Head of Events Operations // Match Hospitality

About the Company:

The Company is seeking to fill this role, is one of the worlds leading sports event management companies established since 1991 and has had a presence in Qatar for over five years.

Role & Responsibilities Summary:

The Head of Event Operations for the Hospitality Division is a leadership role responsible for overseeing the end-to-end operational delivery of multiple hospitality projects and events.

Reporting to the Hospitality Operations Director, this position plays a critical role in planning, coordinating, and managing the operational requirements for large-scale events, ensuring seamless delivery and exceptional guest experiences.

During the planning phase, this role is responsible for the implementation of operational planning and management, space planning, service provider contracting and contract management strategies. During the event phase, the Head of Event Operations oversees the on-site management of different Event Teams, ensuring that all services including catering, guest experience, security, cleaning, venue operations are delivered flawlessly. This includes handling crisis management, issue resolution, and post-event reporting to maintain operational excellence across all venues.

The Head of Event Operations leads a team of core members, including Senior Operations Managers, Operations Managers and temporary Event Teams. Working closely with the Head of Event Delivery and the Procurement team, this role ensures all events are executed with precision, cohesion and meet the company’s high standards. It also involves building strong relationships with stakeholders, including Organising Committees, Event Owners and event site authorities, to ensure smooth coordination and operations.

Operational Strategy and Planning

• In conjunction with the senior management lead the operational strategy for different projects and events, collaborating closely with their operations team and the technical and procurement teams to develop detailed plans that meet the needs and requirements of all event’s functional areas such as: catering, hosting services, entertainment, gift programmes, security, cleaning, others.
• Manage the development of detailed operational planning for the front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) spaces of each event site, ensuring that all functional areas and services are allocated with the space they require to perform their operation.
• In Coordination with the Event Delivery Team, oversee the design, allocation, and preparation of infrastructure, utilities, and equipment layouts, ensuring operational spaces are functional, safe, and aligned with event objectives.
• Coordinate with internal departments and service providers to ensure the smooth integration of operational plans across all venues, from design through to execution

Development of Operational Documentation

• Manage and monitor the creation of comprehensive event operational documentation, including standard operating procedures (SOPs), operational narratives, reporting systems, and event specific planning materials.

• Manage the development and implementation of tracking systems, including timelines, key performance indicators (KPIs), handover forms, and post-event reporting, to maintain operational efficiency and accountability.

• Collaborate with the Hospitality Project Team to oversee the key timelines, milestones and deliverables of events & projects, ensuring that all operational processes are documented, communicated, and regularly updated to reflect evolving event requirements and industry best practices.

Team Leadership and Management

• Manage and mentor a core team of Senior Operations Managers and Operations Managers, across all levels of work streams, responsibilities and delivery, ensuring they have the necessary support and resources to deliver on event requirements.
• Train, mentor and develop a temporary operational team for each event and project (Event Teams), responsible for the (de)mobilisation, operation and delivery of the event on site.

• Coordinate efforts between the technical and operational teams, ensuring smooth collaboration and alignment with broader project goals.

• Provide leadership in resolving any operational or logistical challenges that arise during the planning and execution phases.

• Set clear performance expectations and conduct regular evaluations to ensure that team members are meeting their goals and contributing effectively to the success of the Event Operations team.

Service Provider Coordination and Contract Management

• In Co-ordination with HQ and Procurement team, oversee the procurement process for all operational service providers, ensuring the finalisation of product specifications, service levels, and contractual obligations for key services, including food and beverage, hosting resource, entertainment and other key services.
• Manage contractual and commercial timelines and responsibilities, ensuring service providers adhere to contractual terms, deadlines, and service level agreements. Regularly monitor their performance to maintain high standards across all projects and event sites.
• Collaborate with service providers to resolve any operational challenges that arise during planning, ensuring that all pre-event obligations are fulfilled, and risks are mitigated.
• Maintain compliance with local laws, international regulations, and the company’s internal policies regarding health and safety, sustainability, food safety, and hygiene standards.
• Provide the Hospitality Event Teams and Event Service Providers with all the necessary information, space, infrastructure and access to fulfil their obligations.

Stakeholder Engagement and Reporting

• Act as the primary liaison with Event Organisers, Local Organising Committees (LOCs), venue/site management teams, and key stakeholders, fostering strong relationships to ensure alignment on operational objectives and event timelines.

• Lead stakeholder meetings, representing the company’s interests, and ensuring that all operational deliverables are met in line with event schedules and client expectations.

• Provide detailed progress reports to the Hospitality Operations Director, covering project milestones, budget tracking, and any issues that require escalation or intervention.

• Lead the development and delivery of the Service Provider workshops/educational sessions as a streamlined method to share information and promote inter-stakeholder collaboration.

Post Events Reconciliation

• In Co-ordination with HQ and Procurement team complete the reconciliation of all event operations related costs, providing detailed reports on services performance, supplier evaluations, team performance, and guest feedback.
• Conduct post-event reviews to assess the effectiveness of the project, identifying areas for improvement and capturing lessons learned.
• Assist the Procurement Team with the reconciliation of contracted suppliers, including change requests and any other point.
• Hold post event debrief meetings with internal teams and departments as well as with external suppliers, if required.
• Implement process improvements for future events based on post-event analysis.

