Digital Infra Planning Director

About the Role

Mace merges construction know-how with consultancy to unlock potential in projects and individuals, pushing limits of ambition. We value shaping how we consult and the people who join our journey.

This role involves working on one of Saudi Arabia's largest programmes, featuring a major mixed-use development comprising sports venues, entertainment, arts, and associated infrastructure.

Job Responsibilities

• Oversee daily planning coordination for digital infrastructure packages, covering baseline plans, phasing, sequencing, critical dependencies, constructability, co-build opportunities, and alignment with district CMP/DMP submissions.
• Lead forecasting and capacity planning activities including fiber demand, mobile coverage, data center and edge computing capacity, smart city applications, resilience, spare capacity, growth, and near- to long-term planning horizons.
• Coordinate interfaces with multiple stakeholders such as design, construction, utilities, authorities, operators, and consultants including SEC, NWC, district cooling, CST, MOMRAH, SDAIA, MNOs, TowerCo, FiberCo, data center operators, and EPC/design consultants.
• Review and validate planning submissions relating to fiber routes, tower placement, MMR/POP sites, duct-bank layouts, right-of-way, utility dependencies, access corridors, bypass routes, redundancy, and commissioning handover inputs.
• Track actual progress versus approved baselines, report deviations and risks including scheduling impacts, changes, dependencies, delayed inputs, and propose mitigations for escalation.
• Support planning governance activities including preparing dashboards, issue logs, risk registers, decision papers, steering committee materials, technical comments, and planning approvals.
• Ensure compliance with relevant standards, project mandates, right-of-way, cybersecurity, resilience, sustainability, operational readiness, maintainability, access, and scalability requirements.
• Help lead operational readiness and transition planning ensuring commissioning, system testing, cutover, training, spare parts, O&M access, documentation, and phased handovers are integrated into schedules.
• Guide and mentor planning engineers and coordinators, promote best practices, keep planning trackers updated, maintain quality outputs, and facilitate coordination across planning, design, construction, and consultants.

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, ICT, telecommunications, digital infrastructure, urban/infrastructure planning, or project management.
• At least 15 years of experience in ICT, telecom, smart cities, data centers, utilities, or major infrastructure planning with large-scale mixed-use or campus projects.
• Extensive knowledge of digital infrastructure planning including phased implementation, fiber, mobile, data centers, smart systems, capacity modeling, MMR/POP site planning, duct corridor, and right-of-way coordination.
• Proven capability in coordinating with design, construction, utilities, authorities, consultants, operators, and contractors such as SEC, NWC, district cooling, government authorities, MNOs, TowerCo, FiberCo, and data center operators.
• Strong skills in planning control, baseline tracking, phasing modifications, change management, and risk register maintenance.

Additional Information

Mace values safety first, client focus, integrity, and creating opportunities for staff development. We foster a safe, diverse, and inclusive environment emphasizing wellbeing, quality delivery, compliance, and continuous improvement.

We welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds and encourage applications even if all criteria are not fully met, as there may be other suitable roles.

Flexible working arrangements such as part-time, hybrid, or flexible hours may be discussed if appropriate.