Event Director

William Reed Ltd; Gatwick; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Long service holiday reward

Hybrid and agile working

Enhanced pension contributions

Life assurance

Cycle to Work scheme

Electric Car scheme

Job summary

50 Best seeks an Event Director to lead planning, delivery and continuous improvement of its global portfolio of awards programmes and events. You will work with the Head of Events to translate strategy into operational plans, managing people, resources and suppliers to ensure profitable, compliant execution.

This 12‑month fixed term contract requires substantial international coordination, leadership, and the ability to drive performance across a diverse portfolio of world‑class events.

Qualifications

• Significant experience leading large-scale international event portfolios or awards programmes.
• Expertise in operational leadership, event delivery and portfolio management.
• Strong commercial and financial management capability.
• Experience establishing scalable operating processes and delivery frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Direct the successful end-to-end operational delivery and performance of a global portfolio of awards programmes and events, driving consistency, quality and excellence
• Plan, mobilise and deliver new events with governance, resources, budgets and timelines
• Ensure the events function has capability, capacity, guidance and performance standards
• Provide leadership, coaching and development to nurture accountability and collaboration
• Oversee allocations of people, budgets and resources to support commercial objectives
• Develop and implement operational frameworks to improve efficiency and scalability
• Build relationships with suppliers, venues and external partners; oversee negotiation and performance
• Establish governance, compliance and risk management across the portfolio
• Act as escalation point for live event delivery issues; guide crisis management
• Provide reporting and recommendations on portfolio performance and operating models

Skills

Event leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Budget management

Travel internationally

People leadership

Job description

Department

Department: Event Operations

Location: Gatwick

Description

As Event Director, you will lead the planning, delivery and continuous improvement of 50 Best's global portfolio of awards programmes and events, ensuring achievement of commercial, customer and operational objectives.

Working closely with the Head of Events, you will contribute to the development of the events strategy by translating strategic priorities into operational plans. Through effective management of people, resources and suppliers, your impact will ensure 50 Best has the capability, capacity and operational infrastructure needed to strengthen our existing portfolio of world-class events and shape the strategy for new international events. You will enhance the 50 Best brand and reputation by ensuring events are delivered effectively, compliantly and profitably.

This is a 12‑month fixed term contract.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Directing the successful end-to-end operational delivery and performance of a global portfolio of awards programmes and events, driving consistency, quality and excellence
• Planning, mobilising and delivering new events with appropriate governance, resources, budgets and timelines
• Ensuring the events function has the capability, capacity, guidance and performance standards required to meet business needs
• Providing leadership, coaching and development to nuture a culture of accountability, collaboration and delivery excellence
• Overseeing the effective allocations of people, budgets and resources to support commercial objectives
• Developing and implementing operational frameworks, processes and systems that improve efficiency and scalability; monitoring performance to identify optimisation opportunities
• Building effective relationships with suppliers, venues and external partners; overseeing negotiation and performance management
• Establishing robust governance, compliance and risk management across the portfolio
• Acting as the primary escalation point for live event delivery issues and operational challenges; guiding crisis management and decision making
• Providing clear reporting and recommendations to the Head of Events on portfolio performance and operational risks, in addition to supporting the implementation of strategic initiatives and future operating models developed by the Head of Events

What You’ll Need

• Significant experience leading large-scale international event portfolios and/or awards programmes
• Expertise in operational leadership, event delivery and portfolio management
• Strong commercial and financial management capability
• Demonstratable experience developing and improving organisational capability and spearheading high-performing teams
• Experience establishing scalable operating processes, resource planning approaches and delivery frameworks that support business growth
• Highly collaborative with exceptional stakeholder engagement and influencing abilities
• Expertise in supplier, venue and stakeholder management
• Excellent understanding of contractual, regulatory, governance, health and safety and compliance requirements
• Calm and decisive under pressure who is solutions and results-orientated, adaptable and resilient in a fast-paced complex events environment
• Ability to provide professional judgement and guidance on operational, commercial and organisational matters with significant business impact
• Willingness to travel internationally to events

Benefits & Initiatives

• Generous annual leave –25 days plus standard England and Wales bank holidays for full-time employees
• Long service holiday reward – Receive an extra day's annual leave for each year of service after six years, up to a maximum of 30 days plus bank holidays for full-time colleagues
• Christmas office closure – Enjoy additional paid leave between Christmas Day and New Year's Day to cover discretionary office closure days
• Holiday purchase scheme – Buy up to three additional days' annual leave each year and spread the cost over up to six months
• MeDay – Take an additional paid day off to celebrate your birthday, a cultural or religious event, or another occasion that is meaningful to you
• Volunteering day – One paid day each year to support a charity, community group or cause close to your heart
• Hybrid and agile working – Flexible ways of working to help you balance work and life commitments (role dependent)
• Enhanced pension contributions – Benefit from employer pension contributions above the statutory minimum
• Life assurance – Providing financial protection and peace of mind for you and your loved ones
• Group Income Protection – Financial support if you're unable to work due to long-term illness or injury
• Family-friendly policies – Enhanced pay entitlements to support you and your family during important life events
• Health and wellbeing support, including:
  • Healthcare cash plan
  • Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)
  • Virtual GP service
  • Health and wellbeing resources and tools
• Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion – Supported by employee-led networks, with a culture where everyone feels welcome and valued. We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer
• Cycle to Work scheme – Save money and support a healthier commute
• Electric Car scheme – Access an affordable and sustainable way to drive an electric vehicle