Major Events Manager

Job introduction

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

About the role

This is a fantastic opportunity to lead the development and delivery of West Northamptonshire’s major events programme, helping to create a vibrant, accessible and financially sustainable events offer for residents and visitors alike.

Working to an Attract, Support, Grow approach, you will play a key role in positioning West Northamptonshire as a destination for major sporting, cultural and heritage events. You will identify and attract new events to the area, support the continued success of existing events, and create opportunities to develop and grow the Council's event portfolio to maximise social, cultural and economic benefits.

You will take the lead on procuring and awarding contracts for major event promoters and associated organisations, ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality events across the area. 

Through strong partnership working and strategic planning, you will drive the sustainable growth of West Northamptonshire's events programme while identifying innovative opportunities that enhance the area's reputation and appeal.

Additional information

This role requires a highly experienced events professional with extensive knowledge of event management, licensing legislation, health and safety requirements, and emergency and contingency planning. You will possess a strong understanding of the national organisations responsible for the strategic planning and delivery of major sporting, cultural and heritage events across England, enabling you to build effective partnerships and identify opportunities that benefit West Northamptonshire.

You will bring significant experience in managing and delivering large-scale festivals and events with high-quality creative content, alongside a proven track record in project and programme management.

Importantly, you will understand the challenges and opportunities of delivering events within a public sector environment. Unlike many event management roles where budgets are pre-allocated, this position requires the ability to build business cases, justify expenditure, demonstrate value for money and ensure investment delivers tangible outcomes for local communities. Experience of working within a Local Authority, or in partnership with Local Authorities, would therefore be highly beneficial.

You must be confident in overseeing complex event programmes, managing risks, ensuring compliance with relevant legislation, and maintaining the highest standards of health and safety. With excellent leadership and stakeholder management skills, you will be passionate about attracting, supporting and growing a successful events programme that enhances West Northamptonshire's cultural offer and delivers positive outcomes for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.

Company information

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services. Hear from our Chief Executive, Martin Henry, about building a career at WNC.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us. 

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email [email removed] for support.

Please note we reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a high volume of suitable applications, so we recommend applying as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

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