Senior Event Manager

The Menu Partners Ltd; Bicester; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 Days holiday + Bank Holiday

3% Employer Pension Contributions (in‑

Employee Referral Scheme (up to £500)

Access to EAP scheme

Life Assurance

Job summary

Absolute Taste, a leading provider of culinary and customer service experiences, seeks a Senior Event Manager to oversee the end-to-end delivery of a prestigious sporting event in the UK. The role demands strategic leadership, operational excellence, and strong budget management to ensure world-class execution.

Based in Bicester four days per week with nationwide travel during the summer event season, you will lead cross-functional teams across operations, commercial, culinary and people

Qualifications

• Proven experience in end-to-end project management of large-scale events.
• Advanced budget and financial acumen.
• Deep operational understanding of event catering, supplier management, and F&B trends.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full lifecycle of an event with complete accountability, delivering to the highest standards and meeting timelines, milestones and KPIs.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for senior client stakeholders.
• Lead development of the food and beverage strategy, working with brand partners as needed.
• Oversee event creative direction, including food, beverage, equipment and marketing.
• Support operational areas: public catering, hospitality and workforce services, with focus on quality and budget control.
• Own and manage the full event budget, including forecasting, tracking, invoicing, payment and reconciliation.
• Analyse on-site spend and labour costs, monitoring key expenditure areas including food, beverage, labour, equipment and logistics.
• Line manage a core team and oversee cross-functional teams in operations, commercial, culinary, logistics and people operations.

Skills

End-to-end project management

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Catering & F&B operations

Job description

The Senior Event Manager, specialising in Catering and Hospitality, will oversee the end-to-end delivery of a prestigious sporting event for Absolute Taste. This is a fantastic opportunity for an Events professional with strong Catering, Hospitality or Retail experience to work on a one of the UK’s most celebrated summer events.

This role demands strategic leadership, operational excellence, budget management and team coordination to deliver a world-class event.

This role is based in Bicester 4 days per week with Nationwide travel required during the event season (summertime).

Key Responsibilities:

You will mobilise and lead the full lifecycle of a specific event with complete accountability – delivering to the highest standards, ensuring timelines, milestones, and KPIs are consistently met.

• Serve as the key point of contact for senior client stakeholders.
• Lead the development of the food and beverage strategy, working with brand partners where required.
• Oversee event creative direction, including food, beverage, equipment, and marketing.
• Support all operational areas: public catering, hospitality, and workforce services, with a strong focus on quality and budget control.
• Own and manage the full event budget, including forecasting, tracking, and reporting, ensuring timely and accurate invoicing, payment tracking, and reconciliation.
• Analyse on-site spend and labour costs, particularly within retail operations, monitoring and controlling key expenditure areas including food, beverage, labour, equipment, and logistics
• Line manage a core team and oversee wider cross-functional teams in operations, commercial, culinary, logistics, and people operations.

About You:

• Proven experience in end-to-end project management of large-scale events.
• Advanced budget and financial acumen.
• Deep operational understanding of event catering, supplier management, and F&B trends.
• 25 Days holiday + Bank Holiday
• 3% Employer Pension Contributions (increasing to 5% after 5 years service)
• Employee Referral Scheme (up to £500 per successful referral)
• Access to EAP scheme
• Life Assurance

Who Are Absolute Taste and What Do We Do?

We are an innovative culinary and customer service provider, dedicated to delivering inspirational food and experiences that redefine customer satisfaction. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for pushing boundaries, we continue to grow from strength to strength.

As a small, dynamic team of event professionals, we specialize in creating exciting, well-managed, and sustainable events, while fostering strong working relationships. We're looking for individuals who share our fun, resilient, and hardworking values to join our supportive, high-performing team.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of a highly regarded organisation dedicated to success and a positive, empowering culture.