Director, Land & Public Realm Optimisation

About the role

Jacobs is seeking a Director to lead Land & Public Realm Optimisation for a flagship giga‑project near Riyadh. The role supports City Operations by reviewing and validating parks, plazas, landscaped areas and other public assets to ensure they deliver genuine public value, are cost‑efficient and sustainable throughout their lifecycle.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and manage the Land & Public Realm Vesting Framework, governance standards and decision‑making processes.
• Assess public purpose, beneficiary groups and ownership responsibilities for proposed land assets.
• Review land size, configuration and functional need to guarantee operational value and efficiency.
• Lead evaluations of parks, public spaces, green corridors and other public‑realm assets.
• Conduct whole‑life cost and affordability assessments to ensure long‑term financial sustainability.
• Provide vesting recommendations, conditions and assurance for acceptance, redesign or alternative ownership models.
• Maintain a city‑wide public‑realm portfolio register, dashboards and reporting for strategic decision‑making.
• Coordinate cross‑functional stakeholder engagement and specialist teams to drive sustainable optimisation.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture, Real Estate, Asset Management, Facilities Management, Environmental Design or a related field; Master’s preferred.
• 15+ years of relevant experience in land, public‑realm or asset‑management roles.
• Proven ability to evaluate public‑purpose assets and recommend ownership or management models.
• Strong analytical skills for whole‑life cost and affordability assessments.

Required skills