Director Dubai Fitness Challenge

JOB OBJECTIVE:The Director, Dubai Fitness Challenge is responsible for leading the strategy, planning, and delivery of the Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC) as a citywide initiative that promotes Dubai as a world-class place to live, work, and visit.The Director oversees all aspects of DFC from concept development to execution, ensuring full alignment with DET’s objectives, strong stakeholder collaboration, operational excellence, and long-term value creation for the city’s wellness and events ecosystem.Core Functional Responsibilities:Lead the strategic development and execution of Dubai Fitness Challenge in alignment with DET’s vision of positioning Dubai as a leading lifestyle and wellness destination.Define short-term and long-term goals for DFC, ensuring measurable outcomes, public engagement, and alignment with Dubai’s broader health and well-being agenda.Develop and launch new fitness-focused programs outside the DFC period, supporting the growth of Dubai’s wellness and fitness industries year-round.Lead engagement with key partners, including sponsors, government entities, venues, private sector stakeholders, and fitness industry leaders to ensure unified delivery and maximum impact.Oversee the performance and coordination of partners, contractors, vendors, and consultants, ensuring high-quality delivery in line with contractual obligations and DFRE standards.Maintain regular communication with senior stakeholders, resolving issues, aligning expectations, and driving shared outcomes.Manage the full lifecycle of event planning and execution, ensuring smooth coordination across teams and delivery partners.Address operational risks and performance concerns, taking timely corrective actions to maintain project timelines and quality standards.Oversee and approve procurement activities, ensuring all purchases are in line with project objectives, financial policies, and value-for-money principles.Lead the integration of marketing and communications strategies into the DFC planning process to ensure strong brand alignment and audience engagement.Collaborate with communications teams to ensure consistent messaging, media visibility, and effective use of digital and offline channels.Monitor campaign performance and public sentiment, using insights to enhance outreach and positioning.Manage the DFC budget, ensuring effective allocation of funds, alignment with priority areas, and adherence to DFRE’s financial governance framework.Lead resource planning and optimization, making sure internal teams and external partners are equipped to deliver efficiently and effectively.Oversee the development of reports and performance reviews, including ad-hoc analysis, post-event evaluations, and executive summaries.Use performance data to inform future planning, enabling continuous improvement and strategic decision-making.Foster a culture of innovation, encouraging new ideas, partnerships, and formats that enhance DFC’s value and reach.Identify global benchmarks and trends, applying best practices to maintain DFC’s leadership in city-wide wellness events.Guide the evolution of DFC into a scalable, impactful platform, aligned with Dubai’s future-ready vision and lifestyle agenda.Operational Excellence & Governance Lead the development of Section specific policies, procedures and processes ensuring full alignment with the prevalent and applicable laws and regulations. Ensure the Section achieves the highest level of governance and compliance with both internal (DET wide) and external policies and standards across various areas such as legal, quality, risk, cybersecurity etc. in relation to the core operations of the Section. Oversee the productivity and operational efficiency of resources and employees within the section to maximize returns on investment in people and resources. Continuously seek opportunities to leverage innovative technologies and digital solutions to optimize both internal and customer facing processes, in line with Dubai government's ambitions pertaining to being a digital economy. Advisory Support Provide advisory services to the AVP, Leisure Festivals, as needed. Build a favourable reputation and image of the section within department and DET by continuously representing DET favourably. Support the department in establishing deep relations across its stakeholder ecosystem which includes creating synergies and collaboration within DET. Contribute to and support on department and DET wide corporate priorities and initiatives e.g., ESG related initiatives. Qualifications & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Project Management, Event Management, Strategic Communications, Business Administration, or a related field is required. A Master's degree or MBA is highly preferred.Professional certifications such as the Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), Certified Special Events Professional (CSEP), Certified Wellness Program Manager (CWPM), Digital Marketing Strategy or Communication Certifications; are advantageous.A minimum of 15 years of progressive experience, with at least 5–10 years in a senior leadership role overseeing large-scale public events, festivals, wellness initiatives, or strategic communications programs.Proven experience in leading citywide or government-led campaigns or initiatives, preferably within the wellness, sports, or lifestyle sectors.Strong track record in stakeholder engagement, including managing high-level relationships with government entities, corporate partners, sponsors, and media.Demonstrated ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, manage external agencies, and oversee complex project timelines and budgets.Demonstrated experience in end-to-end event management, including planning, operational delivery, and post-event evaluation.Experience in crisis and risk management within large-scale public events, with the ability to respond effectively to high-pressure or time-sensitive situations.Experience in contract negotiation, vendor management, and performance oversight in line with public sector compliance requirements.Experience in developing integrated communication strategies, overseeing event marketing campaigns, and managing public-facing brand initiatives.Strong understanding of Dubai’s government ecosystem, local regulations, and strategic priorities related to community engagement and wellness is highly desirable.