Overview
Programme Director, Airport Transformation, Riyadh, KSA Jobs in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at Fintech HIRE Middle East & Africa
Title: Programme Director, Airport Transformation, Riyadh, KSA
Company: Fintech HIRE Middle East & Africa
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
About the programme
Saudi Arabia is undertaking the most ambitious airport build of this generation. The Riyadh aviation transformation, anchored by King Salman International Airport and the wider Matarat portfolio, is set to redefine what a global hub looks like. Six parallel runways, a terminal footprint larger than most major cities' downtowns, and capacity targets that place it at the top of global aviation infrastructure by 2050.
Our client is preparing to deliver the technology, operational and business transformation programme that will turn a megaproject into a functioning airport.
The mandate
Reporting to executive sponsors on both client and consortium sides, you will:
- Set and protect the delivery roadmap across business, operational and technology workstreams
- Lead a multi-vendor, multi-disciplinary programme team, scaling materially through peak delivery phases
- Own the relationship with the airport operator, GACA, and senior client stakeholders inside the Kingdom
- Make the hard calls on scope, sequencing, vendor performance and risk tolerance that keep the programme moving when reality collides with the plan
Year one success looks like a baselined integrated master schedule, vendor consortium operating as one team, stakeholder confidence earned inside the first 90 days, and the operational readiness blueprint signed off.
The person
You have done this before. Not adjacent to it, not on a slice of it, but in the seat:
- 15+ years leading mega-programmes, with at least one full lifecycle delivery of an airport transformation at international hub scale (Heathrow, Changi, Hamad, Istanbul, Hong Kong, GCC new-builds, or peer)
- Demonstrable command of the airport operating model: airside, landside, terminal ops, passenger flow, baggage handling, AODB, common-use platforms, security and border integration
- Executive presence to hold the room with Saudi senior leadership, global contractors and consortium partners
- Comfortable in a multicultural delivery environment. GCC or KSA experience is a strong plus but not mandatory
We are not looking for airline programme leaders or those with only aviation-adjacent experience. The operating logic of an airport is different and we need someone fluent in it from day one.
The reality
Riyadh, residential basis, tax-free package, with the rhythm and intensity a Vision 2030 flagship programme demands. This is a full-time permanent position. Compensation is benchmarked at the top of the global market for this calibre of executive. Package detail will be shared with shortlisted candidates.
To apply or refer a strong candidate, please use the application link: https://fintechhire.co.za/pages/opportunities.html?job=82
