WSET School Operations and Events Assistant

Wine & Spirit Education Trust; London; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust seeks a proactive and enthusiastic Operations & Events Assistant to enhance the experience for students and guests at WSET School London. This dynamic role involves preparing classrooms, assisting with wine sampling, and supporting various events, all within a collaborative operations team. Ideal candidates are organised, customer-focused, and passionate about delivering high-quality educational support in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

Annual Leave - 27 days pa + public holidays

Generous Pension options

Health insurance via Vitality scheme

Development opportunities in Wines, Spirits, Sake, and Beer

Qualifications

• Experience coordinating and delivering events.
• Knowledge of wines.
• Stock management experience.

Responsibilities

• Prepare classrooms and manage wine cellar.
• Assist in event planning and logistics.
• Ensure smooth operations during events.

Skills

Customer-service skills

Organisational skills

Problem solving

Communication

Education

WSET Qualification(s)

Tools

MS Office

Job description

WSET's purpose is to empower people through inspiring learning experiences all over the world. We offer a comprehensive suite of globally recognised qualifications covering wines, spirits and sake.

We are the world’s leading provider of qualifications in wines, spirits, beer and sake, delivering over 140,000 exams each year to candidates in over 70 countries via our network of Approved Programme Providers (APPs).

WSET is a global organisation and we are proud to have people who work for us all over the world. We have people in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA as well as the UK.

The successful applicant will contribute to a culture of integrity, empowerment, dynamism, and inclusivity within WSET.

WSET fosters a welcoming, empathetic and inspiring culture that empowers our global talent to innovate and thrive.

We’re looking for a proactive and enthusiastic Operations & Events Assistant to support the smooth, day-to-day running of WSET School London. In this hands-on role, you'll help deliver an exceptional experience for our students, educators, and guests—whether it's setting up for a wine course, preparing for an exam, or supporting one of our many events. Working as part of a friendly and collaborative operations team, you'll be immersed in a fast-paced and rewarding environment where no two days are the same. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is organised, energetic, and passionate about delivering high-quality support in a globally recognised educational setting.. Your responsibilities will include:

Operations Support

• Prepare classrooms for courses and exams, ensuring they are fully stocked and ready to go.
• Pick wine samples from the cellar, check their condition, and ensure they’re presented at their best (full training provided).
• Assist the Wine Buyer and educators with sample prep and wine quality checks.
• Help manage and maintain the wine cellar, including regular stock rotation
• Handle deliveries, restocking, classroom tidying, glassware cleaning, and food prep
• Prepare course materials, wine lists, and exam documentation
• Support the delivery of onsite and offsite exams
• Step in to cover general operations tasks as needed across the team
  
  

Events Support

• Assist in planning and delivering both internal and external events
• Manage event stock and wine samples, and coordinate classroom/event space setup
• Work closely with event leads and clients to identify and meet operational needs
• Act as the key operational contact in the lead-up to and during events
• Support the booking process for external hires, respond to enquiries, give tours, and manage event logistics
• Ensure client needs are met, from setup to post-event clean-up and stock disposal
• Record event details in the CRM system and liaise with the finance team for billing
• Provide onsite support for events to ensure seamless delivery
  
  

General School Support

• Assist with courses, tastings, and wider initiatives as required
• Represent and promote WSET School London as a global flagship for drinks education
• Take part in one-to-ones, team reviews, and professional development opportunities
• Build your industry knowledge and network by attending tastings and events
• Support wider WSET events and activities when needed
• Always work in line with WSET’s standards, policies, and procedures
  
  

Personal Attributes:

• Committed to providing a world class experience to our students and customers.
• Positive can-do attitude with ability to manage competing priorities to make things happen.
• Strong customer-service skills.
• Organised, able to problem solve, hardworking.
• Able to communicate effectively across teams, ensuring smooth collaboration and alignment of objectives.
• Able to work as part of a team and on their own initiative
• Personable, approachable, and friendly.
• Excellent written communication skills.
• Knowledge and interest in WSET qualifications (WSET qualifications an advantage).
  
  

Essential Skills:

• Excellent command of MS Office, specifically Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Experience supporting the coordination and delivery of events
• Knowledge of wines.
• Stock management experience.
  
  

Desirable Skills:

• WSET Qualification(s).
• Experience with CRM system.
• Knowledge of spirits, beer and sake.
  
  

Working Pattern: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week over five days, with at least one Saturday per month required on a Rota basis. Core hours: 10:30am - 7pm, weekdays however, the applicant must be flexible to occasionally work outside these core hours depending on the school’s operational needs. (Saturday core hours 8am-3pm)

UK Benefits

Annual Leave - 27 days pa + public holidays, increases with service; ability to buy/sell 5 days

Pension (Generous options available after three months)

Health insurance (after three months):

Vitality scheme - post probation - Access to virtual GP appointments, Rewards include Caffe Nero drinks, Cinema Tickets, Apple Watch, Cash Back on Waitrose shopping, 75% off at Champneys, 6 month subscription with HeadSpace, Discounted Weight Watchers membership and gyms, Smoking Cessation day worth £300 and half price health screens

Eye voucher scheme

Food and drink in the office

Nespresso coffee makers and a range of other drinks, fruit, cereals, soups

Season ticket & gym membership loan scheme

Group income protection scheme

EAP

24/7 confidential help and support from trained counsellors and advisors

Death in service

4x annual salary paid to nominees with associated bereavement support for family

Enhanced family friendly leave and pay

Celebration vouchers

Cycle2Work scheme

Discretionary bonus

Development - WSET's in-house training and qualifications in Wines, Spirits, Sake and Beer as well as other professional development opportunities

DISCLAIMER: This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned, at any time.