Role summary
The Design Director is responsible for leading end-to-end design management, design governance, and technical delivery of world-class golf courses, clubhouses, country clubs, golf academies, practice facilities, hospitality components, and associated real estate assets. Will lead multidisciplinary consultant teams throughout concept, schematic, detailed design, procurement, construction, and handover phases while ensuring adherence to international golf industry standards and local regulatory requirements.
Responsibilities
- Lead overall design vision, strategy, and delivery approach for golf and country club developments
- Establish and maintain design standards across all golf-related assets
- Ensure alignment between master planning, golf course design, architecture, landscape architecture, hospitality, sports operations, and development objectives
- Provide executive-level design leadership to internal stakeholders and project leadership teams
- Support development and operational teams by translating business requirements into successful design outcomes
- Lead design management of championship golf courses, private golf clubs, resort golf courses, practice facilities, academies, driving ranges, and associated hospitality assets
- Manage relationships with internationally recognized golf course architects and specialist consultants
- Review and approve golf course routing plans, landscape strategies, irrigation approaches, agronomy design requirements, and operational considerations
- Ensure seamless integration between golf operations, hospitality functions, member experiences, and real estate developments
- Oversee clubhouse, maintenance facility, academy, food and beverage, event, wellness, and recreation facility designs
- Manage Lead Design Consultants and specialist sub-consultants across all disciplines
- Establish clear design deliverables, review protocols, and governance frameworks
- Lead design workshops, technical reviews, and stage-gate approvals
- Ensure consultants deliver in accordance with contractual obligations and project milestones
- Resolve multidisciplinary design conflicts and interface issues
- Chair design review meetings and design approval forums
- Implement and maintain Design Review and Change Control processes
- Ensure compliance with project design standards, quality requirements, operational objectives, and international best practice
- Review and approve design submissions throughout each project stage
- Drive innovation whilst protecting design intent and project value
- Present design strategies and project progress to executive leadership and steering committees
- Engage with operators, golf management companies, hospitality brands, governing bodies, and external stakeholders
- Support procurement activities including consultant selection and technical evaluations
- Establish strong relationships with industry-leading golf architects, designers, and technical specialists
Qualifications
- Minimum 15+ years of design leadership experience across large-scale golf, hospitality, sports, mixed-use, or destination developments
- Experience delivering internationally recognized golf and country club projects
- Strong client-side, developer, or owner-representative experience
- Experience managing globally recognized golf course architects and specialist consultants
- Proven experience delivering projects from concept design through construction and handover
- Experience across major mixed-use destinations, luxury resorts, golf communities, or giga-project environments
- Middle East experience preferred
- Experience working within complex multi-stakeholder environments
Experience
Minimum 15+ years of design leadership experience across large-scale golf, hospitality, sports, mixed-use, or destination developments
Education · Experience · Type
Requires 15+ yearsSalary not stated