Associate Urban Designer

My client a leading real estate developer in Abu Dhabi requires an Associate Urban Designer to lead the creation of innovative, sustainable, and commercially successful urban environments across a portfolio of major residential, mixed-use, waterfront, hospitality, and destination developments.

Working within the Master Planning and Design team, this role is responsible for transforming development strategies into high-quality urban design solutions that create vibrant, people-focused communities. The successful candidate will lead the urban design process from early visioning through concept and master planning, ensuring projects balance placemaking, commercial objectives, infrastructure integration, sustainability, and long-term value.

• Lead the development of urban design concepts for large-scale master-planned communities, mixed-use districts, waterfront developments, and destination projects.
• Translate development objectives into innovative urban frameworks, neighbourhood structures, and place-making strategies.
• Develop land-use plans, movement networks, density strategies, block layouts, and public realm concepts that support commercially successful developments.
• Establish the character, identity, and spatial quality of projects through high-quality urban design.

• Lead projects from visioning and concept design through master planning and planning approval stages.
• Prepare and review urban design frameworks, design guidelines, public realm strategies, and development principles.
• Test development scenarios to optimise land use, density, connectivity, and commercial performance.
• Ensure urban design proposals respond effectively to planning policies, infrastructure requirements, environmental considerations, and market demands.

• Manage and coordinate international urban design, architecture, landscape, transport, and infrastructure consultants.
• Lead design workshops, visioning sessions, and multidisciplinary coordination meetings.
• Review consultant submissions to ensure compliance with approved design strategies and project objectives.
• Prepare consultant briefs, scopes of work, and technical requirements for urban design commissions.
• Work closely with Development, Architecture, Landscape, Infrastructure, Engineering, Commercial, and Project Delivery teams.
• Ensure urban design solutions integrate effectively with architecture, transport, utilities, sustainability, and delivery strategies.
• Balance design excellence with commercial viability, programme requirements, and construction considerations.

• Present urban design strategies and recommendations to executive leadership, government authorities, and key stakeholders.
• Support design governance through structured design reviews and quality assurance processes.
• Ensure projects maintain consistency with approved visions, planning principles, and corporate design standards.
• Research international precedents, emerging planning trends, and innovative urban development practices.
• Promote sustainable design, walkability, smart city principles, and resilient community planning.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of urban design standards, processes, and methodologies across the organisation.
• Mentor and develop junior urban designers and support the growth of design capability within the team.
• Foster a collaborative, creative, and high-performing design culture.
• Share knowledge and promote design excellence across multidisciplinary teams.

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Urban Design, Urban Planning, Architecture, or a related discipline.
• Professional membership with a recognised planning or architectural institution is advantageous.

• 12-15 years' experience in urban design, master planning, or city planning.
• Minimum of 3 years of UAE Experience
• Experience leading multidisciplinary consultant teams from concept through planning approval.
• Background working for a leading developer, master developer, or internationally recognised urban design or architectural consultancy.
• Exceptional urban design and master planning expertise.
• Strong understanding of placemaking, walkability, public realm design, neighbourhood planning, and urban character.
• Ability to translate strategic development objectives into practical, high-quality urban design solutions.
• Strong knowledge of land-use planning, movement networks, density optimisation, and development frameworks.
• Excellent design review and critical thinking skills.
• Strong graphic communication and presentation abilities, including sketching, diagrams, and visual storytelling.
• Commercial awareness with the ability to balance design ambition, development viability, and delivery requirements.
• Excellent stakeholder management and facilitation skills.