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About the Role

This role will lead the Royal Kennel Club’s Events Centre of Excellence, setting the strategy, standards and operational framework for the successful delivery of the organisation’s events portfolio. It will combine strategic leadership, operational expertise and commercial acumen, translating organisational ambitions into well-planned, financially sustainable and successfully delivered events.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver the Events Strategy and future events portfolio working closely with Propositions and Canine Activities leaders.
• Translate organisational priorities into clear event plans, objectives and measures of success.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, growth and new event propositions.
• Provide strategic advice on event investment, priorities, opportunities and risks.
• Lead the end-to-end planning and delivery of major competition and consumer events, including venue planning, production, event layouts, logistics, infrastructure, event programmes, suppliers, contractors, staffing, volunteers and event control.
• Lead key venue and supplier contract negotiations, ensuring strong commercial and operational outcomes.
• Ensure robust serious incident, emergency and contingency plans are developed, tested and embedded across major events.
• Ensure all event workstreams are integrated into one programme plan, with clear milestones, dependencies, resources and accountabilities.
• Lead the Events Centre of Excellence, establishing consistent standards, processes and best practice.
• Embed strong programme governance, project management and performance reporting.
• Drive continuous improvement through insight, evaluation and lessons learned.
• Provide event expertise and support across the organisation.
• Work collaboratively with Revenue & Brand and broadcast partners to ensure the operational and production requirements of television, broadcast and streaming are successfully integrated into event planning and delivery.
• Ensure event infrastructure, schedules, competition requirements and customer experience support effective broadcast production.
• Accountable for event budgets, forecasting and P&L performance, ensuring effective financial control and identifying opportunities to increase revenue, improve margins and deliver efficiencies.
• Lead commercial negotiations with venues and major operational suppliers.
• Work closely with Revenue & Brand and Partnerships to ensure event design and delivery maximise wider commercial, sponsorship and revenue opportunities.
• Lead integrated event delivery across Events, Revenue & Brand, Canine Activities & Wellbeing, Partnerships and Corporate Services.
• Establish clear ownership, decision-making and accountability across event workstreams.
• Build strong relationships with venues, suppliers, contractors and key external stakeholders.
• Ensure specialist requirements are brought together into one coordinated event delivery plan.
• Lead event Health & Safety, risk management, contingency planning and operational compliance.
• Ensure appropriate governance, event control and incident management arrangements are in place.
• Maintain high standards of safeguarding, accessibility and customer welfare.
• Champion exceptional experiences for visitors, competitors, exhibitors and stakeholders.
• Ensure customer insight informs event design, operational planning and continuous improvement.
• Work across teams to ensure the event experience supports the RKC and Crufts brand and customer proposition.
• Lead, develop and motivate a high-performing Events team.
• Build capability across commercial, operational and programme management disciplines.
• Develop succession, resilience and shared expertise across the team.
• Foster a collaborative, accountable and delivery-focused culture.

Requirements

• Significant senior leadership experience within major events, exhibitions, sport or live experiences.
• Proven experience of large-scale event strategy, operations and delivery.
• Strong commercial acumen, including budget management, P&L ownership, revenue growth and cost control.
• Excellent programme and project management capability across complex, multi-workstream events.
• Strong knowledge of event Health & Safety, risk management, compliance and contingency planning, with an IOSH Managing Safely for Events qualification (or equivalent).
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams and build organisational capability.
• Strong matrix leadership and stakeholder management, with the ability to influence across functions and at senior level.
• Experience of venue, supplier, contractor and procurement management.
• Excellent negotiation, communication, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to combine strategic thinking with hands-on operational leadership, remaining calm and decisive in live-event environments.

Skills

• Event strategy
• Event operations
• Event delivery
• Budget management
• P&L ownership
• Revenue growth
• Cost control
• Programme management
• Project management
• Health & Safety
• Risk management
• Compliance
• Contingency planning
• Team leadership
• Team development
• Organisational capability building
• Matrix leadership
• Stakeholder management
• Negotiation
• Communication
• Decision-making
• Problem-solving
• Strategic thinking
• Operational leadership
• Broadcast production
• Event planning software
• Venue layouts
• Technical event planning
• New event proposition development
• Business case development
• Business development
• Sponsorship proposition development
• Sponsorship acquisition
• International event delivery
• High-profile sporting event delivery
• Membership environment experience
• Governing body experience
• Not-for-profit environment experience

Location

• London
• Hybrid

Work Type

• Permanent
• Hybrid

Experience Level

• Senior leadership
• Significant senior leadership experience

Education Level

• IOSH Managing Safely for Events qualification (or equivalent)
• PRINCE2, APM or equivalent project/programme management qualification (Desirable)
• NEBOSH or equivalent Health & Safety qualification (Desirable)

Salary/Compensations

• Competitive

Benefits

• 25 days annual leave, increasing up to 30 days, in addition to statutory holidays.
• Option to buy up to five days of annual leave per year.
• Employer pension contributions double the percentage of your plan earnings, up to 8%.
• Life assurance equivalent to three times your basic salary (two times your basic salary for non-pension scheme members).
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay.
• Lifestyle discounts via our EAP and healthcare cashback programme.
• Discounts on Royal Kennel Club products and services.
• 4X Complimentary staff tickets to Crufts and Discover Dogs.
• Healthcare cashback programme with a fixed contribution paid for by the Royal Kennel Club.
• Free eye tests with a voucher towards the cost of your spectacles.
• Financial support for professional and vocational qualifications, with five days' study leave provided.
• Free access to The Royal Kennel Club Library and Art Gallery.

About the Company

• The Royal Kennel Club

Equal Opportunity

• We are unable to provide work visa sponsorships