Manager - Festival Cultural Program

Role Overview

Manager - Festival Cultural Program at Qiddiya Investment Company. Qiddiya is located in Saudi Arabia and is one of the Kingdom's most ambitious Vision 2030 giga-projects.

Company Overview

Qiddiya is the future capital of entertainment, sports, and culture in Saudi Arabia. The organization is reimagining what's possible through world-class theme parks and arenas to immersive arts, motorsports, and outdoor adventures. The mission is to create unforgettable experiences while driving economic growth and national talent development.

Role Purpose

Lead the planning and delivery of the core Cultural Festival programming, ensuring a high-impact, large-scale cultural program that drives visitor engagement and aligns with asset objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Festival Program Planning

• Develop, produce, deliver, and manage a high-volume portfolio of festival programming, including coordination of over 1,400 performances, events, and cultural activities.
• Structure programming across multiple zones and time slots to optimize flow and engagement.
• Ensure alignment with overall programming strategy and visitor demand in coordination with Commercial, Cultural Ecosystem, and Marketing teams.
• Identify, engage, and manage third-party program experts, producers, and cultural partners to develop, produce, and deliver festival programming.

Large-Scale Program Delivery

• Lead execution of all festival programming, ensuring coordination across multiple venues and activities.
• Manage daily program operations, schedules, and real-time adjustments.
• Ensure timely and seamless delivery of all performances and experiences.

Performer & Participant Management

• Coordinate onboarding, scheduling, and management of performers, artists, and contributors including regional, international, and government-affiliated participants and partners.
• Ensure readiness of all participants, including rehearsals, technical requirements, and performance delivery.
• Manage high-volume and diverse participant groups, ensuring seamless coordination and consistent quality.

Real-Time Operations & Optimization

• Monitor program performance during the festival and adjust schedules dynamically.
• Address operational challenges in real time in coordination with Operations.
• Ensure continuity and quality under high-pressure conditions.

Performance Monitoring

• Track attendance, engagement, and program effectiveness across the festival.
• Identify high-performing and underperforming content.
• Provide insights to improve future festival programming.

Qualifications & Experience

• 6–10 years of experience with a strong background in large-scale event programming, festival management, or live event delivery.
• Proven experience planning and delivering large-scale festivals, cultural events, or entertainment programs.
• Experience managing multi-day, high-volume events with multiple simultaneous activities.
• Strong understanding of event lifecycle management, from planning through live delivery.
• Demonstrated experience managing live event programming under real-time conditions.
• Experience managing large numbers of performers, artists, and cultural contributors.
• Experience coordinating rehearsals, technical requirements, and performance schedules.
• Experience managing programming across multiple stages, zones, or venues simultaneously.
• Experience in major national events, festivals, or large public events.
• Experience in cultural or entertainment programming environments.
• Experience in pre-opening or launching large-scale events is an advantage.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong coordination and execution capability.
• Ability to operate in high-pressure environments.
• Ability to oversee daily schedules, stage programming, and activity coordination.
• Experience handling last-minute changes, disruptions, and operational challenges during live events.
• Ability to ensure readiness and smooth delivery across diverse participant groups.
• Ability to coordinate parallel activities while maintaining consistency and quality.
• Strong understanding of crowd flow, timing, and programming distribution.
• Experience leading teams, coordinators, and on-ground staff during live events.

Additional Information

Key Success Metrics

• Festival attendance and engagement.
• On-time delivery of programming.
• Visitor satisfaction.
• Revenue performance of festival programming against budget targets.
• Contribution of programming to overall asset financial performance.