We are currently looking for a Modern Architectural and Urban Heritage Conservation Unit Head to join the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi.
The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) drives the sustainable growth of Abu Dhabi’s culture and tourism sectors. Through its work in cultural heritage, museums, historic environments, creative industries, and destination development, DCT Abu Dhabi plays a central role in preserving the emirate’s cultural identity while positioning Abu Dhabi as a leading global destination for culture and tourism.
Role Purpose The Head of the Modern Architectural and Urban Heritage Conservation Unit provides strategic, technical, and managerial leadership for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of modern architectural and urban heritage. The position is responsible for safeguarding significant twentieth-century and contemporary heritage buildings, historic urban areas, cultural landscapes, and modern heritage precincts through integrated conservation planning, architectural restoration, development review, and project implementation.
The Unit Head oversees the preparation of conservation plans, restoration projects, urban conservation strategies, and heritage impact assessments concerning modern and urban heritage, while ensuring that all interventions comply with legislation, organizational policies, and internationally recognized conservation principles. The role promotes the integration of modern heritage conservation into urban development, supports adaptive reuse, and ensures that modernization and regeneration initiatives respect the cultural, architectural, and urban values of modern heritage assets.
The position leads multidisciplinary teams of architects, urban planners, conservation specialists, engineers, coordinating technical expertise across all stages of heritage conservation projects.
Key Responsibilities Strategic Leadership and Unit Management Lead the Modern Heritage Unit by setting strategic priorities, annual plans, budgets, performance targets, and reporting mechanisms in alignment with departmental objectives. Manage unit resources, work allocation, consultant appointments, outsourced services, and overall delivery to ensure timely, high-quality outputs. Provide strategic and technical advice to senior management on modern heritage conservation, urban heritage planning, policy, legislation, and development-related matters.
Conservation Oversight and Technical Direction Oversee the planning, review, approval, and implementation of conservation, restoration, rehabilitation, adaptive reuse, and intervention projects for modern heritage assets. Direct and validate key technical outputs, including conservation plans, feasibility studies, technical briefs, heritage assessments, specifications, methodologies, and design proposals. Ensure conservation decisions and interventions safeguard heritage significance, authenticity, integrity, historic character, and compatibility with original materials and construction systems.
Urban Heritage Planning and Development Review Lead the review and validation of urban heritage strategies, Site Management Plans, Heritage Area Master Plans, conservation frameworks, and related planning guidance. Guide the integration of conservation requirements into planning, regeneration, infrastructure, public realm, landscape, mobility, and development initiatives. Oversee development review processes and provide recommendations on proposals affecting modern heritage buildings, areas, streetscapes, and urban character.
Project Governance, Quality and Risk Management Oversee capital and operational projects related to modern and urban heritage, ensuring compliance with approved scope, quality standards, schedules, budgets, procurement requirements, and risk controls. Direct consultants, contractors, and multidisciplinary teams through design, implementation, monitoring, documentation, and completion stages. Ensure effective monitoring, maintenance planning, risk identification, corrective actions, and reporting for deteriorated, abandoned, or at-risk modern heritage assets.
Stakeholder Engagement, Research and Capacity Building Represent the unit and coordinate with internal teams, government entities, municipalities, asset owners, developers, consultants, contractors, academic institutions, and heritage partners. Guide research, innovation, training, awareness, publications, and capacity-building initiatives that support modern heritage conservation and stewardship. Respond to strategic, technical, and operational requests related to modern heritage and perform any other duties assigned by the direct manager.
People Management Lead, mentor, develop, and evaluate direct reports, ensuring clear objectives, effective performance management, professional growth, and a collaborative high-performance culture.
EHS (Environment, Health and Safety) Ensure unit activities comply with relevant environment, health and safety policies, procedures, controls, and reporting requirements.
Change Management Support organizational change by promoting a proactive, solution-oriented culture and contributing to new initiatives, continuous improvement, and achievement of planned targets.
Qualifications & Experience Master's degree in Architectural Conservation, Heritage Conservation, Architecture, Urban Planning, Urban Design, Historic Preservation, or a closely related discipline. Professional registration as an Architect or Urban Planner is highly desirable. Minimum 10–12 years of progressively responsible experience in architectural conservation, urban conservation planning, and heritage project management. Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary conservation and planning projects. Management of large-scale restoration projects involving modern heritage buildings. Management of large-scale urban revitalization projects
Skills Strategic leadership and organizational management. Architectural conservation and restoration oversight. Urban conservation planning and urban design review. Heritage impact assessment and development review. Project, contract, and budget management. Technical report writing and policy development. Stakeholder engagement and negotiation. Team leadership and mentoring. Analytical thinking and complex problem solving. Excellent verbal and written communication. Proficiency with Auto CAD, Arc GIS and Microsoft Office applications Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic language skills are an advantage.
Interested candidates are welcome to apply or share their CV for consideration.