Lead, Events

Stellenbeschreibung:

Own Pearson's global events strategy, prioritisation and performance across a large events portfolio
Translate enterprise, marketing, commercial and customer priorities into an annual events roadmap
Define event objectives, audience strategies, investment levels and success measures
Lead portfolio tiering, investment decisions, consolidation and efficiency improvements across regions and business units
Lead, coach and develop a geographically dispersed team of event professionals
Allocate resources and establish priorities, performance standards, operating rhythms and continuous improvement practices
Provide strategic oversight across event planning and execution, including production, attendee experience, executive engagement and operational delivery
Develop playbooks, governance models, templates and quality standards
Lead readiness reviews and manage risks, dependencies, decision points and contingency plans
Act as senior escalation point for high-profile or high-risk events
Ensure compliance with legal, procurement, privacy, accessibility, health and safety, financial and brand requirements
Manage contractual, financial and operational risks
Build relationships with senior leaders across Marketing, Sales, Product, Communications, Finance, Procurement, Legal and Regional Business teams
Lead strategic relationships with agencies, organisers, suppliers, venues and technology vendors
Oversee supplier selection, commercial negotiations and performance management
Provide executive recommendations, investment cases and portfolio reporting
Define and measure event success across pipeline creation, customer engagement, partnerships, brand awareness and business growth
Improve lead capture, attribution, reporting, efficiency, attendee experience, supplier performance and event ROI
Maintain executive dashboards for portfolio performance, investment effectiveness, capacity planning and risk management
Champion event technology, automation and data-driven decision making

Requirements

Significant senior leadership experience managing complex corporate, B2B or enterprise events portfolios across multiple regions
Proven experience leading and developing event teams
Strong track record of translating business strategy into prioritised event programmes and measurable outcomes
Extensive experience managing conferences, exhibitions, sponsorships, executive programmes, customer events and partner activations
Experience operating within global, matrixed organisations
Strong stakeholder management and influencing capability at senior levels
Demonstrated success managing budgets, resources, suppliers and commercial investment decisions
Deep understanding of live, virtual and hybrid event delivery
Strong commercial and financial acumen
Expertise in portfolio governance, event operations and risk management
Strong understanding of event measurement, attribution and performance reporting
Excellent executive communication and presentation skills
Ability to make informed decisions in complex and high-pressure situations
Highly organised with excellent planning and prioritisation capability
Strong supplier negotiation and relationship management skills
Experience using enterprise event management, project management, CRM and reporting platforms
Direct experience delivering event programmes across both US and UK markets
Experience within Higher Education, Education Technology, SaaS or global corporate environments
Familiarity with event technology platforms, automation tools and audience engagement solutions
Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Event Management or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in managing complex corporate events portfolios, translating business strategies into measurable event outcomes, and leading geographically dispersed teams. Proficient in event operations, risk management, and stakeholder engagement within global organizations.