Senior Design Manager
Design Management | High-Rise | Hospitality
Position Details
Full-time | Dubai, UAE | Office-based + project/site visits | Regional travel as required | Reports to the Director
Role Purpose
RPM, part of Ròya International Group, delivers project management across the full lifecycle, from planning and design through procurement to construction, fit-out and handover. About 80% of our work is hospitality-related: new developments, refurbishments, repositioning and fit-out. We’re lean, hands-on and client-focused.
We’re looking for a Senior Design Manager to lead design delivery on high-rise, hospitality and mixed-use projects, from concept through construction support.
Responsibilities
- Lead design management across multiple live projects, from brief and concept through tender, construction support and close-out
- Drive consultants and contractors proactively, so decisions get closed before they affect programme or cost
- Run design programmes, stage gates, reviews and coordination meetings across architecture, structure, MEP, interiors, facade and specialists
- Lead consultant procurement and technical evaluation of design-related tenders
- Work with cost consultants on design-to-budget and value engineering
- Represent RPM and the client with operators, authorities and senior stakeholders
- Deliver concise, decision-ready reporting and risk assessments
Qualifications
- Minimum 14 years in design management or design delivery, including senior leadership gained through a leading design consultancy or project management firm
- UAE/Dubai project experience (essential)
- Proven high-rise design management; hospitality, mixed-use, branded residences and high-end interiors strongly preferred
- Strong experience with a top regional or international lead design consultant and/or leading regional/international PM practice. (Contractor-only profiles are not suitable)
- Degree in architecture or engineering
- Excellent English; Arabic is an advantage
- Strong MS Office and MS Project; Aconex/Procore, Bluebeam Revu and AutoCAD preferred
