Technical Director - Design (Hospitality)
Position Overview
- Job Title: Technical Director - Design (Hospitality) - French Speaking
- Department: Hospitality Design & Development
- Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- Employment Type: Full-Time
Job Purpose
Lead the design direction (fluent French speaker) and technical delivery of the organization's hospitality portfolio, including resorts, hotels, and branded residences. The Technical Director ( Architecture) - Design (Hospitality) provides senior design management, technical oversight, and construction expertise from concept through opening, ensuring every project meets brand standards, guest experience intent, and operational requirements.
Key Responsibilities
- Design Oversight: Direct and oversee design development for resort, hotel, and branded residence projects across all stages, ensuring technical accuracy, buildability, and fidelity to design intent.
- Team & Consultant Management: Lead and manage in-house design teams and external architects, interior designers, and specialist hospitality consultants across multiple concurrent projects.
- Technical Review: Review, challenge, and approve architectural, interior, FF&E, and OS&E drawings and technical specifications before issue.
- Brand Compliance: Ensure all designs comply with hotel operator/brand technical standards, guest experience benchmarks, and back-of-house operational requirements.
- Operator Coordination: Coordinate with hotel operators, brand representatives, and franchise teams throughout design development and pre-opening phases.
- Specialist Design Leadership: Provide senior technical design leadership on guestrooms, F&B outlets, spa and wellness facilities, MICE/ballroom spaces, and resort amenities.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Coordinate with project management, execution, and contracts/legal teams to resolve design-related issues, variations, and disputes.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with local authority regulations, hospitality life-safety codes, building codes, and municipal approval requirements.
- Execution & Handover: Oversee the projects execution process from design through construction, fit-out, and handover to hotel operations, safeguarding quality, cost, and schedule targets.
- Contractual & Legal Input: Provide expert technical and legal-engineering input on design-related contractual matters and claims.
- Mentorship: Mentor and develop design managers, architects, and technical staff within the team.
- Stakeholder Relations: Act as the primary technical liaison with owners, operators, contractors, consultants, and government departments to ensure smooth project delivery and successful hotel openings.
Qualifications & Experience
- Education: Bachelor of Science in Architecture (or equivalent) from an accredited university.
- Experience: 15-20+ years of progressive experience in architecture, design management, and construction, with substantial experience delivering hospitality projects in the Middle East.
- Portfolio Track Record: Proven track record managing resort, hotel, and mixed-use hospitality developments from design through construction and opening.
- Brand Experience: Direct experience working with international hotel operators/brands and navigating brand technical standards and approval processes.
- Senior Leadership: Prior experience in senior design management or technical director roles with major design consultancies, developers, or hospitality operators.
- Regulatory/Legal Insight: Experience with government/municipal project execution and legal-engineering or contractual dispute matters is an advantage.
- Accreditations: International Associate AIA and/or Associate SEA membership, or equivalent professional accreditation, preferred.
Skills & Competencies
- Technical Expertise: Strong technical design and construction knowledge specific to resorts, hotels, and hospitality developments.
- Hospitality Acumen: Working knowledge of hotel brand standards, FF&E/OS&E coordination, and pre-opening processes.
- Software Proficiency: Proficiency in AutoCAD and other technical design/documentation software.
- Leadership: Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and cross-functional coordination skills.
- Language Requirements:
- Strong command of spoken and written English.
- Fluent French speaking and writing capability required for coordination with specific regional partners, consultants, and operators.
