Director, Public Realm Event Operations

Role PurposeThe Director, Public Realm Event Operations is the second-in-charge to the Executive Director, Public Realm Event Operations and leads the planning, readiness and delivery of City Operations support services for events within Qiddiya City's public realm. The front-of-house event operator retains accountability for the event itself, including the event programme, venue operations and the guest experience within the event or venue footprint. This role ensures that public realm services, temporary infrastructure and operational partners are coordinated to support safe event delivery while maintaining effective and continuous City Operations.Acting on behalf of the Executive Director when formally delegated, the Senior Director leads cross-functional coordination, drives decisions within agreed authority, escalates matters requiring Executive Director approval, and provides operational assurance from early planning through live event delivery, demobilisation and post-event review.Key ResponsibilitiesDeputy Leadership and DirectionAct as the principal deputy to the Executive Director, Public Realm Event Operations, providing continuity of leadership and representing the function in delegated forums, workshops and operational decision-making bodiesSupport the Executive Director in defining the Public Realm Event Operations operating model, priorities, annual programme and resource plan, converting strategic direction into clear workstreams, accountabilities and delivery milestonesLead, coach and coordinate assigned Public Realm Event Operations team members and consultants, setting expectations, monitoring performance against agreed deliverables and resolving delivery constraintsPrepare concise executive briefings, recommendations and decision papers on readiness, risks, dependencies, budget and operational performancePublic Realm Event Operations PlanningLead the development and integration of public realm event operations plans for city-wide and district-level activity, covering waste and cleansing, public realm readiness, temporary structures, wayfinding and signage, guest services, accessibility, security interfaces, emergency interfaces, welfare, logistics and event support servicesEstablish event-specific concepts of operations, operating procedures, deployment plans, service schedules, resource assumptions, zone plans and escalation protocols appropriate to event scale and riskEnsure plans address the complete event lifecycle, including build-up, testing, event days, transition between sessions or events, breakdown, reinstatement and close-outMaintain clear scope boundaries between City Operations and asset or venue operators. Coordinate city-side interfaces and dependencies without assuming responsibility for the direct operation of venues or individual assetsIntegrated City Coordination and GovernanceCoordinate planning across City Operations, districts, venues and assets, mobility, security, emergency services, technology and telecommunications, facilities management, public realm, utilities, guest experience, commercial, procurement and external stakeholdersEstablish and manage governance routines, integrated planning workshops, action trackers, decision logs, interface registers and reporting cycles that support timely closure of cross-functional issuesConfirm ownership of interfaces and hand-offs between permanent city operations, temporary event overlays, venue operations and third-party delivery partnersEscalate material decisions, unresolved dependencies and changes in scope to the Executive Director with clear options and recommended actionsReadiness, Assurance and Risk ManagementDevelop and manage an integrated operational readiness framework, including readiness criteria, evidence requirements, assurance reviews, testing, rehearsals, simulations, inspections and go or no-go recommendationsManage the consolidated Public Realm Event Operations risk, issue, dependency and opportunity process for assigned events on behalf of the Executive Director, ensuring accountable owners, mitigations, due dates and escalation thresholds are definedChallenge plans for practicality, capacity, resilience, accessibility, guest impact, health and safety, security, environmental performance and continuity of essential city servicesEnsure lessons from exercises, previous events, benchmarking and post-event reviews are incorporated into revised plans and standardsLive Event Delivery and CommandProvide senior operational leadership during event periods and, when delegated, lead the city-side event operations function within the agreed command, control and communication structureCoordinate public realm operational deployment, monitor service performance and city conditions, resolve cross-functional issues and maintain an accurate common operating picture for leadershipEnsure incidents, service failures and emerging risks are logged, triaged, escalated and communicated through approved protocolsOversee orderly demobilisation and public realm reinstatement, confirming defects, outstanding actions, service recovery needs and hand-back requirementsCommercial, Procurement and Partner ManagementDefine operational scopes, service requirements, performance standards and evaluation inputs for consultants, suppliers and event delivery partners supporting public realm operationsSupport procurement planning, tender evaluation, mobilisation and contract governance, working with Commercial and Procurement to protect programme, quality, value and accountabilityMonitor supplier readiness and delivery against contractual obligations, service levels and event requirements, escalating shortfalls and coordinating corrective actionValidate operational budget assumptions, forecasts, change requests and cost pressures for assigned workstreams, providing recommendations to the Executive DirectorContinuous Improvement and Capability BuildingDevelop repeatable standards, templates, playbooks, checklists and reporting tools that strengthen Qiddiya City's Public Realm Event Operations capability and support consistent delivery across the event portfolioBuild strong working relationships with internal functions, government entities, emergency services, operators, promoters and delivery partnersSupport workforce and volunteer integration by defining operational roles, deployment requirements, briefing needs, supervision arrangements and welfare interfaces for public realm operationsLead structured post-event reviews, capture evidence-based lessons and convert agreed improvements into accountable actions for future eventsRequirementsEducationBachelor's degree in Event Management, Operations Management, Business, Engineering, Facilities Management, Hospitality or a related discipline; equivalent relevant professional experience may also be consideredPostgraduate qualifications are not required but may be beneficialRelevant training or certification in project, event, safety, risk or emergency management is desirable but not essentialExperienceRelevant experience supporting the planning or delivery of events, festivals, sporting or entertainment programmes, destinations, public realm operations or other complex operational environmentsExperience coordinating operational activities across more than one function, supplier or stakeholder groupExperience supervising teams or workstreams, coordinating decisions and representing a function in operational forumsPractical exposure to operational planning, readiness activities, live delivery, risk coordination or post-event reviewSome exposure to suppliers, procurement, budgets or performance monitoring is desirable; specialist support will be available where appropriateThis position is reserved exclusively for Saudi nationals, in support of national workforce development and localisation objectivesPreferred BackgroundMajor event organising committees, destination or city operations, event promoters, venue or precinct operators, government event authorities, integrated facilities management, or specialist event operations consultanciesDelivery exposure to both planned major events and live operational environments requiring multi-agency coordination and rapid issue resolution