Director, Planning and Operational Excellence

Job Purpose

Responsible for driving strategic alignment and optimizing performance outcomes across SOPC's high-performance programs. This role partners closely with Senior Directors and other HP staff to support goal setting, strategic planning, tracking and monitoring. Overseeing the HP Planning and Sports Research & Development functions, the Director ensures that research-backed, innovative approaches and comprehensive plans are implemented to meet both current and future athlete development needs. Through proactive stakeholder engagement and continuous improvement, this role fosters a collaborative environment that advances SOPC's high-performance objectives and strengthens its competitive edge.

Job Specific Accountabilities

HP Planning, Integration & Operational Readiness

• Lead the development and integration of annual and multi-year High-Performance operational plans, translating strategic priorities and athlete requirements into coordinated programs, service requirements, resources, timelines, readiness milestones, and delivery priorities.
• Coordinate integrated planning and operational readiness across High-Performance programs and enabling functions, ensuring athlete requirements, competitions, training camps, Games, services, and critical dependencies are identified, aligned, and planned sufficiently in advance.
• Establish planning cycles, prioritization approaches, and readiness standards, and monitor critical dependencies across logistics, equipment, medical and performance services, procurement, technology, and other enabling functions to ensure material constraints and risks are resolved or escalated in a timely manner to protect athlete preparation and program delivery.
• Lead the Sports R&D and innovation agenda, directing research priorities and fostering collaboration with High-Performance functions and federations to translate evidence and emerging technologies into practical applications that enhance athlete performance, injury prevention, recovery, training effectiveness, and competitive advantage.
  
  

Operational Excellence, Athlete Journey & Service Excellence

• Lead the SOTC operational excellence agenda by identifying and addressing process inefficiencies, service gaps, bottlenecks, and opportunities to improve High-Performance delivery.
• Establish and apply continuous improvement methodologies, including process analysis, benchmarking, root-cause analysis, performance data, and stakeholder feedback.
• Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives to enhance operational efficiency, responsiveness, service quality, and stakeholder experience.
• Lead the design, governance, and continuous improvement of the end-to-end Elite Athlete Journey, ensuring effective integration between High-Performance programs and enabling/support functions.
• Establish service requirements, standards, ownership, handoffs, SLAs, and performance measures across critical athlete-facing processes and services.
• Monitor athlete and stakeholder service experience and coordinate interventions to address recurring service gaps or operational issues affecting High-Performance delivery.
  
  

Process Governance, Operating Model & Assurance

• Lead the design, documentation, standardization, and governance of priority High-Performance operational processes and the operating model, ensuring clear roles, accountabilities, functional interfaces, controls, and escalation mechanisms.
• Maintain and continuously develop the High-Performance process architecture, including relevant policies, procedures, service standards, and governance requirements, in coordination with relevant corporate and shared-service functions.
• Embed operational risk identification, controls, and assurance within High-Performance processes and service delivery, monitoring adherence to approved governance requirements and coordinating corrective actions or escalation of material operational risks and control gaps.
  
  

Process Management & Continuous Improvement

• Lead the ongoing management and continuous improvement of High-Performance operational processes, ensuring approved processes remain effective, efficient, fit-for-purpose, and responsive to evolving athlete, program, and operational requirements.
• Establish process-level monitoring and review mechanisms to assess process effectiveness, cycle times, service levels, compliance, recurring issues, and operational bottlenecks, working with process owners to identify and implement corrective and improvement actions.
• Drive a structured continuous-improvement cycle across the High-Performance process landscape, using operational data, stakeholder feedback, root-cause analysis, lessons learned, and benchmarking to prioritize improvements and ensure changes are implemented, embedded, and sustained.
  
  

Stakeholder Engagement & Relationship Management

• Act as a key integration and liaison point between High-Performance programs, athlete-support functions, corporate/shared services, and National Federations, fostering strong partnerships and alignment on High-Performance objectives, operational priorities, expectations, resource requirements, and critical delivery dependencies.
• Represent SOTC in High-Performance discussions with relevant national and international partners, building strategic relationships and advocating for SOTC priorities to enable collaboration, access to expertise, and external support for High-Performance delivery.
• Build and maintain relationships with external experts, researchers, institutions, and High-Performance partners to bring leading practices, knowledge, innovation, and relevant capabilities into the SOTC High-Performance environment, while driving accountability across stakeholders for agreed actions and outcomes.
  
  

People Management & Team Leadership

• Lead and manage the High-Performance Planning & Operational Excellence team, establishing clear roles, objectives, accountabilities, workload priorities, and performance expectations aligned with SOTC priorities and operational requirements.
• Drive individual and team performance through effective delegation, coaching, regular performance feedback, and development planning, empowering high-performing team members with appropriate ownership and decision-making accountability.
• Build and sustain a high-performing team by identifying capability and workforce requirements, developing talent and future leaders, supporting succession planning and knowledge continuity, and fostering an environment that promotes collaboration, innovation, engagement, accountability, and retention.
  
  

Our Commitment

At Team Saudi, we care deeply about creating a safe, supportive, and empowering environment for our athletes and employees. We welcome applicants who demonstrate integrity, professionalism, and a commitment to maintaining a safe and respectful workplace where everyone is protected, valued, and given fair opportunities to thrive.