Corporate Commercial Director

Corporate Commercial Director – Strategic Leadership for Luxury Hospitality Portfolio in Riyadh

We are seeking an accomplished Corporate Commercial Director to spearhead our commercial strategy and governance across a prestigious portfolio of luxury hospitality projects in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In this pivotal executive role, you will drive profitability, optimize cash flow, and safeguard contractual positions while fostering collaborative partnerships with senior leadership, project teams, and key stakeholders. This is an opportunity to shape the commercial success of high-impact Tier-1 construction and luxury hospitality ventures, ensuring sustainable growth and operational excellence.

As a direct report to the CEO/Managing Director, you will play a critical role in defining and executing a robust commercial roadmap, aligning with the company’s strategic objectives. Your expertise will be instrumental in navigating complex contracts, mitigating risks, and maximizing value across multi-million-dollar projects. With a focus on both short-term financial performance and long-term commercial resilience, you will lead negotiations, resolve disputes, and champion a culture of commercial discipline across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Your leadership will be central to the following high-impact areas:

• Strategic Commercial Leadership: Develop and implement a forward-thinking commercial strategy that enhances profitability, margin growth, and cash flow across the hospitality portfolio. Provide executive oversight on project profitability, forecasting, and final accounts to ensure alignment with business goals.
• Contractual Excellence and Risk Management: Lead all major contract negotiations, FIDIC administration, and dispute resolution processes, including variations, claims, extensions of time (EOTs), and disruption management. Establish rigorous commercial governance frameworks to mitigate risks and optimize contractual outcomes.
• Tender and Procurement Strategy: Drive commercial strategy for high-value tenders, contract awards, and procurement packages, ensuring competitive positioning and value extraction from subcontractors and suppliers.
• Commercial Recovery and Entitlement Protection: Champion the recovery of legitimate commercial entitlements while protecting the company’s contractual position against potential disputes or financial losses.
• Stakeholder and Relationship Management: Cultivate strategic relationships with developers, government entities, hotel operators, project management consultants (PMCs), and key subcontractors to foster collaboration and mutual success.
• Team Development and Performance: Mentor and develop a high-performing corporate and project commercial team, ensuring consistency in commercial discipline and performance across all projects.
• Executive Advisory Role: Serve as a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board, providing strategic insights on commercial opportunities, risks, and decision-making to drive sustainable business growth.
• Financial Optimization: Partner with Finance and Operations to enhance margin, working capital, and cash collection efficiency, ensuring optimal project outcomes and financial health.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for a seasoned executive with a proven track record in commercial construction, particularly within Tier-1 contractors and high-end hospitality or mixed-use projects in the Saudi Arabia/GCC region. Your expertise should extend to:

• 20+ Years of Commercial Experience: Substantial experience in managing large-scale, complex projects with a focus on profitability, cash flow, and commercial recovery.
• Portfolio and Contract Management: Hands-on experience leading high-value contracts and diverse project portfolios, with a deep understanding of FIDIC contracts, claims, variations, and dispute resolution.
• Strategic Negotiation and Dispute Resolution: A proven ability to negotiate favorable terms, resolve disputes, and mitigate commercial risks while protecting the company’s interests.
• Leadership and Team Development: Experience in building and leading multidisciplinary commercial teams, fostering a culture of excellence and accountability.
• Industry Recognition: Membership in professional bodies such as MRICS, FRICS, or MCIOB is highly desirable but not mandatory.
• Executive Presence: Exceptional stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence key decision-makers and drive alignment across organizational and external partnerships.

Executive Success Measures

The success of this role will be measured by:

• Portfolio margin improvement and sustained profitability.
• Enhanced cash generation and working capital optimization.
• Effective commercial recovery and protection of contractual entitlements.
• Mitigation of contractual risks and disputes through proactive governance.
• Resolution of claims, variations, and final accounts with minimal financial impact.
• Strengthened client and stakeholder relationships through strategic engagement.
• Development and retention of a high-performing commercial team.

This is an opportunity to make a lasting impact on the future of luxury hospitality in Riyadh. If you are a commercially astute leader with a passion for driving excellence in high-stakes environments, we invite you to join our team and help shape the next chapter of our success story.