Campus Event Planning Manager

UCAS; Gloucester; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 40,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working model

35-hour work week

30 days annual leave

Free gym onsite at Cheltenham office

Free parking at Cheltenham office

Wellbeing support via Perkbox

Job summary

UCAS in the United Kingdom is seeking an events professional to lead the management of content and campus liaison for a programme of virtual, physical, hybrid exhibitions and conferences.

You will plan and deliver campus events, manage service providers, mentor a team, and travel as needed, with a 35-hour week and hybrid working. Based in Cheltenham, this role offers a supportive charity-led environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in events management across physical and digital experiences.
• Excellent organisation, ability to handle multiple priorities and stay calm under pressure.
• Strong interpersonal and written communication with meeting deadlines.
• Understanding of current trends in events, capable of ideation for new formats.
• Ability to plan multiple events across the calendar and manage resources.
• Team player with experience in mentoring a team and delivering on site.
• Willingness to travel and accommodate overnight stays.
• Proficiency with MS Office packages.

Responsibilities

• Project manage and deliver events, including physical or virtual exhibitions and conferences.
• Manage delivery of campus events and communicate with service providers; evolve the campus events model.
• Main point of contact for service providers to ensure consistent support for campus events.
• Plan and manage campus event logistics and allocate onsite resources.
• Line management for Events Support executives involved in event admin and content delivery.
• Mentor and coach the team to deliver onsite all assigned campus events.

Skills

Events management

Project planning

Communication skills

Team leadership

MS Office

Travel readiness

Education

Event Management degree

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

UCAS is at the heart of connecting people to higher education.

UCAS is the world’s leading shared admissions service for higher education. We provide application services for UK universities and colleges as well as delivering a wide range of research, consultancy and advisory services to schools, colleges, careers services, professional bodies and employers.

We’re a successful and fast-growing organisation, which helps hundreds of thousands of people every year. We're committed to delivering a first-class service to all of our customers — they're at the heart of everything we do.

Business Unit Description

Led by Dave Penney, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer. This broad business unit and incorporates the following functions:

• UCAS Media education and industry Sales
• Education and Industry Marketing
• Digital Marketing Operations
• Events
• Partnerships
• Apprenticeships
• Public Affairs, Press and Communications
• Insights

The business unit is set up to deliver against the objectives of UCAS charity and operate UCAS Media (UCAS’s commercial subsidiary) to help fund UCAS’s charitable operations. For the charity, our objective is to provide everyone with the information, advice and guidance they need to make informed decisions on their next steps. We deliver on this via our media ecosystem which consists of information, advice and guidance on ucas.com, our social media feeds across various channels, email, live events and webinars.

For UCAS Media, our business objective is to generate revenue through paid collaborations with higher education providers who wish to improve their position in the market, and commercial brands who want to reach students. All brands wishing to use our media ecosystem and insight services must align with our framework. All profits generated are gift aided to UCAS the charity and in turn fund the charitable objectives, such as our recent announcement that students in receipt of free school meals will no longer need to pay the UCAS application fee.

About The Role Contractual Hours

35.00

About The Role

A key part of the events team responsible for leading the management of event content and campus liaison to ensure the delivery of a best-in-class programme of virtual, physical, hybrid exhibitions and conferences.

Key accountabilities:

• Project manage and have complete responsibility for the delivery of events you are managing which could include physical or virtual exhibitions and conferences.
• Responsible for the management of the delivery of campus events and communication with Service Providers including the evolution of campus events i.e. new funding model, service provider application process, service provider training portal and establishing clear roles between UCAS and Service Providers.
• Be the main point of contact for all service providers to produce a consistent level of support and service for all campus events.
• Plan and manage the campus event logistics and allocated onsite team resources across all campus events.
• Line management responsibility for Events Support executive role(s) who will work on delivering all event admin including but not limited to tasks connected to event content and campus events.
• To mentor and coach, the team to deliver onsite all assigned campus events and ensure smooth delivery.

For full job description and accountabilities, please see role profile attached below.

Skills, Qualifications, And Experience

• Experience in events management and producing project plans across physical and digital experiences.
• A high degree of self-organisation, and the ability to manage multiple priorities, as well as the ability to solve problems on the ground, and remain calm when dealing with unforeseen circumstances.
• Excellent interpersonal, organisational, oral, and written communication skills with an ability to work to and meet deadlines.
• Awareness and interest of current trends and innovations in the events business to be able to contribute ideas and views to expand our digital and physical events offer.
• A proven ability to plan multiple events across the calendar being able to draw on expensive project management experience.
• A strong team player, with experience of supporting to manage a team, creating a motivating and developing team.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage time appropriately.
• A good team player with the ability to support colleagues in their duties.
• Able to travel, and network with new clients/colleagues, including overnight stays at short notice.
• Working knowledge of MS Office Packages.
• Knowledge of the higher education sector, particularly the decisions facing young people when they leave school, is desirable, but not essential.
• Event Management degree or five years’ experience of managing a range of events across different channels.

Package

Salary - up to £36,000

• Purpose-driven work in a charity-led organisation connecting people to education and opportunity
• Internal training, mentoring, and access to industry-recognised certifications through our development academies
• Hybrid working model built on trust and flexibility, with a 35-hour week and flexible contracts
• 30 days annual leave, 3 concessionary days over Christmas, bank holidays, and the option to purchase additional leave
• Everyday wellbeing support through Perkbox, offering discounts and wellness tools
• Onsite facilities including a free gym, subsidised café, and free parking at our Cheltenham office
• Inclusive culture supported by employee networks, wellbeing champions, and Mental Health First Aiders
• Recognition and reward through our quarterly employee scheme and an ex-gratia bonus for going above and beyond

Studies have shown that some groups of people are less likely to apply to a role unless they tick every box. At UCAS we recognise that talent comes in various forms and we are committed to delivering a fair and equitable recruitment process where applicants have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills.

If you have any questions and would like to find out more about the role before applying please email the Talent Acquisition team via [e-mail] and one of us will be in touch.

Working Arrangements

Is fully remote working an option? No