Awards & Audience Development Executive

financialtimes33; Greater London; On-site; GBP 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Financial Times is expanding its awards portfolio and seeking an Awards & Audience Development Executive to support entry growth and audience engagement. Based within FT Specialist Events, you will help coordinate submissions, manage entrant relationships and ensure smooth entry processes.

You will work closely with the Head of Awards Marketing to meet timelines, develop cross-sector outreach, and contribute to commercial performance across regions.

Qualifications

• Proactive and highly organised approach to manage multiple projects and priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with confidence building relationships across organisations and seniority levels.

Responsibilities

• Support end-to-end delivery of multiple awards programmes across the year.
• Drive submissions and audience development for the FT Specialist awards portfolio.
• Research prospective entrants and build relationships with organisations across sectors and markets.
• Develop targeted outreach to engage new and existing organisations and encourage participation.
• Maintain records of entrants, organisations, contacts and submissions across platforms.

Skills

Proactive planning

Strong communication

Job description

About us

The Financial Times is one of the world's leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide.

At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you're given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world.

In our warm, collaborative culture, you'll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing.

Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you'll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere.

Build a newsworthy career at the FT.

Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion

We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups.

The Role

FT Specialist provides specialist insight and global intelligence from the Financial Times. Made up of 16 brands and around 270 people worldwide, it serves niche professional audiences with information and services that help them make better decisions.

FT Live is the global conferences and events division of the Financial Times Group. Its portfolio includes senior-level summits, conferences, awards programmes and digital events that bring together influential audiences across industries and regions.

Awards are an important and growing part of the FT Specialist Events portfolio, recognising excellence across the industries we serve while strengthening relationships with our audiences and supporting our brand authority.

We are looking for an Awards & Audience Development Executive to support the delivery and continued growth of awards programmes across multiple sectors and regions. Reporting to the Head of Awards Marketing, you will play a key role in increasing submissions by identifying and engaging prospective entrants, building relationships with organisations and supporting entrants throughout the submission process.

This is a proactive, commercially focused role combining entrant acquisition and relationship management with hands-on awards co-ordination. You will be a key point of contact for prospective and confirmed entrants, helping them navigate the entry process while monitoring submissions to ensure entries are complete and provide judges with the information they need to make informed decisions.

Your work will contribute directly to submission growth, audience development and the overall commercial performance of the awards portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the end-to-end delivery of multiple awards programmes running concurrently throughout the year.
• Proactively drive submissions across the FT Specialist awards portfolio, working towards agreed entry and participation targets.
• Research and identify prospective entrants, organisations and relevant contacts across different sectors and markets.
• Develop targeted outreach to engage new and existing organisations and encourage participation.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with prospective and confirmed entrants through regular, personalised communication.
• Guide organisations through the entry process, answering questions and helping them understand category criteria and submission requirements.
• Proactively follow up with prospective entrants and organisations that have started submissions to help maximise completed entries.
• Monitor entries and review submissions for completeness and adherence to entry requirements, collaborating closely with entrants where information is missing or further detail is required.
• Maintain accurate records of entrants, organisations, contacts and submissions across awards platforms and internal systems.
• Monitor progress against submission targets and identify programmes or categories requiring additional activity.
• Highlight opportunities to expand participation across new companies, sectors and markets.
• Work closely with the Head of Awards Marketing to ensure awards timelines are met and highlight opportunities to support continued portfolio growth.
• Share entrant feedback and market insights to help improve categories, processes and the overall entrant experience.
• Develop long-term relationships with key organisations to encourage repeat participation and engagement across the wider awards portfolio.

Required Skills and Experience

• A proactive and highly organised approach, with the ability to handle multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with confidence building relationships with professionals across a range of organisations and levels of seniority.
• A commerc