Senior Event Project Manager (Production)

Forta Productions; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Forta Productions is seeking a Senior Project Manager to take delivery ownership of our largest live shows from brief to completion, ensuring margin protection and strong client relationships.

You will lead cross-functional teams, coordinate with international suppliers, manage £500k+ budgets, and ensure on-site health and safety at our South East London base.

Qualifications

• Extensive proven experience delivering large-scale live shows and events.
• Capable of managing £500k+ budgets with margin control.
• Experience delivering international events with local coordination.
• Proven leadership and client-management skills.
• Proficient with standard IT tools and rental-management systems.

Responsibilities

• Take overall delivery ownership from brief to completion and manage the critical path.
• Maintain senior-level client relationships and communicate production/design changes.
• Coordinate internal departments and freelancers to meet specifications and margins.
• Oversee subcontractors and on-site fabrication/production while protecting budget.
• Own project margin with proactive risk identification and options.
• Ensure timely financial reconciliation and client invoicing.

Skills

Live events delivery

Budget management

Client relationship management

Team leadership

Vendor coordination

H&S compliance

International travel

Tools

Google Drive

Microsoft 365

HireHop

Job description

Forta Productions is a global event production company that works exclusively for agencies and private event planners. We specialise in production and design, operating from our headquarters in South East London. We're unique in how we bring together design & production to achieve events that stand out from the crowd. We're a team of around 25 talented individuals, who have built a fantastic rapport both as a unit and with our clients - we're collaborative & passionate, but most of all we love bringing events to life.

Due to business growth, we are looking for a Senior Project Manager to take delivery ownership of our largest and most complex projects and act as a senior point of contact for our key clients. The role requires substantial experience in the events industry, excellent ability across both technical and scenic disciplines, and the commercial judgement to protect margin without compromising what we deliver.

The Role

Project Delivery

• Take overall delivery ownership of the projects, from brief to completion, defining and holding the 'critical path'
• Maintain client relationships at a senior level, establishing briefs, managing day to day communications, and ensuring any production/design changes are communicated to all relevant parties.
• Assess requirements in partnership with appropriate internal departments, providing experience and depth of knowledge to formulate and present considered solutions, that balance creative ambition with safe and practical delivery as well as offering value to our clients.
• Clearly articulate why proposed production methodologies are the best solution, provide justification on cost line items, and be willing to listen and collaborate with the client.
• Working with our operations team to ensure appropriately skilled freelancers and technicians onto projects and coordinate their scheduling and roles.
• Coordinate subcontractor deliverables and ensure they are in accordance with the agreed specification, overseeing the fabrication/production of all items whilst ensuring margins are withheld.
• Oversee financial control of projects with internal departments and sub-contractors, ensuring delivery of all aspects of assigned projects within the agreed timeframe and budget.
• Own project margin, not just project cost - identify risk to margin early, and propose the commercial and production options to protect it.
• On project completion, ensure the precise financial reconciliation of all production budgets and that the client is invoiced and payment received in a timely manner.

Leadership & Standards

• Uphold delivery standards: Documentation, handover, and the way we run a site.
• Assess H&S requirements, creating all relevant paperwork and permits, ensuring clients, contractors and internal teams are aware of the requirements and that protocols are enforced on site - and raise the H&S standard across the wider team.
• Ensure debriefs are undertaken on all projects, that results are communicated, and that best-practice and learnings are shared across the company.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of our processes and systems, and be proactive in moving projects and the department forward in collaboration with other departments.
• Deputise for the Head of Projects as required.

The Person

• Extensive proven experience of delivering large scale live shows and events, with a thorough understanding of the technical and scenic disciplines required to deliver such events. We recognise that individuals may have a bias towards disciplines - but an applicant should have the ability to deliver all aspects of a project.
• Capable of managing large scale, complex budgets of £500k plus, with a strong understanding of margin, cost control and reconciliation.
• Substantial experience delivering events internationally, including in territories requiring local supplier coordination, freight and permits.
• Experience delivering virtual events is desirable but not essential.
• Proficient in Google Drive, Microsoft 365 and experience using HireHop or similar rental management systems.
• Committed to delivering quality and professionalism with meticulous attention to detail.
• Team-oriented with demonstrable leadership skills and the credibility to represent Forta at a senior level with clients and suppliers.
• Flexible regarding creative and client changes during the project cycle.
• Calm under pressure, extremely organised, pro-active with excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills.
• Embrace an ever-developing landscape of new technology and seek out innovations in the industry that may be applied to projects.
• Able and willing to travel internationally, occasionally for extended periods as required.
• Able and willing to commute to the office in South East London every day.