Festival Operations Officer

UK: The British Science Association; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading science organization is seeking a Festival Operations Officer to oversee logistics for the British Science Festival 2025, which connects the public with researchers through a series of events. The role involves planning, management, and on-site support during the festival. Candidates should have experience in event management and project coordination, excellent communication skills, and the ability to work under pressure. The position offers a full-time, fixed-term contract until September 2025 with the possibility of hybrid working.

Benefits

Agile working policy

27 days holiday plus bank holidays

Paid leave for voluntary commitments

Pension scheme with employer contribution

Life assurance

Occupational sick pay

Confidential counselling service

Discounts on events

Qualifications

• At least six months’ experience in project coordination and administration.
• Experience in events management and data integrity.
• Ability to work on multiple projects/tasks simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the main logistical contact for Festival organisers.
• Support the Events Manager in managing the Festival Masterplan.
• Recruit and train temporary Festival Assistants.

Skills

Project coordination

Event management

Data management

Customer service

Time management

Communication skills

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job title: Festival Operations Officer

Reporting to: Events & Festival Operations Manager

Responsible for: Temporary Festival Assistants

Based: Our Head Office is in London, but we have an agile working policy enabling people to work at another UK location up to 4 days per week. Requests for permanent remote working will be considered and we welcome applications from people based in other parts of the UK.

Travel to Liverpool will be required in the lead‑up and during the British Science Festival 2025.

Terms: Full‑time (35 hours per week). Requests for secondments will be considered.

Fixed‑term contract terminating on 19 September 2025.

Preferred start date: 26 March 2025.

Salary: £28,600 – £34,424 per annum (pro‑rata)

About the role

The British Science Association is looking to recruit a talented and organised Festival Operations Officer to help us plan and deliver the British Science Festival 2025.

The British Science Festival is Europe’s longest‑standing science festival which connects people with researchers from across the scientific spectrum. It offers an inspiring programme of free events to the public over five days, with talks, workshops and drop‑in events which span a diverse range of subjects that encompass science in the broadest sense.

It is hosted by a different university in the United Kingdom each year. The 2025 Festival will take place in Liverpool from 10‑14 September 2025 and will be co‑hosted by Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) and the University of Liverpool (UoL).

The Festival Operations Officer will manage logistics‑related communications with Festival event organisers, working in close collaboration with all staff and partners involved in the Festival. This role is a great opportunity for anyone looking to build their event and/or project management experience by working on a fast‑moving and high‑profile project. You should be willing to develop and coordinate key administrative tasks, as well as lead on principal areas within the Festival (such as accommodation arrangements and managing the temporary Festival Assistants).

The role will involve travel to Liverpool in the months leading up to the Festival. The Festival Operations Officer will be required to attend the Festival and remain on‑site in Liverpool for 2 weeks, from 3–16 September. During the event and in the days immediately before it, longer working hours can be expected (which will be reimbursed under the BSA’s TOIL policy) and you will need to undertake essential manual handling activities (such as lifting and moving items) to ensure that venues and equipment are set up as required for the Festival.

Key responsibilities

The main responsibilities will be to:

• Act as the main logistical point of contact for Festival event organisers/speakers;
• Support the Events & Festival Operations Manager in building and managing the Festival Masterplan;
• Recruit, train, and oversee the temporary Festival Assistants;
• Lead on Festival accommodation administration;
• Oversee the integrity of Festival‑related data;
• Coordinate the administration of the events’ Risk Assessment forms;
• Collate information on speaker, audience, staff, and goods transport (including parking facilities, supplier delivery details, etc.);
• Monitor the Festival Inbox along with members of the Engagement Team;
• Attend meetings and site visits in Liverpool in the run‑up to the Festival;
• Support the Festival on‑site event management and delivery as required;
• Other duties as reasonably required by the line manager.

The successful candidate will be expected to work independently, efficiently and accurately.

Key working relationships

The post holder will be expected to liaise with colleagues across the organisation and its partners, but is likely to develop significant working relationships with the following people:

• Events & Festival Operations Manager;
• Engagement Manager;
• Engagement Officer;
• Head of Festivals;
• Communications Manager.

