Manager Festival Cultural Program📣 Job Ad

About the Role

Qiddiya, located in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia, is seeking a Manager - Festival Cultural Program to lead the planning and execution of its core cultural festival programming. This full-time position is integral to Qiddiya's mission as a major Vision 2030 giga-project focused on entertainment, sports, and culture.

Role Purpose

The primary purpose of this role is to oversee the development, production, and delivery of a high-impact, large-scale cultural festival program. This involves ensuring the program drives visitor engagement and aligns with Qiddiya's broader asset objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, produce, deliver, and manage a comprehensive festival programming portfolio, including coordination of over 1,400 performances, events, and cultural activities.
• Structure programming across multiple zones and time slots to optimize visitor flow and engagement.
• Ensure programming aligns with the overall strategy and visitor demand, collaborating with Commercial, Cultural Ecosystem, and Marketing teams.
• Identify, engage, and manage third-party program experts, producers, and cultural partners.
• Lead the execution of all festival programming, ensuring seamless coordination across multiple venues and activities.
• Manage daily program operations, schedules, and make real-time adjustments as needed.
• Coordinate the onboarding, scheduling, and management of performers, artists, and contributors, including regional, international, and government-affiliated participants.
• Ensure participant readiness, including rehearsals, technical requirements, and performance delivery.
• Monitor program performance during the festival, dynamically adjusting schedules and addressing operational challenges in real time.
• Track attendance, engagement, and program effectiveness, providing insights for future improvements.

Qualifications and Experience

Candidates should possess 5-10 years of relevant experience, with a strong background in large-scale event programming, festival management, or live event delivery. Proven experience in planning and delivering multi-day, high-volume events with simultaneous activities is essential. A solid understanding of event lifecycle management, from planning through live delivery, is required. Experience managing live event programming under real-time conditions, including handling last-minute changes and operational challenges, is also necessary. Experience managing diverse groups of performers, artists, and cultural contributors, and coordinating programming across multiple stages, zones, or venues simultaneously is expected. Experience in major national events, festivals, or large public events, particularly within cultural or entertainment programming environments, is beneficial. Experience in pre-opening or launching large-scale events is considered an advantage.

Work Location and Type

This is a full-time position based in Riyadh, within the Riyadh Province.