Job Requisition ID: 165712
Established in the 1930s as a trading business, Al-Futtaim Group today is one of the most diversified and progressive, privately held regional businesses headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Structured into five operating divisions; automotive, financial services, real estate, retail and healthcare; employing more than 35,000 employees across more than 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, Al-Futtaim Group partners with over 200 of the world's most admired and innovative brands. Al-Futtaim Group’s entrepreneurship and relentless customer focus enables the organization to continue to grow and expand; responding to the changing needs of our customers within the societies in which we operate.
By upholding our values of respect, excellence, collaboration and integrity; Al-Futtaim Group continues to enrich the lives and aspirations of our customers each and every day
Overview of the role:
The Director of Design Management is responsible for leading and overseeing the complete design process, ensuring the seamless progression of projects from pre-concept through final design and construction documentation. This role involves managing design consultants and subcontractors, selecting top-tier designers, and ensuring design outcomes align with project goals, quality standards, and client expectations. The Director will establish robust processes for managing design stages, coordinating stakeholder input, and optimizing design efficiency and innovation to meet project timelines and budget requirements.
What you will do:
Responsible for:
Prequalifying and Selecting Design Consultants and subcontractors.
- Conduct comprehensive market analysis to identify and evaluate potential design consultants and subcontractors, aligning selection criteria with project needs and organizational goals.
- Define specific project requirements, establishing clear qualification and evaluation criteria that prioritize expertise, innovation, and design quality.
- Develop a structured interview and evaluation process, including tailored questionnaires and performance metrics, to assess candidate consultants and subcontractors’ capabilities.
- Facilitate candidate interviews, review presentations, and conduct comparative analysis of design approaches and past performance.
- Provide strategic recommendations on consultant selection, ensuring chosen design partners are best suited to deliver on project scope, timelines, and quality expectations.
Defining Design Scope and Managing Design Agreements/Contracts and Costs
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Define and Translate Client Requirements: Work closely with clients to clearly interpret their needs and transform them into specific design scope clauses and deliverables.
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Scope Completeness and Coordination: Internally review the design scope to ensure it covers all project requirements, minimizing overlap and preventing any gaps.
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Ongoing Design Review and Compliance Monitoring: Continuously monitor design submissions to ensure they align with the established scope. Track designers' progress and provide recommendations for payments and contract adherence.
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Scope Variation Management: Evaluate and manage any required changes to the scope, considering cost and timeline impacts, while obtaining necessary approvals for scope variations.
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Final Scope Fulfillment and Closeout: Conduct a final review of the design to confirm all scope requirements are met, ensuring all deliverables are received and agreements are closed out with proper documentation.
Coordination of Client Requirements (Owner's Vision, Development, Design, Construction) into Designs
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Define and Consolidate Client Requirements: Gather, document, and clarify all client needs, including the owner’s vision, development goals, design objectives, and construction constraints. Ensure these requirements are clearly defined and measurable.
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Compatibility and Alignment Assessment: Assess the compatibility of all client requirements from various stakeholders to ensure they align without conflicting impacts on design feasibility or integrity.
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Iterative Alignment Process: Facilitate a collaborative approach to resolve discrepancies and refine requirements, ensuring they integrate into a cohesive and feasible design solution.
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Ongoing Requirements Updates: Monitor for any changes in client requirements, adjusting the design scope accordingly to reflect the evolving project direction.
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Design Compliance Verification: Regularly review design outputs to ensure they align with the latest consolidated client requirements and project expectations.
Coordination and Interfacing with Other Client Designers
- Establish and Monitor Communication Protocols: Set up clear, structured communication channels among all involved designers, facilitating regular information exchange and coordination to maintain alignment across design elements.
- Proactively Address Communication Issues: Identify and rectify any inappropriate or missing communications between designers, ensuring clarity and preventing misunderstandings. Address and document any corrections made to miscommunications, ensuring transparent follow-up.
- Facilitate Cross-Design Feedback and Review: Organize and procure comprehensive reviews and feedback from relevant designers on each other’s work, ensuring coordinated progress and resolution of design compatibility issues.
