Head of Community Engagement (Freelance, 12 months)

About the role

The Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi) is seeking a dynamic Head of Community Engagement on a 12‑month freelance contract. You will own the community and events pillar of a high‑impact sector activation program, designing and delivering a year‑round portfolio of activities that connects local and global audiences.

Key responsibilities

• Develop a comprehensive community‑building strategy, defining target segments, engagement channels, flagship events and an annual activity calendar.
• Design, launch and manage recurring community programs, driving grassroots participation and ecosystem activation.
• Create and oversee a B2B and B2C event portfolio, building business cases, budgets, sponsorship models and measuring sector impact.
• Identify and negotiate with global intellectual property (IP) holders to bring high‑profile IPs to the UAE, structuring rights, obligations and delivery models.
• Define, monitor and report on KPI framework covering community growth, event performance, IP acquisition, sponsorship revenue and economic impact.
• Manage the overall community and events budget, ensuring quality and financial accountability.

Required profile

• Proven track record of building and delivering end‑to‑end event portfolios with measurable results.
• Experience leading high‑profile MICE events and managing commercial partnerships or hosting agreements.
• Strong commercial and financial assessment abilities, comfortable building business cases and evaluating partnerships.
• Deep familiarity with creative industries, media or interactive entertainment ecosystems is highly preferred.
• Established network among event organizers, content creators and industry media.
• Fluency in English; Arabic language ability is an asset.

Required skills

What we offer

• Opportunity to shape a flagship community program for Abu Dhabi’s cultural and tourism sector.
• 12‑month freelance contract with competitive remuneration.
• Collaborative environment within a leading government entity.