Community & General Entertainment Programming manager

About the Role

We are recruiting a Community and General Entertainment Integration Manager to join a dedicated, full-time team embedded in our client’s Festival Programming function in Riyadh. The team will support two major events in Saudi Arabia: a multi-week project in summer 2027 (July to August) and a further event in November 2027.

You will be the festival programmer for the wider audience, not just dedicated fans. You will fill the festival’s shared spaces with:

• Main stage shows
• Fan zones
• Family activities
• Weekly highlight moments
• Exclusive content
  

Because the festival runs for several weeks, you will keep refreshing the line-up so the programme stays fresh from the first day to the last. For every format, you will tell the planning and operations teams in advance how many people it will draw and what space and staff it needs.

This is a hands-on producing role. The grade reflects your seniority and judgement, not the size of a team you supervise. We are looking for a programmer who personally builds the calendars, rotations and main stage programmes.

Key Responsibilities

Common Area Programming

• Programme the festival’s common areas, including the main stage and entertainment, weekly moments and hero content.
• Work closely with the Masterplan team, which owns the physical common area spaces, so that programming and space planning stay fully aligned.
• Create a main stage programme that draws audiences and gives the festival its signature moments.

Community and General Entertainment

• Programme community activity, including fan zones, community activities, family and general entertainment, rotating content and exclusive moments.
• Make sure the programme appeals to a broad audience, including families, casual visitors and dedicated fans.
• Build moments that encourage repeat visits throughout the festival season.

Content Rotation and Season Planning

• Plan content rotations so the programme evolves across a multi-week season.
• Develop multi-week programming calendars that balance consistency with novelty.
• Schedule weekly highlights and exclusives to keep audience interest and momentum high.

Operational Integration

• Give planning teams the throughput, space and staffing implications of every programme format well in advance.
• Work with the operations, masterplan and crowd management teams so that every programmed activity can be delivered safely and effectively.
• Turn creative programming ideas into clear operational requirements.

Programme Control

• Maintain the live programme change log, making sure every update is tracked and communicated to the relevant teams.
• Keep the programme accurate, current and aligned across all workstreams throughout the planning and live periods.

• At least 8 years of experience in entertainment, community or festival programming for large-scale live events, at Senior Manager level.
• Experience across at least two live event seasons.
• A proven record of personally producing multi-week programming calendars, content rotations and main stage programmes. Only experience where you personally produced the work counts towards the requirement.

Ideal Background

• A festival or entertainment programmer from large, multi-week events.
• Pop-culture or fan festival programming experience is a strong advantage.

Languages

• Professional English is required.
• Japanese and Arabic are preferred.
  

Working Conditions

• Full-time and exclusive: you will be dedicated to the client for the full contract term, with no other clients or projects.
• Mobilisation: you must be able to mobilise within 48 hours of contract award, which is expected in October 2026.
• On site in Riyadh: you must be in Riyadh for the full operating periods of the summer 2027 festival (July to August) and the November 2027 event, whichever working option you choose.
• One position only: each candidate can be considered for one position only.

• A competitive package for the duration of a 14-month contract, with the potential to extend by up to 3 months
• Flexible working, with a remote option during the planning phase
• The chance to programme a flagship, multi-week festival in Riyadh for a large, diverse audience
• Creative ownership of main stage, community and family entertainment content
• A senior, hands-on role in a dedicated specialist team embedded with a major client
• Valuable experience on one of the region’s most high-profile live events programmes