Senior Urban Planning Specialist

Job Purpose

HanmiGlobal is seeking a highly qualified Senior Urban Planning Specialist to join our program management and PMCM team in Saudi Arabia. In this role, you will deliver program-level urban planning expertise and technical design support for a mega multi-work package land and infrastructure development program in Riyadh, delivered on behalf of a major government entity.

You will be providing program-level planning expertise, technical assurance, and collaborative design support for reviewing and monitoring all master planning, land use, and public realm submissions across the program, ensuring all urban design and development planning frameworks are fully integrated and compliant with approved master plans, sustainability objectives, planning regulations, and Client’s criteria under the direction of the Design Manager, while supporting the successful delivery of the overall development program.

Reports To: Design Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Review and assess master plans, land use plans, urban planning studies, urban design proposals, development strategies, and planning submissions to ensure compliance with approved planning frameworks, Client’s requirements, statutory regulations, and project objectives.
• Evaluate zoning, land use allocation, development density, planning controls, phasing strategies, and development capacity to support efficient and sustainable land development.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary planning reviews with the Design Manager and Program Technical Team, ensuring integration between urban planning, transportation, infrastructure, utilities, landscape, environmental, and engineering disciplines.
• Identify and resolve planning conflicts, interface issues, and development constraints while supporting the assessment of Value Engineering proposals, design changes, and planning risks.
• Liaise with the Client, government authorities, utility providers, Lead Developers, Consultants, and other stakeholders to facilitate planning approvals, resolve technical comments, and support compliance with planning and regulatory requirements.
• Participate in planning workshops, technical review meetings, stakeholder consultations, and multidisciplinary coordination sessions.
• Prepare planning assessments, review comments, technical reports, recommendations, and executive summaries to support informed decision-making by the Design Manager, PMCM Management, and the Client.
• Maintain accurate records of planning reviews, approvals, and coordination activities while promoting planning best practices and continuous improvement.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Urban Planning, Town Planning, Urban Design, Architecture, Regional Planning, or a related discipline.
• Chartered Professional membership or equivalent professional accreditation.
• Minimum fifteen (15) years of professional experience in urban planning, master planning, mixed-use developments, land development, infrastructure programs, or major urban development projects.
• Experience within PMCM, PMC, consultancy, developer, or client-side organizations, preferably on major developments in Saudi Arabia or the GCC.

Core Competencies

• Urban and Master Planning
• Land Use Planning & Development Control
• Urban Design & Public Realm Planning
• Sustainable Urban Development
• Planning Compliance & Regulatory Review
• Multidisciplinary Planning Coordination
• Infrastructure and Land Use Integration
• Planning Risk Assessment
• Value Engineering Review
• Stakeholder & Authority Coordination
• Technical Report Preparation
• Leadership, Strategic Thinking, Communication, and Problem Solving