Head of Arrivals and Departures

LA28 does not provide relocation assistance.

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The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will be hosted in Los Angeles, California in 2028, returning to the United States for the first time in over 30 years. 2028 will be the first time LA hosts the Paralympic Games, creating an opportunity to expand awareness, understanding and inclusion of people with disabilities.

LA28, the organizers for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, is on a mission to create an unparalleled Games experience for athletes, fans, partners, our community and our people. Our vision is to collectively create what’s next through sport, community and the power of our differences.

The 2028 Olympics and Paralympics will represent LA and leverage the strength of our community’s uniqueness and creativity as we collectively work to design a Games that we all want to be a part of. We do this by focusing on people and by inviting everyone into the story of the LA28 Games.

The LA28 organizing committee is an independent, non-profit organization that is privately funded and governed by a board of directors. 

Values and Behaviors:

• Optimism – Embody a positive, enthusiastic, and solution-oriented attitude in everything we do; challenge the status quo, inspire and support one another to achieve our best; have our eyes on the future and believe we can make a meaningful impact
• Integrity – We communicate openly and honestly, listen, and respectfully value multiple perspectives; we do what we say and are accountable for everything we do; we do the right thing, always. Even when it isn’t easy
• Excellence – We hold ourselves to the highest standard and expectations; we live our values and truths and persevere through challenges; we are continuous learners and adapt and pivot with speed to meet changing needs
• Inclusion – We seek to represent, include, empower and level the playing field; our work reflects the communities we serve and the world in which we live; we leverage our platforms to bring awareness to issues relevant to who we are
• Co-Creation – We are authors of a shared story. Everyone contributes their unique voice to our shared mission; we share pride in our accomplishments and ownership of our shortcomings
• Boldness – We embrace creativity, courage and outside-the-box thinking; we are unafraid to take risks, explore unconventional solutions, and learn from the process; we are innovators, disruptors, and challengers of the status quo

Head of Arrivals and Departures:

The Director of Arrivals and Departures (AND) will be the head of the Arrivals and Departures Functional Area (FA) and responsible for designing and delivering a robust, efficient, secure, and comprehensive arrival and departure program. This program is responsible for developing, managing and coordinating the arrivals and departure protocols, procedures, and experience for key Games stakeholders. The functional area works closely with external agencies for successful delivery and coordinates with internal functional areas to assure that stakeholders and their accompanied baggage and sport equipment arrive to and depart from the Games. The Director of AND will build and oversee a team to ensure a seamless and secure approach for the full end-to-end journey that includes the airport experience, stakeholder communication and services, port of entry/exit operations to/from accommodation including the Olympic Village(s), delivering the analysis and information systems required to support the operations. The team will follow the Olympic Charter and data protection regulations and work in close partnership with key internal FAs and governmental authorities. By Games-time, the AND FA will deliver the operational strategy, including operational/space planning, operations, service provider oversight, workforce planning, and budget.

Key Responsibilities:

Stakeholder Experience and Services

• Establish managed services, tailored services and service levels for applicable stakeholders, their accompanying baggage and sport equipment
• Design end-to-end process for Games stakeholders and stakeholder groups and their accompanying baggage and sport equipment including initial contact prior to arrival, port of entry arrival through to accommodation, and departure
• Develop the detail for service levels, standard policies and procedures and the end-to-end experience for all stakeholder groups (managed, tailored, and other)
• Communicate Arrivals & Departures information to Games stakeholders and gather information from them as inputs into planning
• Develop the Off-Airport Processing plan for the Olympic Village(s) and other nominated locations in partnership with stakeholders, airport, airlines and aviation agencies

Port of Entry/Exit operations

• Work with airports, other ports of entry and associated agencies to develop and streamline operational plans for the processing of NOC/NPCs, Athletes, Olympic and Paralympic Family, Media, IFs and other stakeholders including the staging area lease requirements.
• Collaborate closely with NCS/NPS + ACR and GOV teams on immigration, streamlining arrivals entry/exit scheduling and operations
• Establish the peak departure plan, including Off-Airport Processing operations
• Define service levels, timelines, and coordination requirements in collaboration with LA28 stakeholder

