Role SummaryWe are seeking an experienced Operations Director to lead the overall operational delivery of two major festival sites in Saudi Arabia.
This is a leadership position for an experienced event operations professional who has successfully managed large-scale sporting events, fan zones, festivals, mega-events, or major public gatherings.
The Role
The Operations Director will have overall responsibility for the safe, efficient, and seamless operation of both event sites, from mobilisation and pre-opening through live event operations and close-out.
Working across Riyadh and Jeddah, the role will lead the Operations Managers and coordinate closely with security, production, suppliers, venue teams, authorities, and other key stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- * Provide overall operational leadership across both festival sites.
- Lead the planning and delivery of all front-of-house and event operations.
- Develop and implement operational plans, procedures, schedules, and contingency plans.
- Own crowd management, guest flow, access, gates, queuing, and visitor experience.
- Oversee event staffing, workforce planning, deployment, and operational readiness.
- Lead coordination with security teams and relevant authorities.
- Manage operational relationships with suppliers, contractors, and service providers.
- Establish and maintain clear operating procedures for event days and match nights.
- Lead the Operations Managers and wider operational teams across both locations.
- Coordinate closely with production, technical, commercial, hospitality, F&B, transport, and health & safety teams.
- Monitor site readiness and ensure all operational areas are prepared before opening.
- Lead daily operational briefings, event-day command structures, and post-event debriefs.
- Anticipate operational risks and ensure effective contingency and emergency response plans are in place.
- Oversee the smooth operation of multiple high-profile match nights and associated festival activities.
- Ensure operations comply with agreed health, safety, security, quality, and guest-experience standards.
- Take senior operational ownership during live event periods and respond decisively to issues as they arise.
Required Skills
- * Strong experience in crowd management, access control, gates, staffing, security coordination, and event-day operations.
- Strong understanding of event health & safety, risk management, emergency procedures, and operational compliance.
- Experience managing suppliers, contractors, security providers, and other operational partners.
- Excellent communication, leadership, decision-making, and crisis-management skills.
- Comfortable operating in a high-pressure, fast-paced international event environment.
Experience Requirement
- * 15+ years of experience in live event operations, with significant experience in large-scale events.
- Proven track record managing mega-events, sporting events, fan festivals, festivals, exhibitions, or major public gatherings.
- Experience managing high-volume guest environments and complex crowd movements.
- Proven leadership experience managing senior operations teams and multiple operational workstreams.
- Previous experience delivering major events in Saudi Arabia or the GCC is highly desirable.
- Experience with major international sporting events or football fan zones is strongly preferred
- Experience managing complex event sites with large guest volumes, multiple stakeholders, security interfaces, substantial staffing requirements, and demanding event-day programmes.
- Experience with World Cup fan zones, F1, Expo, Riyadh Season, Jeddah Season, or comparable international mega-events would be highly relevant.
Location / Work ModeSaudi Arabia - Riyadh & Jeddah
Additional NotesContract: October 2026 - February 2027
