Senior Urban Planner

Job description / Role

From Atkins offices in Riyadh, the senior urban planner will provide technical and professional support in the execution of urban and regional planning projects in KSA and the wider region, with a particular expertise strategic planning at a city and sub-regional level. The candidate would play a key role in the development of the Atkins’ planning business in KSA and the wider region.

The Senior Urban Planner will be a core team member of a large project team, working with other urban planners, economists, transport and infrastructure consultants supporting the delivery of strategic planning projects in Riyadh and throughout KSA.

The nature of role will require the successful candidate to be largely based in Riyadh.

To be a key member of the urban planning team in the Region and provide urban planning and master planning design services to external and internal clients as part of the Atkins’ Middle East planning team. To be involved in strategic planning studies, urban master planning and urban design and public realm projects in the Middle East with a particular focus on developing this sector of the business within the Kingdom.

Responsibilities

• Technical management of urban planning, design and master planning projects in KSA and the wider Middle East;
• Support in the preparation of technical bids and fee proposals for master planning and urban design projects and other major infrastructure projects where appropriate;
• Project management of medium and large scale projects involving multi-disciplinary teams;
• Will be responsible for the management of teams and meeting agreed budgets;
• Other duties associated with the main role and responsibilities will be requested from time to time.

Requirements

Technical Competencies

• Degree or postgraduate qualification in urban planning;
• Minimum 10 years solid experience in urban planning, master planning and urban design projects. Previous experience of city scale, strategic planning projects is particularly important;
• Confident presenter, able to convey urban planning strategies and concepts to large audiences and senior figures within Government.

Preferable

• Relevant experience in the GCC, preferable to have previous KSA urban planning experience on large scale strategic planning projects.
• Arabic reading and speaking

Behavioural Competencies

• Must have excellent interpersonal skills, be a team player and have a customer focus;
• Must have previous consultancy experience and technical management skills;
• Must have excellent graphic and oral expression capability and be very comfortable with the core of his/her skill set in the urban planning arena;
• Ability to solve problems by thinking laterally and be able to understand the needs and requirements to provide design solutions in a developing country;
• Must be able to work in a multicultural team and manage challenging multicultural client relationships;
• Able to be flexible and adapt to working in a demanding Middle East environment, working from clients offices and interacting with client team members.

About the Company

Atkins is one of the leading providers of professional, technology based consultancy and support services to the industry, commerce and governments in all of the worlds major economies. With over 17,000 staff operating in Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific and the Americas, Atkins has a broad range of skills and resources and provides Clients with a comprehensive service throughout the entire life cycle of the projects in the built environment.

We aim to be the international first choice supplier of technical and integrated services. Shaped by our customers' needs, our vision is to:

• focus on quality
• seek world class design and excellence
• strive to add value
• be flexible to the evolving needs of a changing society

Atkins first carried out design and supervision commissions in the Gulf area in 1967. From its regional head office in Dubai, U.A.E. Atkins Middle East now employs over 2000 staff located in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Oman (Muscat ), Qatar (Doha) Bahrain (Manama), Kuwait (Kuwait City) and India (Bangalore).