Operations Director, Arts & Entertainment

Who We Are: IMG is a global leader in sports, fashion, events and media. The company manages some of the world’s greatest athletes and fashion icons; owns and operates hundreds of live events annually; and is a leading independent producer and distributor of sports and entertainment media. IMG also specializes in licensing, sports training and league development. IMG is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.

Endeavor is a global sports and entertainment company, home to many of the world’s most dynamic and engaging storytellers, brands, live events, and experiences. The Endeavor network specializes in talent representation through entertainment agency WME; sports operations and advisory, event management, media production and distribution, and brand licensing through IMG; live event experiences and hospitality through On Location; full-service marketing through global cultural marketing agency 160over90; and sports data and technology through IMG ARENA and OpenBet. Endeavor is also the majority owner of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company comprising UFC and WWE.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Acting as overall operational planning lead for Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, managing the co-ordinated delivery of a safe and secure event in accordance with the premise licence.
• Responsible for the operational strategy and tactical delivery of the event as part of the senior management team, working collaboratively and cohesively with the event’s head of departments to successfully deliver the commercial and operational objectives of the event.
• Acting as Event Gold and/or Silver during the live event, as required.
• Line managing the operations team including the Senior Safety Operations Manager, Senior Operations Co-ordinator and Accreditation and Gates Manager.
• Responsible for the design, hiring, management and budget of the temporary event operations team, including all command-and-control arrangements.
• Being the key contact for major operational suppliers (including security and stewarding).
• Oversee the procurement, deployment and operational management of security and stewarding contractors to meet the licence requirements of the event.
• Oversee the briefing and training of security, stewarding and all operational staff.
• Responsible for a total budget overview of all operational suppliers.
• Feeding into and working closely with the Event Director in reviewing, publishing, delivering and the overall strategy of the emergency planning and statutory event documentation.
• Overseeing and signing-off the Crowd Management Plan and all associated documentation by the Senior Safety Operations Manager.
• Work with the Senior Safety Operations Manager to ensure coherent site design and crowd safety processes are in place, particularly around Ingress, Egress and Queues.
• Design, implement and manage the Event Control Centre, ensuring staff have the appropriate training and qualifications and access to the appropriate provision of resources.
• Regularly monitoring the demands on the operational and staffing budgets to ensure all essential activity is delivered utilising the resources available, within budget, negotiating with suppliers where necessary.
• Plan and deliver the annual Tabletop and Readiness Exercises.
• Operational lead at multi-agency meetings and for the event’s major stakeholders including The Royal Parks, working collaboratively to ensure aims and objectives are delivered.
• Managing the invoicing and post-event reconciliation of suppliers.
• Responsible for scoping event requirements, tendering, negotiating supplier contracts and brokering multi-year deals.
• Nurturing relationships with contractors, sponsors, clients etc.
• Conducting post event debriefs of the above staffing departments, collating feedback and actions for the next year’s event.
• Assisting with business modelling and research for new proposed A&E events, including other Winter Wonderland events in other territories.
• Some pre-production/on-site assistance with other A&E events within the portfolio including international Winter Wonderland projects.

Unusual Challenges or Circumstances:

• Regular weekend work where you may be required to travel to events in line with the Arts & Entertainment portfolio, including Hampton Court Palace Festival, The Big Feastival and Hyde Park Winter Wonderland.
• Outside of event travel, there will be a requirement to travel for meetings as part of the role.

Key Results Areas:

• To produce a successful event safely, on schedule and on budget.
• To receive positive feedback from key stakeholders, visitors to the event, senior managers, team members and peers.
• To effectively plan ahead and organize work efficiently, and to be able to meet deadlines and revenue projections while maintaining appropriate service levels and cost budgets.
• To contribute to the team with new ideas or new approaches.
• To positively represent company culture and participate in morale-boosting activities.

PERSON SPECIFICATION:

Knowledge and Experience:

• Experience in producing and project managing large-scale outdoor events.
• Experience in managing major contractors and senior staff.
• Experience working with Safety Advisory Group members including the emergency services.
• Experience in detailed budget management.

Skills & Abilities (Personal and Professional):

• A strong, positive leader with the ability to persuade and influence.
• Ability to handle pressure, stay calm and show leadership in dynamic circumstances at Gold and Silver levels.
• Ability to manage and prioritise tasks to meet tight deadlines.
• Enthusiastic, self-motivated and proactive.
• A good-humoured manager that can motivate a team under difficult conditions.
• A clear and professional writing style.
• Working knowledge of MS Office software, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.
• Experience or understanding of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and sketch-up of Visio for site map design is desirable.

Qualifications and Training:

• Essential: An understanding of both UK and EU Health and Safety Legislation and Regulations, including CDM 2015 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
• Desirable: NVQS Crowd Safety Management, NVQS Spectator Safety Management, IOSH/NEBOSH qualification as a minimum (others may be acceptable), First aid at work qualification, Full, clean UK driving license.

Endeavor unites and brings people together in our love of sport, culture, and entertainment. We understand this can only be accomplished when we lead with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. As a global company that drives culture, we strive to reflect the world’s diverse voices. Endeavor is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief.