Head Of Operations & Events in London, London

PRIDE IN LONDON: HEAD OF OPERATIONS & EVENTS

Reports to: Chief Executive Officer

Contract: full-time, permanent, paid role

Location: London-based, with hybrid working

Salary: up to £65,000 per annum

Start date: as soon as possible; flexibility for the right candidate

Working hours: full-time, with regular evening and weekend work around events

THE OPPORTUNITY

• Lead the operational planning and safe delivery of one of the world’s most visible Pride celebrations.
• About Pride in London
• London LGBT Community Pride CIC (LLCP), known as Pride in London, is a dynamic, predominantly volunteer-powered organisation. We deliver London’s annual Pride celebrations and work year-round to champion LGBTQIA+ visibility, unity and equality.
• We are building our first full-time paid leadership team to strengthen organisational capacity, professionalise delivery and support our volunteers. Any surplus generated by our Community Interest Company is reinvested in our organisation, programmes and initiatives for the LGBTQIA+ communities we serve.

THE ROLE

The Head of Operations & Events is a senior, hands-on leadership role with overall accountability for the planning, coordination and safe operational delivery of the Pride in London Parade, festival footprint and associated events.

Reporting to the CEO and working closely with the Head of Partnerships and other functional leads, the postholder will translate Pride in London’s ambitions into robust plans, budgets, approvals, operating procedures and contingency arrangements. They will lead the year-round Operations & Events team of more than 40 volunteers, manage appointed production and specialist partners, and coordinate a significantly larger event-day workforce.

WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE

Pride in London’s Parade, festival and associated events are delivered safely, professionally, inclusively and within agreed scope and budget.

A clear multi-year operations and events strategy supports sustainable growth and continuous improvement.

Statutory applications, licences, event plans and stakeholder approvals are complete, accurate and secured on time.

Production partners, suppliers, volunteers and internal teams work to clear plans, responsibilities and operating procedures.

Risks, incidents and emerging issues are identified early, escalated appropriately and managed effectively.

Accessibility, sustainability, resident and business considerations are embedded throughout planning and delivery.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Operational strategy and planning

• Develop and deliver a multi-year operations and events strategy aligned with Pride in London’s organisational plans, growth ambitions and available resources.
• Own the integrated master delivery plan, critical path, milestones, dependencies and operational readiness process.
• Translate strategic priorities into practical event plans, production schedules, operating procedures and team responsibilities.
• Lead post-event evaluation, lessons learned and continuous improvement, ensuring actions are tracked into the next planning cycle.
• Advise the CEO and leadership team on operational feasibility, capacity, risk, cost and delivery implications.

Event delivery and production management

• Lead end-to-end planning and delivery across pre-production, build, live operations, breakdown and post-event evaluation.
• Manage the appointed production partner and relevant specialist suppliers, setting clear scopes, deliverables, standards and reporting arrangements.
• Oversee event infrastructure, site and route planning, logistics, staging interfaces, traffic and crowd considerations, welfare provision, communications and operational control arrangements.
• Ensure all teams have clear, current and understood event documentation, including operating procedures, schedules, maps, contact structures and escalation routes.
• Coordinate event-day command, control and communications arrangements, ensuring decisions and incidents are recorded appropriately.
• Ensure contractor and supplier performance is monitored and that delivery issues are resolved promptly.

Safety, compliance and crisis management

• Own the development and maintenance of the event management plan and associated operational documentation, working with competent specialist advisers where required.
• Coordinate statutory applications, permissions, licences and submissions, ensuring deadlines and conditions are understood and met.
• Maintain the organisational crisis management plan and lead scenario planning, exercises, briefings and operational readiness checks.
• Ensure proportionate risk assessments, contingency plans, emergency procedures, safeguarding, welfare and incident-management arrangements are in place.
• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure responsibilities under relevant health and safety, licensing and event requirements are clearly allocated.
• Escalate significant safety, compliance, financial or reputational risks promptly to the CEO and relevant governance leads.

Stakeholder and agency relationships

• Act as a senior operational representative with the Greater London Authority, Westminster City Council, Metropolitan Police Service, emergency services, transport bodies and other city agencies.
• Lead or support planning meetings, Safety Advisory Group engagement, site visits, briefings and debriefs as required.
• Build trusted, constructive relationships with landowners, venues, local authorities, residents, businesses and community stakeholders.
• Coordinate clear and timely communications on road impacts, access, noise, operating hours, local concerns and event-day arrangements.
• Represent Pride in London professionally and ensure commitments made to stakeholders are tracked and delivered.

