Content and Program Lead – Athar – Saudi Festival of Creativity

Athar Festival is looking for a dynamic and detailed‑driven Content & Program Lead to shape the intellectual and creative backbone of Athar Festival. This role leads the creation, coordination, and delivery of all festival content from keynote sessions and panels to speaker engagements and audience experiences. It blends editorial excellence, program development, project management, and creative storytelling to bring the festival to life on stage and across digital channels.

As the lead of the full program lifecycle, you will drive concept development, curate speakers, craft compelling narratives, and ensure seamless content delivery before, during, and after the festival. You will work closely with senior leaders, external speakers, and cross‑functional teams to build a cohesive, high‑impact program that reflects Athar’s mission and elevates the audience experience. The ideal candidate is a strategic storyteller, a meticulous producer, and a confident collaborator who thrives in fast‑paced, high‑visibility environments.

• Develop the festival’s content strategy by shaping narratives, themes, and messaging aligned with Athar’s brand, mission, and business objectives.
• Build and structure the full event program, including keynotes, panels, workshops, masterclasses and fringe sessions, ensuring a balanced, engaging, and insight‑driven agenda.
• Manage all speaker content, collaborating with internal leaders, external speakers, moderators, and partners to develop scripts, talking points, presentations, and panel flows.
• Produce high‑quality event materials, including run‑of‑show documents, stage scripts, moderator guides, briefing packs, and backstage cue sheets.
• Work closely with the marketing team to showcase speakers, sessions, and festival themes to attendees through campaigns, digital content, and promotional storytelling.
• Drive speaker and session promotion, partnering with marketing to highlight program elements and encourage applications for session submissions.
• Conduct research and host content development calls with thought leaders, partners, and potential speakers to shape the festival’s annual content strategy.
• Build and maintain relationships with speakers, industry experts, cultural voices, and community partners to strengthen the festival’s content pipeline.
• Collaborate with sponsors to develop sponsored sessions, fringe content, and branded programming that aligns with festival standards and audience expectations.
• Manage onsite program execution, working closely with stage managers, stagehands, and the AV/technical team to deliver scripts, schedules, presentations, and cues for seamless stage operations.
• Liaise and brief AV and production teams to ensure all technical requirements, transitions, and content assets are prepared and executed flawlessly.
• Support backstage operations, managing timing, speaker flow, and real‑time adjustments during live sessions.
• Ensure brand voice, tone, and editorial consistency across all event content, from stage materials to digital assets.
• Manage post‑event content needs, including recaps, highlight summaries, content repurposing for digital channels, and the creation of detailed post‑event reports and program reviews.
• Evaluate session performance and audience engagement to inform future programming and continuous improvement of the festival experience.

• 3–6 years of experience in event programming, content production, editorial work, communications, or live event management.
• Proven experience developing event agendas, curating speakers, and producing content for conferences, festivals, or large‑scale cultural events.
• Demonstrated ability to work directly with senior leaders, high‑profile speakers, and external partners, including managing briefings, rehearsals, and content development.
• Strong background in storytelling, editorial strategy, and narrative development, with the ability to translate research and insights into compelling session concepts.
• Hands‑on experience with live event production, including run‑of‑show workflows, backstage operations, AV coordination, and…