Director of Special Events

Role overview14-month contract, with a possible extension of up to 3 monthsBased in RiyadhFull-time and exclusive for the durationStart date: late October 2026We are hiring a hands-on Senior Masterplan Director for a major retained events programme in Saudi Arabia.This is a producing role, not an oversight one. You’ll turn event strategy into buildable masterplans yourself, and you’ll lead a 29-person Masterplan team.The ideal candidate combines strategic vision with strong technical masterplanning expertise and a proven track record of delivering major events, multi-venue developments or similarly complex environments.What you’ll doLead the 29-person retained Masterplan team and be the single point of accountability to the client for its output and continuityPersonally produce masterplans covering venue footprint, zoning, infrastructure, resources, timelines and visitor journeysTurn high-level strategic direction into a full implementation plan for each event cycleRun needs assessments and feasibility studies, and benchmark against comparable global eventsAllocate design, drafting and F&B requests across the team, and keep work moving when people are redeployedAct as a trusted advisor to the client’s Masterplan leadership on progress, strategy and opportunitiesWhat you’ll bring12+ years of relevant hands-on experience in event, venue or overlay masterplanningAt least two complete mega-event or multi-venue delivery cyclesA portfolio of dimensioned masterplans, zoning and visitor journeys you produced yourselfExperience leading an embedded client team while still delivering hands-on workProfessional EnglishNice to haveEsports, mega-sport or multi-venue festival masterplanningSaudi or GCC delivery experienceArabicExperience in one or more of the following would be highly relevant:- International mega-events and major sporting events.- Esports events and large-scale gaming competitions.- Multi-venue festivals and complex live-event environments.- Large-scale temporary venues and event infrastructure.- Projects involving multiple stakeholders, challenging site constraints and demanding delivery timelines.Interested? If you have personally developed and delivered masterplans for complex, large-scale events or multi-venue environments, we would be keen to hear from you.Apply directly or get in touch to discuss the opportunity.