Job description

Black Pearl has been given an exclusive mandate to help recruit for a Chief Sports Complex Officer for a landmark sports and leisure destination in the GCC region.

This is a senior executive appointment responsible for providing the strategic, operational, and commercial leadership of a large-scale, multi-venue complex. The destination accommodates diverse sporting activities, hospitality services, academies, community programmes, and major events.

The successful candidate will lead the complex’s long-term development, strengthen its commercial performance, maintain world-class operational standards, and deliver exceptional experiences for athletes, members, guests, partners, and the wider community..

Responsibilities:-

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute a multi-year strategy positioning the complex as a leading regional sports, leisure, and events destination.
  
• Identify new opportunities to expand memberships, programmes, events, partnerships, sponsorships, and hospitality offerings.
  
• Lead transformation initiatives that strengthen the destination’s brand, market position, and long-term sustainability.
  
• Translate strategic priorities into measurable operational and financial plans.
  

Operational Excellence

• Provide executive oversight across all venues, sports facilities, academies, hospitality operations, guest services, and event functions.
  
• Ensure effective coordination between specialised sporting activities and supporting commercial and operational teams.
  
• Maximise the use, performance, and availability of facilities and assets.
  
• Maintain the highest standards of safety, security, compliance, service quality, and operational readiness.
  
• Ensure major events and daily operations are delivered safely, efficiently, and consistently.
  

Commercial and Financial Performance

·Take ownership of the complex’s overall financial and commercial performance.

·Deliver agreed revenue, profitability, utilisation, and customer-experience targets.

·Review pricing, membership structures, programme performance, and commercial partnerships.

·Identify opportunities to improve revenue generation, operational efficiency, and return on assets.

·Establish strong performance controls and reporting mechanisms across the organisation.

Stakeholder and Partnership Management

·Build trusted relationships with government authorities, sports federations, strategic partners, sponsors, event organisers, and community stakeholders.

·Represent the complex in high-level meetings, major events, industry forums, and partnership discussions.

·Strengthen the destination’s contribution to regional sporting, tourism, leisure, and community-development objectives.

·Negotiate and manage commercially valuable partnerships and long-term agreements.

People Leadership and Organisational Development

·Lead and inspire a large, multidisciplinary workforce across sporting, operational, hospitality, commercial, and corporate functions.

·Build a high-performance culture centred on accountability, safety, collaboration, service excellence, and continuous improvement.

·Develop senior leaders and establish effective succession and talent-development plans.

·Ensure the organisational structure and capabilities support the complex’s future growth.

• At least 15 years of progressive leadership experience, including substantial experience in a senior executive or C-suite position.
  
• Proven leadership of a large sports resort, multi-sport complex, leisure destination, major venue group, or similarly complex operation.
  
• Demonstrated responsibility for multiple venues, significant annual revenue, large teams, and diverse operational functions.
  
• Strong exposure to specialised sporting operations such as equestrian sports, motorsport, shooting, water sports, sports academies, or comparable disciplines.
  
• Proven success in developing strategy, improving operational performance, growing revenue, and leading organisational transformation.
  
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, including budgeting, revenue optimisation, pricing, partnerships, and asset utilisation.
  
• Experience managing high-profile sporting, corporate, community, or entertainment events.
  
• Established credibility in managing senior government, federation, sponsor, partner, and board-level stakeholders.
  
• Experience in the Middle East or another culturally diverse and relationship-driven market is highly desirable.
  
• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, sports management, hospitality, leisure management, or a relevant discipline; a master’s degree or executive qualification would be advantageous.
  
• Excellent English communication skills. Additional regional or international language capability would be an advantage.
  

Leadership Attributes

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strategic vision combined with strong operational discipline.
  
• A commercially driven and results-oriented approach.
  
• High emotional intelligence and cultural awareness.
  
• Confidence in leading large and diverse teams.
  
• Strong decision-making and crisis-management capability.
  
• A visible, pragmatic, and guest-focused leadership style.
  
• The ability to engage credibly with boards, government entities, federations, sponsors, and international partners.
  

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Disclaimer: Black Pearl will never ask for money or any form of charge our candidates just to process or consider their application for any of our available vacancies. If you happen to receive such a request from any members of our staff or other individuals claiming to be part of Black Pearl, please do call our office at +9712 622 55 03 or drop us a message on our website - www.blackpearlconsult.com.