Arrivals and Departures Data, Analysis and Information System

• Develop Origins and Modality analysis to identify all stakeholder journey pathways from initial point of origin to return
• Provide delivery partners and LA28 FAs with consolidated analysis data for planning, including sport equipment and movement patterns
• Develop the Arrivals and Departures Information System (ADS)
• Establish reporting and data management protocols

Operations Management

• Establish the functional area business plan for arrivals and departures
• Participate in operational planning, ensuring arrival and departure strategy, policies, and procedures are executable during Games time
• Ensure accessibility considerations are embedded in planning, particularly for Paralympic athletes, persons with disabilities, and other stakeholders requiring additional support.
• Monitor stakeholder service levels across the end-to-end journey with delivery partners and LA28 FAs, identify and manage issues during Games-time operations
• Supervise pre, during and post Games-time operations, including arrival and departure workforce management, training on policies, procedures, and policy enforcement
• Develop communication and engagement strategy for all arrival and departure policies and procedures in partnership with LA28 FAs
• Oversee milestone deadlines, material distribution, information gathering for all stakeholder groups

Functional Area Leadership

• Build and oversee the LA28 arrival and departure team for planning and servicing all internal and external stakeholders
• Coordinate with LA28 FAs the end-to-end services and integrated solutions across the end-to-end arrivals and departures journey
• Create and deliver Games-time workforce and operational plans for the arrival and departure team
• Establish and manage the arrivals and departures budget for managing all arrivals and departure activities
• Liaise with International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) executive teams on management on all arrival and departure issues

Background & Qualifications:

Position Requirements:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in major event arrival and departure planning and delivery.
• Experience Olympic and Paralympic Games, or equivalent large-scale sporting or similar global events
• Experience working with government authorities in defining entry requirements and protocols
• Fluent working with Office suite products including Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel
• Demonstrated commitment to co-creation and collaborative decision-making

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Expectation to be in LA28 offices in Los Angeles minimum 4x/week
• Must be able to travel frequently, including to various ports of entry, Olympic/Paralympic venues, and stakeholder locations.

Education:

• Master’s degree or relevant work experience required
• Experience delivering arrival and departure programs for Olympic and/or Paralympic Games preferred

Expectations:

Arrival and Departure Operations Expertise

• Deep understanding of all aspects of arrival and departure planning associated with major event planning in collaboration with multiple stakeholders
• Deep understanding of the Olympic and Paralympic arrival and departure processes, programs and principles
• Demonstrated success driving a arrivals and departures program at a major event, coordinating service providers, venue teams, cross-functional resources, timelines and processes
• Demonstrated success in leading large cross-functional and operational teams

Leadership and Stakeholder Management Expertise

• Experience in a leadership role, building teams, and working across various functions
• Excellent communication and human relations skills, including experience communicating with international communities
• A collaborative mindset: someone who prioritizes the team and fosters a culture of high performance without ego
• Executive presence and communication skills, including ability to package and present insights in a relevant, cohesive, and succinct storylines
• Experience leading and managing multi-million-dollar budgets
• Solid communication, team building, and interpersonal skills
• Proven ability to innovate and achieve results through strategic, forward-thinking planning

Organizational Skills

• Highly detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills
• Ability to implement and manage change effectively
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently to resolve issues, and experience in defining tasks, seeking feedback, and evolving work

Submission Requirements:

• Resume

The annual base salary range for this position is $150,000.00 - $170,000.00. The pay scale provided is the range that LA28 reasonably expects to pay as starting base compensation for this role. All LA28 compensation remains subject to final determination based on individual candidate qualifications, experience, or other reasonable criteria consistent with LA28’s operational business needs and applicable law.

LA28 does not provide relocation assistance.

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LA28 is committed to operating fair and unbiased recruitment procedures allowing all applicants an equal opportunity for employment, free from discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, color, ethnic or national origin, or any other classification as may be protected by applicable law. We strive to build a team that is diverse, inclusive and encourages qualified candidates of all backgrounds, perspectives, and identities to apply. We will consider all qualified candidates with criminal histories in a manner consistent with local law. We assess applications based on relevant skills, education, and experience a candidate can add to our team.