Event Operations Manager
Lemoncake Events — Lichfield, Staffordshire (WS13 6DN)
Lemoncake Events is expanding its operational team, and we are recruiting an experienced Event Operations Manager to help convert approved event concepts into safe, well-resourced and professionally delivered events. This is a senior operational role, based at our Lichfield office with regular travel to venues across the West Midlands and other major UK cities. It carries a base salary of £45,000 and real influence over how our events are delivered as the business grows.
You will take operational ownership of projects once the client brief and commercial scope are agreed, managing everything from venue assessment and supplier appointment through to budgeting, staffing, health and safety preparation, live delivery and final reconciliation. Core hours are Monday to Friday, but the nature of events means occasional evenings, weekends, Sundays and bank holidays for venue access, build, live delivery and breakdown. Additional hours are approved in advance and either paid as overtime or returned as time off in lieu.
Role snapshot
- £45,000 annual base salary
- Permanent, full-time PAYE employment
- Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm (40-hour week, one-hour unpaid lunch)
- Lichfield office base with regular UK travel to event locations
- Occasional evenings, weekends and bank holidays for live events
- Paid overtime or hour-for-hour TOIL for approved additional hours
- Reporting to the Head of Events
- Annual performance-related bonus, enhanced pension and private medical insurance
- Company equipment and fully covered business travel
About Lemoncake Events
Established around three years ago, Lemoncake Events is a growing end-to-end events business led by a director with more than 20 years of experience in the sector. We began in the West Midlands and now deliver across major UK cities, handling events from initial concept through to final breakdown and post-event review.
Our work spans corporate events and product launches, branded experiences, fashion and sportswear events, entertainment and promotional events, festivals and concerts, high-end celebrations, venue coordination, supplier and production management, and on-site delivery. We have delivered work connected with recognised national and international brands across sportswear, entertainment and consumer events. This vacancy has been created because a growing calendar of commissions has increased demand on our operational team.
Role purpose
This is a senior operational position, not a general coordinator or purely creative planning role. You will manage several events or workstreams at once while keeping control of deadlines, budgets, suppliers, documentation, staffing and client expectations. You will not personally carry out specialist technical work such as rigging, staging or security, but you must be able to appoint competent contractors, review their documentation, coordinate teams and escalate technical or safety concerns.
Main responsibilities
- Take operational ownership of events once the brief and scope are approved, translating them into delivery plans, schedules, run sheets, staffing plans and event-day documents.
- Establish milestones, dependencies, supplier deadlines and escalation points, and coordinate planning meetings across internal teams, venues, suppliers and clients.
- Conduct venue searches and site visits, assessing access, capacity, exits, loading, power, welfare, catering and supplier arrangements.
- Liaise with venue managers on licensing, curfews, noise limits, security requirements and building procedures, and coordinate layouts, back-of-house plans and access schedules.
- Source, assess and appoint suppliers and contractors across areas such as AV, lighting, staging, structures, décor, catering, transport, security, cleaning and event furniture.
- Obtain and compare quotations, negotiate terms, support purchase orders, and check contractor insurance, risk assessments, method statements and evidence of competence.
- Coordinate supplier deliveries, installation, inductions and breakdown, and monitor performance against cost, quality, safety and delivery expectations.
- Build and maintain operational budgets, tracking committed costs, purchase orders, invoices and deposits, identifying overspend early and recommending corrective action.
- Apply proper change control when clients request additional services, and complete post-event reconciliation explaining material variances.
- Produce staffing plans for permanent, casual, freelance and agency staff, allocating responsibilities by competence and event requirement.
- Lead pre-event briefings, site inductions and post-event debriefs, and supervise coordinators and temporary teams during live delivery.
- Coordinate event risk assessments, review contractor risk assessments and method statements, and help develop safety and emergency plans in line with current UK event-safety guidance, including the Purple Guide and HSE guidance.
- Maintain safe arrangements across build, load-in, live operation, breakdown and load-out, confirm specialist work is completed by competent and insured contractors, and stop or escalate work where there is an uncontrolled risk. The scale of safety measures depends on the venue, activities, audience and licensing conditions.
- Act as the principal operational contact for allocated events, confirming scope and deliverables with the client, leading progress meetings and providing accurate written updates.
- Lead live delivery from an agreed control position, coordinating venue, production, catering, security and staff, and making calm, proportionate decisions when plans change.
