Job Description
Job title: Awards Manager
Reports to: Head of Awards
Location: Hybrid, remote working + 2 days in the London office (E2), flexibility is required when working at events.
Job Type: Full-time, permanent
Salary: £28,000-36,000 per annum - depending on experience plus benefits
Hours: 09.30-17.30 (Standard office hours) flexibility is required when working to deadlines and covering team hours.
This year, you must be free to work over D&AD Awards Judging and Festival which is from Saturday 23 to Wednesday 26 May 2027, the Festival which is Sunday 27 June to Wednesday 1 July 2027 (Please note dates of key events vary each year) Your hours may be rearranged or you will get time back in lieu for weekend work and overtime accrued.
Summary
The Awards Manager is responsible for managing the delivery and project management of jury selection across the D&AD Awards & New Blood Awards. The Awards Manager will drive the research, analysis and development of the judge strategy, manage the recruitment and management of all awards juries and judge communications, support awards product development and contribute to the annual awards review.
Overview
We operate a hybrid working policy, and are happy to talk about flexible working arrangements between working from home and from the London office (E2). Please note that the number of days in the office may increase during busy periods and according to the needs of the business. You must be available to work over the judging period, which covers one weekend per year.
Dimension of Role:
The Awards Manager is required to curate and manage approx. 60 juries for the D&AD Awards and New Blood Awards in a year-round cycle, applying critical thinking in the selection and assessment of over 400 low/mid/senior industry Judges to align with the requirements of D&AD.
They are required to have a good knowledge of industry luminaries, influencers and others who would lend the right expertise to judging in order to propose suitable Judge recommendations for approval by leadership.
Conducting effective research and analysis and using critical thinking in the selection and assessment of Judges will be essential in understanding both Judge and category effectiveness, in making recommendations for future cycles and developing the Judge Strategy for approval by leadership.
They are required to be a strong written and verbal communicator with the ability to manage projects, in order to effectively manage the participation and communication with Judges.
Having the confidence to steer the creation of Juries and the ability to anticipate and overcome challenges will be essential to ensure the judging product moves at a timely pace. Having the ability to multitask and to support fellow team members during busy months leading up to judging (March-May) and launch (October-November) will be vital.
The role requires external outreach to the industry with regards Judge recommendations, invitations and category development. This can take the form of email, phone calls including zoom or similar platforms, face to face meeting, or assisting at round tables or focus group style events. Frequency will be dependent on time of year with almost daily communications coordinated from September through June.
Internal communications with the Awards team on a weekly basis will be required. This includes meeting with the wider Awards team and meeting with direct reports for 1:1s. You will also need to attend a monthly All Staffer with the wider business. Internal communications take place over email, Zoom, Slack or telephone, and/or in person when required.
Responsibilities & Duties
Main accountabilities/responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to:
Recruitment & Management of Juries:
Develop the Judge selection strategy document to inform Jury recruitment, ensuring it aligns with organisation-wide targets
Brief the Business Development team on Judge requirements, to be collated and placed into Juries
Build Juries in accordance with the Judge selection strategy
Undertake industry research to inform Judge selection
Collaborate with the wider team to ensure judging schedules are agreed and communicated to relevant parties
Manage the booking for judges accommodation
Manage travel reimbursements for judges and guests
Manage the collation and display of judge profiles
Manage creation of internal Judge documents to be shared with Jury/Master Hosts
Manage judges on site during events where required
Communications:
Manage the year-round judges communication plan and implementation of it
Ensure an excellent standard of year-round communications to Judges and entrants
Manage the training of additional team members (both temporary and permanent)
Manage the preparation and communication of Judge guides and other collateral,
ensure judges have and understand all relevant information pertaining to judging events
Outreach & Partners:
ensure fair talent representation
Oversee the promotion of the Awards on social media amongst our judges
Represent D&AD at external events where necessary
Identify and manage outreach with potential Judge networks or organisations that
can support Judge selection
include in Judge selection
Events & Administration:
D&AD Festival & New Blood Festival
also work as a potential speaker
project needs when required
project, working alongside the Production Manager
warehousing of all awards entries in your category area ensuring these are ready for judging and presented to a high standard when required.
and material are accurate and up to date.
chase judges where necessary and ensure all evaluations are completed on time.
abstain only where appropriate.
Research & Development:
Manage the annual review and development of designated categories
Manage the collation of category feedback and recommendations
Conduct and collate competitor research where relevant
Identify and report on category trends to inform planning
Identify and make recommendations for improvements to entry and awards
processes (e.g. formats, systems)
Analytics & Reporting:
process to improve efficiencies during the cycle.
across all programmes
documents as requested by management
You will need to support the Awards team with ad hoc tasks when required.
Knowledge, skills and attributes required for the post:
Preferred Skills:
Proven experience delivering in-person and/or online events end-to-end
Strong project management skills
Proven line management experience
Excellent organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple timelines
Confident communicator, able to work with senior industry figures and partners
Experience coordinating speakers, suppliers and external stakeholders
Strong administrative and systems skills, (preferably Hubspot, Google Suite, Adobe, and project management software, eg monday.com)
Budget management experience
Ability to remain calm, solutions-focused and detail-driven under pressure
Personal Qualities
Proactive and self-motivated with a strong sense of ownership
Flexible and adaptable, particularly during busy delivery periods
Meticulous attention to detail alongside big-picture thinking
Collaborative and supportive team player
Approachable, professional and confident in fast-paced environments
Interest in, and understanding of, the creative, advertising and design industries
Strong networking skills
D&AD is committed to diversity, equality, equity, inclusion and respect for all. Providing a work environment in which all employees are treated with fairness, respect and dignity and which is free of discrimination, victimisation, bullying and harassment. At D&AD we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you! Please email [email protected] to let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments to be made for any part of the recruitment process.
In order to comply with the Prevention of Illegal Working, Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act, you will need to provide appropriate documentation that proves that you are eligible to work in the UK.
Due to the number of applications we receive, we regret that you will not be contacted unless you are shortlisted for an interview. If you have not heard from us within three weeks of the closing date of your application you should assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.
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