Budget, procurement and commercial delivery

• Develop, manage and report on operations and events budgets, forecasts and commitments, maintaining clear control of costs and variances.
• Support procurement and contracting of production partners, suppliers and specialist services, working with finance and legal colleagues.
• Review quotations, scopes and change requests to ensure value for money, operational need and appropriate approval.
• Work closely with the Head of Partnerships to assess activation proposals, protect operational integrity and ensure contractual commitments are feasible and safely delivered.
• Maintain accurate records to support invoicing, reconciliation, audit and post-event reporting.
• Cross-organisational coordination
• Work collaboratively with partnerships, marketing, communications, community engagement, people, finance, accessibility, volunteer and programme leads.
• Identify and manage operational dependencies across staging, broadcasting, partnership activations, accreditation, hospitality, volunteers, parade groups and public information.
• Set clear planning deadlines and provide practical guidance so teams understand what is required of them and when.
• Build organisation-wide operational readiness through briefings, exercises, documentation and coordinated decision-making.
• Provide regular progress, budget, risk and readiness reports to the CEO and, where required, the Board or relevant committee.

Accessibility, inclusion and sustainability

• Embed accessibility and inclusion in route, venue, infrastructure, communications, welfare and audience planning from the outset.
• Work with accessibility and community leads to identify barriers and implement practical, properly resourced solutions.
• Develop and implement realistic environmental and sustainability measures, including waste, transport, materials, power and supplier expectations.
• Ensure operational decisions reflect Pride in London’s values and the needs of the diverse LGBTQIA+ communities we serve.

People and volunteer leadership

• Lead, empower and develop the year-round Operations & Events team of more than 40 volunteers, which grows considerably for event delivery.
• Create a clear, inclusive team structure with defined roles, delegated authority, objectives, training and support.
• Work with the People team to recruit, onboard, brief and retain volunteers with the skills and capacity needed for safe delivery.
• Build a calm, accountable and collaborative culture in which people can raise concerns, make informed decisions and perform well under pressure.
• Ensure appropriate rotas, welfare, briefings, supervision and recognition are in place for event delivery teams.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential experience and knowledge

• At least five years’ experience in the events industry, including substantial experience in a senior operational or event leadership role.
• Demonstrable experience of end-to-end delivery of large, complex public events, covering planning, pre-production, logistics, live operations, breakdown and evaluation.
• Experience working with local authorities, police, emergency services, Safety Advisory Groups or comparable regulatory and operational stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of event safety management, risk assessment, contingency planning, incident response and operational control.
• Proven experience managing production partners, contractors and multiple specialist suppliers.
• Strong commercial and financial capability, including budget preparation, forecasting, procurement and cost control.
• Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams; experience working with volunteers is highly desirable.
• A genuine commitment to LGBTQIA+ equality and to diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and sustainability.

Skills and personal attributes

• A calm, credible and decisive operational leader who maintains sound judgement under pressure.
• An excellent communicator who builds trust and rapport with agencies, suppliers, colleagues and volunteers.
• Highly organised and analytical, with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage conflicting deadlines.
• Strategic in outlook while willing and able to work hands-on throughout the delivery cycle.
• Collaborative and confident, with a proven ability to motivate teams and hold people accountable.
• Proactive, resilient and adaptable, with a practical approach to solving problems and managing change.
• Committed to high standards, continuous improvement and creating safe, welcoming experiences.
• A strong understanding of Pride in London’s purpose and the national and global Pride movement.

Desirable

• Experience delivering a major parade, festival, mass-participation event or event within a complex city-centre environment.
• Relevant event safety, health and safety, crowd management or project-management qualification.
• Experience of accessible event design, sustainable event practice or broadcast operations.
• Experience in a charity, non-profit, Community Interest Company or volunteer-powered organisation.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Base salary: up to £65,000 per annum, depending on experience.

Benefits: a competitive benefits package, including workplace pension. Full details will be confirmed during the recruitment process.

Annual leave: holiday entitlement will be confirmed within the full employment offer.

Working pattern: full-time and London-based, with hybrid working. Easy and regular access to central London is essential. Evening and weekend work will be required around events, with appropriate flexibility in working arrangements.

Start date: as soon as possible, with flexibility for the right candidate.

PRIDE IN LONDON’S COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION

Pride in London is committed to creating an organisation that reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and particularly encourage applications from people who are underrepresented in leadership roles, including women, trans and non-binary people, disabled people and people from Black, Asian and other global majority communities.

We are committed to making our recruitment process accessible. Applicants are encouraged to tell us about any reasonable adjustments they may need during the process.

How to apply

Please submit your CV and a supporting statement explaining how your experience meets the requirements of the role. Recruitment timetable and application details will be confirmed in the vacancy advertisement.

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