- Oversee breakdown, equipment collection and venue handback, and maintain complete, current event files covering contracts, budgets, permits, safety records and reconciliations.
- Run structured post-event reviews capturing feedback, supplier performance, incidents and lessons learned, and use the findings to improve future delivery.
Essential experience and skills
- At least five years in event operations, production, venue operations or complex event delivery, including around two years in a supervisory or management role.
- A track record of delivering medium-to-large or multi-supplier events such as corporate events, festivals, launches, branded experiences or large private events, from planning through to breakdown.
- Practical experience managing event budgets, supplier quotations, purchase orders, cost tracking and final reconciliation.
- Sound knowledge of event risk assessments, contractor documentation, emergency planning and operational safety controls.
- Experience coordinating venues, production suppliers, catering, security, transport and temporary staff.
- Clear written and verbal communication, including schedules, operational plans, client updates and reports.
- Competence with Microsoft Excel, Word and Outlook, and with project-management or event-planning software.
- A full UK driving licence and the ability to travel to venues throughout the UK.
- Availability for occasional early starts, late finishes, overnight stays, weekends and bank holidays where confirmed events require it.
- The legal right to work in the UK.
We are looking for someone organised, commercially aware and decisive, who stays calm under pressure and manages competing deadlines and client relationships professionally.
Qualifications and certifications
Required, or to be completed after appointment:
- A valid Emergency First Aid at Work or First Aid at Work qualification, or willingness to complete a company-funded course within the first three months.
- IOSH Managing Safely, IOSH Managing Safely in Events and Exhibitions, or a comparable event-safety qualification, or willingness to complete company-funded training within the first six months.
- Evidence of practical competence in event risk assessment and contractor management.
These are company requirements because of the responsibilities attached to this role, rather than universal statutory requirements for the job title.
Desirable:
- A degree, diploma or professional qualification in event management, production, hospitality, project or business management, or equivalent substantial experience.
- NEBOSH National General Certificate or another recognised health and safety qualification.
- Event safety management, crowd-management or fire marshal training.
- APM, PRINCE2 or another recognised project-management qualification.
- A Personal Licence, where the role may involve authorising alcohol sales at licensed events.
Working hours, event schedule and overtime
The contractual week is 40 hours, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, with a one-hour unpaid lunch break. Approved hours worked beyond this are either paid as overtime or returned as hour-for-hour time off in lieu, in line with our overtime and TOIL procedure. Sunday and bank-holiday work qualifies for enhanced overtime or additional TOIL under company policy. A recovery day is scheduled after particularly late events or overnight breakdowns where required, and event schedules are planned with appropriate rest and fatigue management. All overtime must be approved in advance and properly recorded.
Benefits
- Annual performance-related bonus of between 5% and 10% of salary, subject to agreed individual and company measures (not guaranteed).
- Employer pension contribution of 5% alongside a 5% employee contribution, rising to 6% employer contribution after three completed years of service.
- Private medical insurance.
- Fully covered reasonable business travel for events, including approved mileage, rail, accommodation and parking.
- Paid overtime or hour-for-hour TOIL for approved additional hours, with enhanced arrangements for Sundays and bank holidays.
- Recovery time following particularly late events or overnight breakdowns.
Annual leave entitlement will be confirmed at offer stage.
Equipment and operational support
- Company laptop.
- Company mobile phone or an agreed monthly phone allowance.
- Access to professional event-management and scheduling software.
- Company credit card for authorised business expenditure.
Equal opportunities and reasonable adjustments
Lemoncake Events is committed to equal opportunities. Applications are assessed on relevant skills, experience and the requirements of the position. The role includes regular movement around event sites and periods of standing during live delivery, and reasonable adjustments will be considered at every stage. Please let us know if you require any specific arrangements when applying or if invited to interview.
Normal right-to-work, reference and qualification checks will take place at the appropriate stage of the recruitment process.
How to apply
Please submit an up-to-date CV setting out your relevant event operations experience. You are welcome to include a short supporting statement covering the types and scale of events you have managed, your level of budget responsibility, and your experience coordinating suppliers and operational teams.
Pay: From £45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Free or subsidised travel
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Sick pay
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Lichfield WS13 6DN: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Experience:
- Event Operations: 5 years (preferred)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: In person
