Executive Director📣 Job Ad

About the Role

The Cultural Assets Group is seeking an Executive Director to lead a major new cultural and entertainment destination in Jeddah, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This full-time role is central to the operational and commercial success of a landmark venue, anchored by cinema and complemented by year-round cultural programming, live events, F&B, retail, and hospitality, situated within a prominent historic district.

Role Context and Purpose

The Executive Director holds single-prime operational and commercial accountability for the Venue on behalf of the Operating Company. This position serves as the primary executive interface between the Operating Company, the Client, and the parent Group. The role involves translating the Client’s cultural mandate and the Group’s investment objectives into disciplined, year-round venue operations across all operating modes, ensuring compliance with governance requirements, contractual obligations, and long-term operational sustainability. The venue operates under both Normal Mode (Operating Company-led, year-round) and Festival Mode (Client-led, Operating Company delivery). The Executive Director reports to the Operating Company Board / the Client, via the Joint Governance Committee (quarterly), and directly manages five key department heads.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the delivery of the full operating mandate and the multi-year term strategy, including the Years 1–2 Pilot Period mobilisation, handover, and stabilisation plan.
• Act as the single accountable executive across the four operating layers, integrating all functions through the Operating Company as one cohesive system.
• Steward the Venue as a Group investment, protecting asset value, driving utilisation and commercial performance, and reporting returns to the Group.
• Lead the Operating Company’s participation in the three governance committees (Joint Governance; Programming, Marketing & Brand; Commercial & Partnerships) and secure all required Client approvals.
• Direct transitions between Normal Mode and Festival Mode, ensuring readiness at 90/30 days and structured post-event reset.
• Approve annual operating plans, budgets, and the annual reset mechanism; own performance against the KPI scorecard.
• Set leadership, culture, accountability, and safety standards for the senior team and wider organisation, and manage engagement of the Group’s shared-service business partners.
• Lead enterprise risk management, business continuity, and organisational resilience across all operating modes.
• Build strategic relationships with government entities, cultural institutions, and key stakeholders to support the long-term success of the Venue.
• Ensure compliance with concession obligations, governance requirements, and approved operating frameworks.

Key Relationships and Performance Indicators

The Executive Director will maintain key relationships with the Client as the institutional principal and primary executive interface, and with the parent Group as the investor, accessing shared-service business partners (HR, IT, procurement, legal, risk, finance, government relations). Additional interfaces include government authorities, cultural partners, and key subcontractors/approved vendors. Performance will be measured against key indicators such as Pilot Period mobilisation and operational stabilisation, governance compliance and Client satisfaction, venue utilisation and commercial performance, budget delivery and EBITDA performance, and health, safety, and operational resilience.

Qualifications and Experience

• A minimum of 15 years of experience in large-venue, cultural, hospitality, or destination leadership, including at least 5 years in a General Manager, Director, or CEO role.
• Demonstrated experience leading PPP (Public-Private Partnership), Concession, or Destination Operations.
• Proven single-point accountability for multi-function operations, budgets, and subcontractor ecosystems.
• Experience delivering complex cultural or experiential projects, ideally within the region or the Saudi market.
• Strong capabilities in financial governance, stakeholder diplomacy, and P&L ownership.

Location and Work Type

This is a full-time position permanently based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The role requires flexibility and willingness to travel between Riyadh and Jeddah as business operations necessitate.