Senior Event Manager

The Growth Company; Greater Manchester; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The Growth Company is seeking a Senior Events Manager to lead the development and delivery of a diverse portfolio of events that promote Greater Manchester as a premier destination for visiting, meeting, investing and doing business.

You will oversee cross‑organisational collaboration with Marketing Manchester and Invest Manchester, manage large, high‑profile events, and lead a team of event professionals to deliver measurable economic impact for the region.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in event management across formats and environments.
• Proven track record delivering high-profile events for diverse audiences.
• Strong budget handling with contingency planning.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and delivery of a diverse events portfolio to promote Greater Manchester.
• Collaborate with Marketing Manchester and Invest Manchester to align with regional goals.
• Manage stakeholders, partners and teams to deliver events on time and within budget.
• Evaluate events to ensure alignment with business objectives and ROI.
• Lead team of event professionals and external contractors, ensuring high standards.

Skills

Event planning

Budget management

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Are you an ambitious events leader with a passion for creating high-impact experiences that shape perceptions, build partnerships and drive economic growth?

Marketing Manchester is seeking an experienced Senior Events Manager to lead the development and delivery of a diverse portfolio of events that champion Greater Manchester as a world-class destination to visit, meet, invest, study and do business.

Working across both Marketing Manchester and Invest Manchester, you will be responsible for delivering events that support the region's visitor economy, business tourism, international engagement and investment ambitions. From major conferences, industry showcases and trade missions to investor receptions, business networking events and stakeholder engagement programmes, you will play a key role in bringing Greater Manchester's story to life on a national and international stage.

Reporting to the Head of International Engagement and Delivery, you will lead a team of event professionals and work closely with senior public and private sector stakeholders, commercial partners, civic leaders and businesses to deliver exceptional events that strengthen Greater Manchester's reputation, attract investment and create lasting economic impact.

Marketing Manchester and Invest Manchester are part of The Growth Company. Marketing Manchester is the destination marketing and place promotion agency for Greater Manchester. We work to attract visitors, conferences, events and investment to the city region, telling Greater Manchester's story to audiences across the UK and around the world. Alongside this, Invest Manchester promotes Greater Manchester as one of the UK's leading investment destinations. Together, our work helps drive sustainable economic growth, create jobs and enhance Greater Manchester's global profile.

To understand more, please visit: marketingmanchester.com and investmanchester.co.uk

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of effective events that deliver the strategic priorities set out by the Internationalisation and Marketing Advisory Board.
• Identify and develop opportunities to build strong relationships and leverage commercial opportunities with partners and senior stakeholders.
• Take a lead role in liaising with stakeholders to secure relevant input and approval of strategies and marketing collateral.
• Lead the evaluation of events to ensure they are aligned to, and deliver, the objectives of the Marketing Manchester Business Plan.
• Proactively work with colleagues across the business, including Finance, Design and Marketing, to ensure all event activities are delivered on time and within budget.
• Lead a team of event professionals, including line management of Events Executives and Assistants, as well as managing external contractors.
• Ensure the events team maintains product knowledge and develops intelligence around industry trends, best practice, competitor analysis and current health and safety frameworks.
• Take the lead in ensuring event activity is aligned to the Manchester Brand and reflects our values, working with the Head of International Engagement and Delivery to ensure compliance.

About You

• Extensive experience of working in event management across a number of different formats and environments.
• Skilled in running multiple large, high-profile events that engage businesses, stakeholders and media at the highest level.
• Proven experience managing multifaceted budgets that take into account all potential scenarios.
• Confident in creating risk assessments for events that protect the interests of the business.
• Experienced in managing both internal and external teams.
• Motivated, resilient and enthusiastic, with the drive to make things happen.

Skills Required

• Able to plan for and mitigate risks associated with attendance at national and international events.
• Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to secure priority for Greater Manchester and its stakeholders at high-profile events.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present event strategies to internal and external stakeholders.
• Confident managing complex stakeholder relationships, influencing senior stakeholders and working in partnership.
• Excellent planning and organisational skills, with the ability to maintain quality of delivery under time pressure.

We are currently unable to provide sponsorship for work permits or visas. Therefore, we can only consider candidates who already have the legal right to work in the UK.

Artificial intelligence can assist you during the application process, but every example and statement you include must be honest, accurate, and based on your own real experiences. If plagiarism is detected, meaning you present someone else's ideas or experiences, or AI-generated content, as your own, your application may be withdrawn, and internal applicants could face disciplinary action.

At GC, safeguarding the welfare of all individuals including vulnerable adults and young people is a top priority, and we expect all staff to uphold this standard. All appointments follow Safer Recruitment Procedures, including a DBS check carried out by Due Diligence Limited (DDC Ltd), at no cost to the successful candidate.

Please note: It is a legal offence to apply for a role involving regulated activity if you are on the Barred List.

We are committed to increasing workforce diversity and offer a guaranteed interview to applicants who meet the essential criteria and either have a disability or are from a diverse ethnic community.

If this applies to you, you can request consideration under this scheme during the application process. Your request will be shared only with the Hiring Manager and Internal Recruitment Team.

We also aim to make our recruitment process inclusive and accessible. If you need reasonable adjustments or have any general enquiries at any stage or the recruitment process, please contact [e-mail] or call us on 0161 237 4447.

Examples include

• Meeting the hiring manager or touring the venue in advance.
• Extra time for tasks.
• Interview questions shared beforehand.
• Accessibility software or equipment for assessments.

We're proud to support the Ban the Box campaign, which helps people with convictions access job opportunities. As part of this, we've removed questions about convictions from the initial application stage.

GC is committed to fostering a culture of flexibility and agile working. Many roles will increasingly support full agile arrangements. If you require more permanent flexibility, we encourage you to discuss this during your interview so your request can be considered early in the process.

All GC colleagues will work in line with the Health and Safety at work act and the GC Health and Safety Policy.