Culture Strategy & Experiences Director Philanthropic 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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 entitys 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.

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 entitys discretion. This job description is not intended as and does not create an employment contract.