Director Event Planning

Director, Event Planning at Jacobs Engineering Group Inc.

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. is seeking a Director, Event Planning to join their team in Riyadh, All SA Regions. This full-time role involves leading the development and execution of integrated planning for major sporting, entertainment, cultural, and civic events within one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship giga projects, a central pillar of Vision 2030.

Role Overview

The Director, Event Planning translates the strategic event portfolio into coordinated, deliverable plans. This includes overseeing governance, budgets, schedules, operational requirements, stakeholder commitments, and readiness activities. The position acts as the City Operations planning lead, ensuring alignment across districts, venues, delivery partners, and operational functions, with a particular focus on major events scheduled for 2028. The role manages citywide planning dependencies and operational integration while maintaining clear accountability boundaries with event owners, venue operators, and asset operators responsible for event delivery. Candidates should have more than 10 years of relevant experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the major events planning framework, governance, standards, and assurance processes.
• Develop integrated multi-year event portfolio plans, aligning priorities, resources, and operational requirements.
• Oversee end-to-end event planning from concept through delivery, readiness, and post-event evaluation.
• Integrate cross-functional operational plans, including mobility, security, guest experience, logistics, communications, and emergency response.
• Manage citywide operational concepts, service overlays, temporary infrastructure, and venue interfaces.
• Establish readiness, assurance, risk management, testing, rehearsals, and contingency planning programs.
• Support live event operations through planning integration, issue resolution, and operational coordination.
• Lead stakeholder engagement with event owners, operators, government agencies, emergency services, and delivery partners.
• Oversee event planning budgets, procurement strategies, supplier performance, and cost management.
• Build and develop a high-performing event planning team, fostering collaboration, capability development, and continuous improvement.

Work Environment

This is an onsite position, and employees are expected to attend a Jacobs Workplace on a full-time basis, as required by the nature of the role.

About Jacobs

Jacobs is committed to solving critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery, and cutting-edge manufacturing. The company focuses on turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world. Jacobs is a key delivery partner on one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship giga projects, located approximately 45 km southwest of Riyadh, designed as the Kingdom’s future capital of entertainment, sports, and culture.