- Lead Coordination Meetings: Schedule, chair, and document an appropriate number of design coordination meetings, assigning and tracking action items to ensure all design issues are addressed promptly and thoroughly.
- Maintain Detailed Records: Keep thorough records of all communications, meeting minutes, design reviews, and corrective actions, ensuring accountability and clear documentation throughout the design process.
Procurement and Verification of Acceptable Design Packages for Each Design Stage
- Define and Schedule Design Deliverables: Establish a detailed schedule and scope of design deliverables required for each design stage, ensuring alignment with project milestones and client expectations.
- Design Quality and Compliance Review: Conduct thorough reviews of submitted designs, verifying their alignment with the design scope, client requirements, and general quality standards. Identify and flag any obvious errors or discrepancies for prompt correction.
- Facilitate External and Internal Design Reviews: Organize design reviews by internal client teams or external experts, as necessary, to verify compliance with project standards and objectives. Clearly communicate review outcomes to designers with specific action requirements.
- Approval and Release Process: Coordinate with statutory authorities and client departments to secure necessary design approvals. Confirm design compliance before officially releasing approved design packages to the next project stage.
- Comprehensive Documentation and Follow-Up: Maintain detailed records of review processes, feedback, and approvals. Ensure follow-up on required actions to close any identified issues before final design release.
Management & Control of Project Procurement/Timeline
- Establish Design Programme Aligned with Construction Timeline: Develop a comprehensive design programme that supports the construction schedule, ensuring all design activities are sequenced and timed to meet project milestones.
- Track and Measure Design Delivery Progress: Implement a systematic method for measuring the completeness and accuracy of design deliverables against the established programme, identifying any delays or deviations early.
- Critical Path Prioritization and Acceleration: Identify critical path design elements and enforce priority to maintain project timelines, initiating corrective actions to accelerate any delayed designs.
- Consistent Progress Reporting: Provide regular, structured updates on design progress to senior management, highlighting critical issues, adjustments, and the status of design milestones.
Project Budget & Program
- Budget Compliance and Cost Management: Oversee project expenditures to ensure that costs remain within the allocated budget limits, maintaining alignment with project viability and financial goals.
- Progress Monitoring and Timeline Adherence: Track project progress closely, ensuring completion within the defined schedule. Provide stakeholders with regular, transparent updates on budget status, progress milestones, and any risks that could impact the timeline.
- Stakeholder Communication: Maintain consistent communication with stakeholders, keeping them fully informed of project status, budgetary considerations, and any adjustments to the program schedule.
Management of Design Change
- Proactive Identification of Design Changes: Monitor project design developments to identify potential design changes early, minimizing the risk of unexpected adjustments and ensuring thorough evaluation before implementation.
- Impact Analysis and Assessment: Conduct a detailed analysis of each proposed design change to determine potential cost and time implications, and evaluate whether these changes align with project objectives and budget constraints.
- Client Approval and Decision-Making: Determine whether the design change requires broader client or stakeholder approval. If required, facilitate the approval process, presenting clear implications and recommendations.
- Clear Communication and Documentation: Formally accept or reject proposed changes and communicate decisions clearly to all relevant parties, ensuring no ambiguity. Maintain comprehensive records of all design change transactions for accountability and future reference.
Contribute to Development of Design Management Procedures
- Procedure Review and Assessment: Regularly review design management procedures to evaluate their relevance, usability, and clarity, ensuring they effectively support project goals and team needs.
- Provide Constructive Feedback: Offer detailed feedback on existing procedures, identifying areas for improvement to enhance workflow efficiency, user understanding, and overall procedural clarity.
- Collaborate on Procedure Enhancements: Actively participate in the development or revision of procedures, working closely with stakeholders to implement updates that address identified gaps and improve alignment with industry best practices.
Job Context:
This position plays a pivotal role in aligning design management with the company’s strategic business plan and objectives. The Director of Design Management is responsible for overseeing the procurement and execution of design services essential to the successful development of individual building projects. The role operates within a dynamic environment where the roll-out program for projects is structured by a 5-year business plan. However, this plan is susceptible to external factors and market forces, such as economic shifts, regulatory changes, and client needs, which can necessitate adjustments in project timelines and priorities. The position requires adaptability, proactive risk management, a
