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 direc...
Additional Information
The Role 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 organizations 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.
Requirements 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.
About the company Blake Anderson is a boutique consultancy based in the UK, with a satellite office in Dubai. Specialising in Technical and Construction Recruitment, Blake Anderson provides a superior service to clients and candidates within the construction and technical sectors. We concentrate on placing professionals throughout the world, focusing mainly on the Middle East and Asia, drawing on both the global and local markets for highly qualified professionals. In order to attract the best talent, we invest in various high-end advertising mediums. With a database of 1,000s of candidates, our experienced consultants have a wealth of recruitment knowledge and have a consultative approach at all times, ensuring a second to none service.
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