
Mercer
Associate / Engagement Manager – Sports & Entertainment
- Permanent
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Experience 5 - 10 yrs
Job expiry date: 10/04/2026
Job overview
Date posted
24/02/2026
Location
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Salary
SAR 20,000 - 30,000 per month
Compensation
Job description
Oliver Wyman is a global leader in management consulting with offices in 70 cities across 30 countries and more than 7,000 professionals worldwide. The firm combines deep industry knowledge with specialized expertise in strategy, operations, risk management, and organizational transformation to help CEOs and executive teams of leading global organizations optimize performance and capture growth opportunities. As part of Marsh (NYSE: MRSH), Oliver Wyman operates within a broader global advisory ecosystem delivering integrated solutions across industries and geographies.\n\nThe Associate / Engagement Manager – Sports & Entertainment role is based in Riyadh and supports the firm’s expanding public sector and sports practice across the GCC. The team advises governments, sovereign wealth funds, federations, leagues, clubs, governing bodies, investors, and media owners on performance transformation and long-term value creation in a rapidly evolving sports and entertainment landscape. This role offers the opportunity to contribute to high-impact national and sector-level initiatives early in the growth of a dynamic practice.\n\nAssociates are responsible for breaking down complex problems into structured components, directing junior consultants toward critical analyses, and executing rigorous hypothesis-driven workstreams. They identify core insights from complex datasets and craft practical, evidence-based recommendations. Associates work closely with clients and project teams, often managing small teams, and are expected to develop subject matter depth within sports and entertainment strategy, public policy, investment, and operational transformation.\n\nEngagement Managers serve as day-to-day leaders of projects, guiding teams through structured problem-solving processes from initial hypothesis development to solution convergence. They ensure recommendations are practical, cohesive, and aligned with client objectives while maintaining oversight of technical, analytical, and operational execution. Engagement Managers are responsible for maintaining senior-level client relationships, ensuring high-quality delivery, and fostering collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.\n\nThe role requires significant exposure to governmental and public sector institutions, ideally within the GCC region, particularly in sports and entertainment-related initiatives. Projects may span national sports strategies, league and federation transformation, infrastructure investment planning, commercialization strategies, regulatory frameworks, operational excellence programs, and public policy design to enhance sector performance and economic impact.\n\nCandidates should demonstrate 5–7+ years of relevant experience, ideally gained within a top-tier strategy consulting firm or similar organization. Experience leading teams, managing clients, and delivering high-quality outputs under tight deadlines in fast-paced environments is essential. A strong background in structured strategic problem solving, advanced analytical capability, and financial or operational modeling is highly valued.\n\nOutstanding communication and presentation skills are critical, including confidence in engaging senior executives and public sector leaders. The ideal candidate demonstrates intellectual curiosity, entrepreneurial drive, resilience, and a strong sense of ownership. Arabic language capability is a plus, and willingness to travel is required. The role operates under a hybrid working model, with colleagues expected to spend at least three days per week in the office or onsite with clients, supporting collaboration and professional development within Oliver Wyman’s values-driven, inclusive culture.
Required skills
Key responsibilities
- Lead or contribute to strategy consulting engagements within the sports and entertainment sector across government entities, SWFs, federations, leagues, clubs, and media stakeholders
- Break down complex strategic problems into structured workstreams, develop hypotheses, and direct analytical efforts to generate actionable insights
- Manage day-to-day project delivery (for Engagement Managers), ensuring alignment between strategic recommendations and practical implementation considerations
- Oversee and execute advanced financial, operational, and market analyses to support investment, policy, and transformation decisions
- Develop and present clear, compelling recommendations to senior client stakeholders, including ministers, executives, and board members
- Lead and mentor consulting teams, fostering collaboration, performance excellence, and professional growth
- Drive stakeholder engagement and maintain strong client relationships throughout the project lifecycle
- Contribute to practice development through thought leadership, proposal development, and participation in business development initiatives within the GCC sports and entertainment market
Experience & skills
- Hold a degree from a top academic institution demonstrating strong academic performance
- Possess at least 5–7 years of relevant experience, ideally within a top-tier strategy consulting firm or equivalent advisory environment
- Demonstrate experience leading projects within governmental or public sector institutions, preferably in the GCC region
- Show relevant exposure to the sports and entertainment sector across strategy, investment, operations, or public policy domains
- Exhibit strong strategic problem-solving capabilities supported by advanced analytical and quantitative skills
- Demonstrate a proven track record of leading teams and managing client relationships in demanding, fast-paced environments
- Possess outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with confidence presenting to senior executives and public sector leaders; Arabic is a plus
- Maintain flexibility to travel as required and operate effectively within a hybrid working model