Prepare and review urban design frameworks, design guidelines, public realm strategies, and development principles.
- Test development scenarios to optimise land use, density, connectivity, and commercial performance.
- Ensure urban design proposals respond effectively to planning policies, infrastructure requirements, environmental considerations, and market demands.
Consultant & Stakeholder Management
- Manage and coordinate international urban design, architecture, landscape, transport, and infrastructure consultants.
- Lead design workshops, visioning sessions, and multidisciplinary coordination meetings.
- Review consultant submissions to ensure compliance with approved design strategies and project objectives.
- Prepare consultant briefs, scopes of work, and technical requirements for urban design commissions.
Collaboration & Project Integration
- Work closely with Development, Architecture, Landscape, Infrastructure, Engineering, Commercial, and Project Delivery teams.
- Ensure urban design solutions integrate effectively with architecture, transport, utilities, sustainability, and delivery strategies.
- Balance design excellence with commercial viability, programme requirements, and construction considerations.
Presentation & Design Governance
- Present urban design strategies and recommendations to executive leadership, government authorities, and key stakeholders.
- Support design governance through structured design reviews and quality assurance processes.
- Ensure projects maintain consistency with approved visions, planning principles, and corporate design standards.
Innovation & Best Practice
- Research international precedents, emerging planning trends, and innovative urban development practices.
- Promote sustainable design, walkability, smart city principles, and resilient community planning.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of urban design standards, processes, and methodologies across the organisation.
Team Leadership
- Mentor and develop junior urban designers and support the growth of design capability within the team.
- Foster a collaborative, creative, and high-performing design culture.
- Share knowledge and promote design excellence across multidisciplinary teams.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Urban Design, Urban Planning, Architecture, or a related discipline.
- Professional membership with a recognised planning or architectural institution is advantageous.
Experience
- 12-15 years' experience in urban design, master planning, or city planning.
- Minimum of 3 years of UAE Experience
- Proven experience delivering large-scale master-planned communities, mixed-use developments, waterfront projects, destination developments, or major urban regeneration schemes.
- Experience leading multidisciplinary consultant teams from concept through planning approval.
- Background working for a leading developer, master developer, or internationally recognised urban design or architectural consultancy.
- Exceptional urban design and master planning expertise.
- Strong understanding of placemaking, walkability, public realm design, neighbourhood planning, and urban character.
- Ability to translate strategic development objectives into practical, high-quality urban design solutions.
- Strong knowledge of land-use planning, movement networks, density optimisation, and development frameworks.
- Excellent design review and critical thinking skills.
- Strong graphic communication and presentation abilities, including sketching, diagrams, and visual storytelling.
- Commercial awareness with the ability to balance design ambition, development viability, and delivery requirements.
- Excellent stakeholder management and facilitation skills.
