Planning Director

Translate the city-wide Digital Infrastructure Masterplan into phased implementation and planning packages.

Key Responsibilities

• Define planning horizons (short-, mid-, long-term) for fiber, mobile, data centers, and smart systems.
• Chair planning review boards; enforce compliance with standards and masterplan objectives.
• Align capacity, resilience, and cybersecurity planning with overall project
• Lead demand forecasting and capacity modelling for fixed, mobile, and data center infrastructure.
• Develop fiber routing and tower siting strategies; validate district connectivity plans.
• Coordinate data center and edge computing, siting and phasing plans.
• Review and approve Networks for DC, MMRs/POPs, duct banks, and right-of-way allocations.
• Integrate planning with SEC power, NWC water, district cooling, and other utilities.
• Provide planning baselines for design and construction teams; monitor adherence.
• Manage change requests, planning deviations, and phasing adjustments.
• Support constructability reviews, sequencing, and co-build opportunities with other disciplines.
• Track delivery progress against planning baselines; report variances.
• Ensure planning compliance with standards for critical facilities
• Integrate sustainability targets (LEED, PUE, renewable energy) into planning milestones.
• Coordinate planning approvals with CST, SEC, NWC, MOMRAH, SDAIA, and other authorities.
• Engage with MNOs, TowerCo, FiberCo, and DC operators for alignment of capacity and rollout plans.
• Represent planning scenarios in client/owner steering committees and governance forums.
• Ensure O&M requirements are embedded into planning (access corridors, bypass routes, redundancy).
• Support Operational Readiness by aligning phasing with training, spares, and operations setup.
• Provide planning input for commissioning, IST schedules, and phased handovers.
• Build and lead planning teams for fiber, mobile, and data centers.
• Mentor planners; establish best practices, planning methodologies, and knowledge-sharing culture.
• Foster collaboration with designers, construction managers, and external consultants.

Qualifications & Experience

Master s degree in engineering, ICT, Telecoms, Digital Infrastructure, Urban/Infrastructure Planning, or Project Management; PMP/PRINCE2/Chartered status preferred.

20+ years experience in ICT, telecoms, fiber deployment, smart city, data center, utilities, and critical infrastructure planning, preferably on city-wide, giga-project, mixed-use, campus, or large infrastructure programs.

Proven digital infrastructure planning leadership, covering masterplans, phased implementation plans, short/mid/long-term planning horizons, fiber/mobile/DC/smart systems, demand forecasting, capacity modelling, and district connectivity planning.

Strong multidisciplinary coordination experience, including integration with design, construction, utilities, SEC, NWC, district cooling, authorities, MNOs, tower companies, fiber operators, DC operators, consultants, and contractors.

Strong planning governance and delivery-control capability, including planning review boards, baseline management, change control, phasing adjustments, progress tracking, risk management.