Person Specification

Essential criteria

• At least six months’ experience in one or more roles that included project coordination, administration and maintaining relations with partners;
• Experience in events management;
• Experience in data management and data integrity;
• Experience in working on several projects/tasks in parallel;
• Excellent time management and prioritisation skills;
• Excellent customer service skills;
• Resilience – adaptable with the ability to remain calm and effective when working on multiple fast‑moving, high‑pressure situations;
• Strong attention to detail combined with the ability to see the bigger picture;
• Clear communication skills, including the ability to speak and write for a range of external audiences;
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Office apps, Excel in particular;
• An awareness of and commitment to implementing good Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) practices into their work.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working on festivals;
• Experience in line‑managing temporary staff or volunteers;
• Knowledge of best practice around accessibility at events.

Benefits

\

• Agile Working policy enabling you to work at home or in another UK location up to 4 days per week, if office‑based, and to vary your working hours outside our 10am‑12pm and 2pm‑4pm core hours, subject to the needs of the BSA;
• 27 days holiday per annum plus bank holidays (pro‑rata for part‑time employees);
• Up to two days paid leave per year for significant voluntary commitments in support of professional and personal development, such as being a trustee of a charity or a school governor;
• Auto‑enrolment pension scheme (4% paid by employer);
• Up to five days’ unpaid leave per year (this is down to the Manager’s decision and ensuring it does not affect work);
• Life assurance for death in service benefit from your first day (subject to scheme rules). Complementary access to 24/7 online GP service;
• Occupational sick pay: up to six weeks’ full pay per year (pro‑rata for part‑time employees);
• Confidential telephone counselling service, offered by our legal insurance;
• Discounts may be offered on Science Museum tickets and in the shop.

To apply

Applications should be made via this link: https://recruit.smb.co.uk/vacancy.aspx?id=XQSgLUBenNXfjSvx

Please upload a CV and covering letter (each of no more than two A4 pages) that summarises your interest in the role and details your ability to match the criteria.

The closing date for applications is 23.59 on Monday 3 March 2025.

Interviews are due to take place on Monday 10 March 2025.

You will be informed as soon as possible after the application deadline whether you have been selected for interview.

As part of the British Science Association’s commitment to being a Disability Confident employer, all disabled applicants who meet the ‘essential criteria’ for this vacancy will be offered an interview under our guaranteed interview scheme.

If you wish to apply under the guaranteed interview scheme, you will be asked to indicate this when you submit your application by selecting ‘yes’ in the relevant box when asked during the application process. Applicants do not need to state any further information or declare their disability at the application stage.

The BSA follows government advice in that it is important to note that there may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all disabled people that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations (such as a high number of applications), we may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non‑disabled people.

In these circumstances, we could select the disabled candidates who best meet the minimum criteria for the job rather than all of those that meet the minimum criteria, as we would do for non‑disabled applicants.

Whether you are applying under the scheme or not, if you are successful in being shortlisted, we will ask candidates with disabilities or long‑term health conditions to let us know if they need any adjustments during the recruitment process.

If you have further questions or would like this information in a different format, please contact [e-mail]

Terms & conditions

While we try to ensure that everyone finishes work on time, and can vary their working hours in line with our agile working policy, from time to time the job entails working extended hours and occasional weekends, for which no overtime payments are made. The BSA operates a time off in lieu policy for weekend working and some other out‑of‑hours instances.

Only applicants who have a legal right to work within the UK will be considered. You will be asked to bring along proof of nationality and/or proof of ability to work in the UK.

You will also be asked to declare any previous convictions in line with your rights under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) order 1975.

This is a description of the job as it is presently constituted. It is the practice of the Association to examine job descriptions from time to time and to update them to ensure they relate to the job as then being performed, or to incorporate whatever changes are reasonably required, in discussion with the postholder.

It is the policy of the BSA to offer starting salaries towards the bottom end of the salary band where appropriate.

A copy of our Privacy Notice is available on the vacancies page of our website.

*The Disability Confident scheme’s definition of disability is in line with the Equalities Act 2010: “a physical or mental condition which has a long‑term and substantial effect on your daily life”.

Further information about our Disability Confident commitments can be found on the Disability Confident page of our website.