Culture Strategy & Experiences Director // Philanthropic Non-Profit Entity

JOB DETAILS 

Title: Culture Strategy & Experiences Director

Function: Culture & Connections

Reports to: Culture & Connections Chief

JOB PURPOSE 

Lead the development and activation of the entity's cultural programs, experiences, and audience engagement models by shaping program concepts, delivery formats, partnerships, and revenue-enabling mechanisms in, to generate high-quality, financially sustainable cultural experiences that expand reach, deepen community connection, and reinforce the entity's role as a credible and impactful cultural institution.

ACCOUNTABILITIES 

Strategy Implementation and Departmental Contribution 

• Manage the design, execution and integration of departmental strategies and workplans, to ensure full alignment with the entity's vision, mission and objectives.
• Translate strategic objectives into actionable initiatives, managing their implementation to ensure that gaps are identified and addressed in a timely, evidence-based manner. 
• Serve as a subject-matter lead in culture , providing expert advice and technical input to the entity's leadership to drive informed, strategic decisions that support achievement of institutional objectives.
• Take full accountability for the delivery of the departments mission and objectives, to ensure impact driven outcomes that reinforce entity's societal contribution. 

People Management 

• Hire, then lead and manage departmental teams by setting clear objectives, monitoring performance, and providing guidance and motivation to cultivate a high-performing, mission-driven team that delivers measurable impact. 
• Foster a culture of collaboration, ethics, and learning, to ensure staff operate in alignment with the entity's values and institutional principles.
• Develop and retain talent by coaching, mentoring, and providing professional development opportunities to enhance technical and leadership capabilities. 
• Collaborate with other functions to build cross-functional synergies and ensure effective teamwork across the foundation. 

Financial and Resource Management 

• Lead the preparation, consolidation, and monitoring of departmental budgets, to ensure efficient and transparent use of entity's financial resources in line with approved allocations.
• Identify and implement opportunities for cost optimization and operational efficiency, to ensure effective resource utilization and maximize the foundations value for impact. 
• Ensure timely financial reporting and contribute to enable evidence-based financial planning and decision-making. 

Cultural Strategy & Governance 

• Cascade the Culture & Connections strategic pillar into coherent cultural plans and KPIs by translating strategic priorities into clear objectives, milestones, and governance mechanisms, to ensure alignment, accountability, and disciplined delivery across the vertical.
• Monitor progress and risks across cultural initiatives by reviewing performance updates and escalation points, to enable timely course correction and informed leadership decision-making. 
• Lead governance and transition-readiness activities by setting structures, decision rights, and oversight practices, to ensure institutional maturity and long-term sustainability of the Culture & Connections vertical. 
• Drive institutional learning across cultural functions by embedding review and reflection practices, to strengthen strategic coherence and continuous improvement. 

Cultural Partnerships 

• Lead the identification and stewardship of strategic cultural partnerships by defining partnership priorities, engagement models, and collaboration frameworks, to position the entity as a credible and connected cultural actor. 
• Oversee stakeholder mapping and partnership structuring by ensuring alignment with entity's central governance and sectoral priorities, to maximize legitimacy, resource access, and shared value creation.
• Ensure partnerships remain mission-aligned and value-adding by reviewing performance, relevance, and renewal considerations, to amplify impact and sustain long-term cooperation. 

Business Development 

• Lead the development of earned-revenue and sponsorship strategies by defining viable income streams such as ticketing, memberships, rentals, and retail partnerships, to strengthen financial sustainability while preserving cultural integrity. 
• Oversee the alignment of commercial opportunities with cultural objectives by validating fit, scale, and reputational considerations, to ensure revenue generation supports the mission. 

Program Design 

• Lead program ideation and concept development by setting direction, design principles, and quality standards, to ensure cultural programs are coherent, relevant, and aligned with the entity's mission. 
• Oversee the definition of program objectives, target audiences, and delivery models, through structured concept reviews, to enable informed prioritization and funding decisions. 

Program Activation & Community Engagement 

• Oversee the activation and delivery of approved programs by setting execution expectations and monitoring readiness and alignment, to ensure concepts translate into high-quality, lived cultural experiences.
• Guide audience engagement and outreach approaches by validating engagement mechanisms, partnerships, and participation models, to ensure programs reach diverse communities effectively and inclusively.
• Monitor program performance and delivery risks through structured check-ins and reviews, to safeguard visibility, consistency, and tangible cultural impact. 

Policies, Systems, and Operational Excellence 

• Develop and implement financial policies, systems, and procedures to ensure compliance with entity's governance framework, national regulations, and ethical standards.
• Continuously improve processes to enhance consistency, efficiency, and service quality, to ensure that all procedural and legislative requirements are met. 
• Promote awareness of institutional policies, compliance manuals, and the code of ethics among staff to maintain accountability and transparency. 

Change and Continuous Improvement 

• Lead management of departmental change initiatives, to ensure that systems, processes, and practices remain adaptive to institutional needs and external developments. 
• Promote innovation and digital adoption to strengthen departmental effectiveness and contribute to the entity's institutional modernization. 
• Act as a change enabler, to foster staff ownership and engagement throughout transitions.

JOB REQUIREMENTS 

Education / Qualification Required: 

• Bachelors degree in Management or Business administration Preferred: Bachelors degree in Museum/Heritage Studies, Architecture/Interior Design, Cultural Management, Library & Information Science, or a related field.
• Masters degree in Public/Applied History, Museum/Heritage/Conservation, Architecture/Interiors, Cultural Management, Library & Information Science, or a related field.

Professional Experience 

Required: 

• Minimum of 10 years of total professional experience, including at least 5 years in a managerial role and 4 years in cultural institutions, heritage organizations, museums, libraries, or comparable public-facing cultural environments. 
• Proficiency in Arabic is essential for this role

Preferred: 

• Track record in foundations, museums, libraries, or cultural institutions in KSA/GCC; launching major exhibitions/programs; scaling public access initiatives; community engagement.

COMPETENCIES

• Thrives in a fast paced, startup environment, navigating ambiguity with speed, initiative, and a hands-on mindset 
• Quick, strategic thinker who can rapidly break down complex ideas and turn them into clear, actionable plans 
• Confident and agile in engaging with Royal, executives and senior stakeholders, adapting messaging on the spot 
• Highly effective at building relationships and managing stakeholders through influence, not hierarchy (knows the cultural scene in Saudi)

DISCLAIMER 

This list of responsibilities, accountabilities, requirements and working relationships (job stakeholders) is not exhaustive, and the employee may be required to perform other duties in line with requirements and at the entity's discretion. This job description is not intended as and does not create an employment contract.