Venue Operations Management & Event Team

• Oversee the operations management of all venues across multiple events throughout the annual calendar, ensuring smooth execution and coordination across various sites. This includes managing all services and operations required to deliver the project, such as food & beverage, hosting and security, cleaning, entertainment, etc.
• Lead and oversee on-site Event Teams, responsible for delivering all aspects of hospitality operations across several event venues, managing and coordinating multiple service providers and ensuring seamless coordination between catering, guest experience, technical services, and inventory management functions.
• Lead the coordination of service provider operations, ensuring that they are granted access to the necessary spaces and infrastructure to fulfil their contractual obligations, and have the required resources, information, and support to deliver on their obligations. Address any discrepancies or issues with service delivery as they arise.

Event Operations Function Areas

Guest Experience Oversight:

• Oversee the successful implementation of the Guest Experience operational plan across all event sites, ensuring the assigned teams deliver the entertainment, wayfinding, security, access control, and hosting functions to the highest standards. This includes welcome desks operations, wristbands and gift distribution, guest check-in tracking system, and guaranteeing that staff are fully equipped to manage their guest interactions, stock control, and attendance reporting processes.

Catering and Service Provider (CSP) Management:

• Oversee the planning and execution of the catering operations (CSP), ensuring the coordination of service providers in line with the operational plans and meeting health and safety, hygiene, and food safety standards, intervening and supporting when necessary to address any service gaps or operational challenges.
• Provide leadership to teams managing the mobilisation of catering service providers, guaranteeing the timely distribution and installation of all equipment and infrastructure needed for food and beverage delivery.

Technical Setup and Infrastructure Leadership:

• Lead high-level coordination between the Event Delivery, technical infrastructure and operational teams, ensuring smooth integration of all mobilization of technical and infra- structure setup across all event sites, including Front of House (FOH) and Back of House (BOH) are fully operational and compliant with event standards prior to the event start.
• Together with the head of Event Delivery provide strategic oversight to Events Delivery and Event Operation Teams implementing mobilisation and installations of furniture, branding, wayfinding signage, and décor to align with event standards and timelines.

Inventory, Fulfilment, and Customer Service Governance:

• Ensure accountability across Event Teams for the effective event operational management of customer service operations, including ticket issue resolution, guest seating concerns, and handling customer feedback promptly and professionally, liaising with the respective departmental leaders.

Mobilisation & Bump In:

• Liaise with Site Managers and Event Organizers to ensure facilities are accessible to the operations team as early as possible, facilitating the mobilisation and bump in process.
• Work closely with the Head of Event Delivery on overseeing the handover & hand back process of all hospitality/event areas, ensuring that spaces received from Site Managers and Event Organisers are according to the operational plans, and guarantee Service Providers have the facilities required for the delivery of their services.
• Lead the Event Team on ensuring areas are delivered in compliance with the Event Organisers Clean Site rules, and that any indoor and outdoor signage or wayfinding is installed as per the requirement and agreement of each event project.
• Guide and monitor the Event Team on coordinating the bump in of all contractor groups, ensuring they complete their set up on schedule, and address risks & issues promptly.

Issue Resolution & Crisis Management:

• Lead the resolution of any operational issues that arise during event execution, ensuring quick decision-making to avoid disruptions to hospitality services.
• Develop and manage a structured complaint management system to handle escalated issues, operational challenges, or service discrepancies that cannot be resolved on-site.Ensure that all health and safety protocols, food safety standards, and risk management procedures are enforced, maintaining a safe and compliant environment for guests and staff.

Event Operations Reporting and Evaluation

• Establish efficient reporting system processes for Operational and Event Teams, leading the execution of issue logs, risk assessments, and post-event reconciliation reports, providing actionable insights to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of future operations.

• Oversee the consolidation of all event reports, including daily readiness assessments,event/match-day operational reports, and service provider KPIs.

• Present post-event evaluations to the Hospitality Operations Director and other senior stakeholders, highlighting successes, challenges, and opportunities for improvement

• Fulfil any prescribed reporting requirements established by the company and the relevant event organisers such as organizing committees and event site managers.

General

• Until otherwise agreed, this position is based in the Doha office (Qatar) but requires intermittent travel to the GCC region and potentially other countries.
• This is an evolving position that will develop over time. The nature of our business is such that it may be necessary to amend or add the responsibilities and you may be required to perform other tasks that are allocated to you, specific to the projects at hand.
• Act in compliance with the company's contract terms, policies and procedures.

Essential Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of senior management experience in operations management, particularly in large-scale international events in the field of hospitality, or sports environment.
• Proven leadership skills, with experience in managing large, cross-functional teams, including Senior Operations Managers, event site managers and event staff.
• Experience of working in indoors and outdoors major event sites, in particular football stadiums and temporary hospitality structures
• Strong background in supplier management, including service provider selection, contract negotiation, and performance monitoring.
• Ability to design and deliver a major event hospitality operation to the highest of standards within fixed budgets and timelines. Including specific knowledge on operational planning, logistics, and event mobilisation, with a focus on FOH and BOH space allocation and infrastructure management.
• Familiarity with health and safety regulations, food safety standards, and international compliance requirements.
• Experience in working in a multicultural organisation and with international stakeholders such as Government Organisations, Sporting Federations and Local Organising Committees.

Essential Skills:

• Comfortable in presenting at Senior Management Level

• Ability to work calmly under pressure and meet multiple deadlines

• Flexible in a constantly evolving environment with proactive problem-solving skills
• Strong project management and time management skills, meticulous attention to detail
• Good administration and IT skills including Microsoft Office and Cloud based Programmes
• Strong verbal and written communications skills, fluent in both written and spoken English

• Excellent team leader and developer of management team

Desirable:

• Qualifications in Food Safety (CIEH), Culinary and or Food Technology

• Qualification in IOSH Managing Safety

Expected Contract Length:

From Q4 2024 to 9th May 2027