Associate Manager, Retail Design Management

Majid Al Futtaim Properties invites you to join us in our quest to create great moments for everyone, everyday We are the leading shopping mall, residential communities, and Hospitality pioneer across the Middle East, serving over 560 million visitors a year. For the past two decades, we have shaped the consumer landscape across the region, transforming the way people shop, live and play, while maintaining a strong sustainability track record and the largest mall in the world to attain LEED Gold EBOM Certification. We have over 40,000 team members in 15 international markets representing over 100 nationalities - all keeping the customer at the heart of everything we do. If you enjoy being BOLD, PASSIONATE and TOGETHER, then Majid Al Futtaim is the destination for you.

**Role Purpose**:
The position is responsible for taking ownership of all RDM activities and duties within an Asset, and act as the primary RDM representative on tenant design matters. The goal is to ensure that all stores delivered within the Asset meet the highest standards, open on time, with aim of creating and maintaining engaging and high-performing retail destinations.

**Role Details - Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities**:

- Responsible for handling all RDM administrative duties to include Asset workload and redevelopment project budget and resource forecast according to project weight & workload scorecard, recruitment, and team management (where applicable).
- On-boarding and immersion of new employees and consultants (where applicable).
- Planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating day-to-day team activities, ensuring they meet the organization’s goals, objectives, and regulations. Adhering to their responsibilities and project milestones.
- Identifying and developing opportunities in the Asset (hidden GLA/ RDM relevant improvements such as food court upgrades/ etc.), create structured business cases and obtain stakeholder buy-in to deliver initiative.
- Primary RDM advisor to Mall Management to respond to tenant design related matters and act as consultant.
- Generate Asset Renovation schedule with TDM counterpart, Leasing Manager and Mall Manager.
- Data analysis exploring opportunities for improved RDM performance/ time saving across the Asset.
- Accountability for ensuring RDD strategic initiatives are applied within Asset (CRM/ MOTF/ etc.)
- Ensure adherence / improvement on prescribed design relevant milestones (individual or team)
- Participate in Standards focus groups & workshops.
- Transform RDD Standards into criteria to meet the Asset benchmark and lead the evolution of RDD design criteria and related collateral to ensure the retail environments are market relevant, customer focused and in line with the Asset positioning.
- Support line manager with Asset specific Internal Audit exercises
- Reduced project delivery workload.
- Brief MAF’s Retail Partners on RDD criteria and processes, provide continued support throughout the concept & detail design approval stages, follow the fit-out phase, whilst adhering to strict RDD milestones, ensuring no loss of rent (or impact on income stream) for scheduled openings.
- Provide retail partners with relevant, viable, practical, cost-effective, and creative solutions to support or improve trade performance if their proposals don’t meet MAF standards. Ensuring a high impact outcome, commercially, operationally, and experientially benefiting all parties, putting the end customer at the centre of the experience.
- Guide and support team members in unlocking tenant disagreements.
- Attend, participate, and lead by example in weekly forums with peers or other key stakeholders to share and provide feedback on design concepts, support colleagues, learn, coordinate joint approvals, and help each-other in achieving stand-out concepts for MAF malls.
- Escalate non-compliant / controversial tenant design proposals to design committee for business resolution.
- Carry out Green Star assessments for relevant projects in accordance with the established guidelines and assessment criteria.
- Minimise the design review cycle by adopting a clear, constructive, detailed, consistent, fair feedback system.
- Monitor, track, and accurately record project progress via an online system (CRM), and attend weekly progress update meetings ensuring stakeholders are continually informed.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with:

- Retail Partners, their Project Managers, Design team, Contractors, Builders and/or Shop Fitters,
- Mall Management team, Mall Operations team, Mall Leasing team, Key Accounts team, Lease Contract Management team, Marketing team, STR team, Mall Security, PMBU counterparts, SMBDU counterparts.
- Local Authorities, Suppliers, Manufacturers
- RDD portfolios and RDD COE divisions
- Maintain continuous contact with the Asset’s Leasing Team and commercial teams to fully understand the agreed deal, (line shops/ kiosks/ marketing activations) and to allow timely coor