Project Manager - Sports Events & Roadshows

Role SummaryWe are seeking an experienced Project Manager to lead the planning, administration, coordination, and delivery of an international and domestic football trophy tour programme.The role will serve as the central project management function, connecting creative, technical, operations, community engagement, marketing, commercial, logistics, and external stakeholder teams to ensure the successful execution of a series of football events and public activations.The programme includes a formal trophy send-off, international media appearances and public activations, embassy receptions, domestic public events across Saudi Arabia, and the final trophy handover to the tournament.The successful candidate will be responsible for programme planning, project governance, operational coordination, supplier management, financial tracking, documentation, and executive reporting using Smartsheet and established project management frameworks.This role requires exceptional organisational skills, strong stakeholder management, meticulous documentation, and the ability to coordinate multiple cities, venues, suppliers, and workstreams simultaneously.Key ResponsibilitiesProgramme Leadership & DeliveryLead the end-to-end planning and delivery of the football trophy tour programme.Develop and manage the integrated project schedule, covering planning, procurement, mobilisation, delivery, and close-out.Coordinate project workstreams to ensure milestones are achieved on time and within budget.Manage programme priorities, dependencies, and critical path activities.Chair project meetings and delivery reviews, escalating risks and critical issues as required.Ensure alignment across creative, technical, commercial, operations, and community engagement teams.Lead the programme hub in Riyadh, coordinating two international touring teams through daily status reporting and escalation.Oversee governance and coordination for the trophy send-off event delivered by the local event team.Operational Planning & Event DeliveryDevelop detailed operational plans for every tour location.Coordinate venue readiness, event schedules, rehearsals, setup, live delivery, and breakdown.Manage supplier mobilisation, contractor coordination, and production timelines.Coordinate transport, secure storage, and chain of custody for trophies, mascot costumes, activation assets, and production equipment.Manage international travel, visas, customs, insurance, freight, and secure transfers for touring teams and assets.Coordinate embassy receptions and national football federation engagements in international host cities.Manage the movement of the domestic touring kit between Al Khobar, Jeddah, and Riyadh.Ensure branding, event overlays, and sponsor activations are delivered according to approved plans.Coordinate venue management, logistics, security, medical, accreditation, and hospitality.Monitor on-site operations and resolve issues in real time.Ensure compliance with operational standards, safety requirements, and local authority regulations.Conduct post-event debriefs and capture operational learnings after each tour stop.Project Controls & PMO AdministrationBuild and maintain integrated project plans and dashboards in Smartsheet.Track milestones, dependencies, critical paths, and progress across all tour locations.Produce daily status reports during live delivery, alongside weekly and monthly reporting packs.Maintain project registers, including risks, issues, decisions, actions, changes, stakeholders, deliverables, lessons learned, and trophy and asset custody.Coordinate meeting agendas, minutes, action follow-ups, document control, approvals, and version management.Prepare executive reports and maintain accurate programme documentation.Financial & Commercial AdministrationMonitor budgets, costs, forecasts, and resource requirements.Coordinate purchase requests, purchase orders, and procurement activities.Track supplier progress, contracts, milestones, and deliverables.Coordinate with international local suppliers and domestic production suppliers.Prepare financial summaries and programme updates for senior management.Stakeholder ManagementCoordinate communication and delivery with the local organising committee, government authorities, municipalities, venue owners, sponsors, commercial partners, community organisations, production suppliers, embassies, diplomatic missions, national football federations, and travel and freight agents.Maintain stakeholder communication plans, approval trackers, and clear escalation procedures.Team CoordinationCoordinate multidisciplinary teams across operations, technical production, creative, community engagement, branding, overlay, logistics, venue management, contractors, suppliers, and touring teams.Establish clear ownership of deliverables, monitor workloads, and facilitate collaboration across all participants.Continuous Improvement & Close-OutCapture operational learnings from each tour stop.Maintain the lessons learned register.Develop repeatable delivery standards, templates, and operational procedures for future football events and trophy tours.Complete asset reconciliation, supplier close-out, final cost reconciliation, and programme reporting.Required SkillsExceptional organisational skillsStrong stakeholder managementMeticulous documentationAbility to coordinate multiple cities, venues, suppliers, and workstreams simultaneouslyProficiency with Smartsheet and established project management frameworksExperience RequirementExperienced Project ManagerLocation / Work ModeRiyadh, Saudi ArabiaAdditional NotesContract Duration: Immediate - 15 January 2027