Senior Event Manager: Major Sporting Events & Hospitality

Senior Event Manager: Major Sporting Events & Hospitality
Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 | Location: Oxfordshire | Working pattern: On-site

CoCo Group is delighted to be partnering with a leading hospitality and events caterer to recruit Senior Event Managers. They deliver food, beverage and hospitality at some of the UK’s most prestigious sporting occasions and major public events.

You’ll take a pivotal role in delivering high-profile, large-scale events, from early planning through to live on-site delivery. Depending on your experience, you’ll either lead an event end to end or take ownership of key operational areas within a wider event. You’ll be a trusted point of contact for senior client stakeholders throughout.

The role
Project leadership and client management
Lead the full lifecycle of your event, or your area of a larger event, with complete accountability
Act as a key point of contact for senior client stakeholders
Set the strategic direction of the event and keep it aligned with project goals
Motivate internal and external teams, making sure timelines, milestones and KPIs are met

Team and stakeholder coordination
Line manage a core team where applicable and work closely with cross-functional teams across operations, commercial, culinary, logistics and people operations
Adapt your management style from pre-event planning through to large on-site teams
Keep stakeholders informed through regular updates and planning meetings
Maintain a detailed project planner and make sure every department hits its milestones

Operational excellence
Help shape the food and beverage strategy, working with brand partners where needed
Innovate across retail and hospitality offerings, and look for ways to enhance the guest experience
Oversee creative direction, including food, beverage, equipment and marketing
Support public catering, hospitality, invited guest areas and workforce services, with a focus on quality, consistency and budget control
Manage third-party suppliers and assets to deliver value and efficiency
Keep all records and reports complete, up to date and compliant

Budget and financial control
Own and manage your event budget or specific budget areas, including forecasting, tracking and reporting
Work closely with Finance on invoicing, payment tracking and reconciliation
Monitor and control spend across food, beverage, labour, equipment and logistics
Follow internal financial procedures, including PO and invoice management
Analyse on-site spend and labour costs, particularly within retail operations where relevant
Strategic planning
Contribute to longer-term planning and continuous improvement across the events portfolio

About you
Proven experience in a senior event management role within events catering & hospitality, ideally on major or sporting events
Experience running large-scale, high-profile or temporary-build events with multiple moving parts
A hospitality background, or a blend of retail and hospitality. The client is open to different routes in, so if your experience sits across both, we’d like to hear from you
Commercial confidence, with a track record of managing budgets and controlling costs
Strong leadership and communication skills, and the credibility to manage senior clients and large teams
Excellent planning and organisational skills, with calm decision-making under pressure
Happy to work on site in the office, with flexibility around event schedules, including some long hours and weekends during live events

What’s on offer
Salary of £45,000 - £50,000
The chance to work on iconic, high-profile sporting and public events
A varied portfolio and a supportive, ambitious events team
Real scope to grow your career with a market-leading name

For a confidential conversation, apply today. We’ll share full details of the client and events with shortlisted candidates.