Event Manager (maternity cover)

We want to drive change so more young people choose engineering and technology careers. In the UK, we don’t have enough engineers and demand is going up. So, we need more young people to realise there could be a future for them in engineering and technology. To really thrive, we need a stronger, more representative workforce and for that we have to do things differently to make engineering more appealing. We are a not-for-profit working with hundreds of organisations across business, education, professional institutions and the third sector so we can all grow the future talent pool together. We drive that collective effort through research and evidence, leadership, activities for schools and advocacy, with a focus on long-term sustainability.

We are guided by a series of values that we apply to all our activity:

• Inclusive: We care about diversity and create opportunities for everyone's voice to be heard.
• Collaborative: We listen, share and work in partnership to achieve our vision.
• Curious: We challenge ourselves and others to innovate and experiment.
• Insightful: We evaluate what we do and draw on research to make decisions and improve our understanding.
• Driven by purpose: We are determined to make an impact and achieve our goals.

About the role: This role will lead the delivery and implementation of The Big Bang Fair (9-11 June 2026), Tomorrow’s Engineers Live (likely February 2027), Big Bang at Parliament (November 2026) and other EngineeringUK events as required. The Event Manager will ensure that we deliver against Key Performance Indicators or KPIs, engage with a diversity of schools or stakeholders and improve the impact of these events. The role will report into the Associate Director of Engagement Projects and will work closely to support the delivery of the events portfolio, whilst also working alongside many other internal colleagues such as the Business and Industry, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Careers, Communications and Evaluation teams. You will also work collaboratively with the wider engineering, education and STEM community as well as stakeholders funding our events and agencies supporting delivery.

The role is London based at the EngineeringUK offices at 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN and may involve some travel in the UK. It is available on a part-time basis across 3-4 days/week. Normal office hours are 9am to 5pm Monday-Friday. We believe that hybrid working has many benefits and are pleased to offer flexible working with a baseline of 2 days (or 40%) a week in the office and core hours of 10am to 4pm.

Role responsibilities:

• Plan, manage and implement the delivery of EngineeringUK events.
• Establish internal project teams and manage a schedule of project meetings.
• Monitor and report on progress.
• Sourcing and liaising with venues to ensure a successful event.
• Ensure the successful implementation of the events on time and to budget, identifying and mitigating potential risks, measuring and monitoring performance against deliverables, reporting as required.
• Build trusting and fruitful relationships with relevant stakeholders and represent EngineeringUK at external meetings.
• Work collaboratively with teams across the organisation.
• Work in line with EngineeringUK values and support achievement of our organisational objectives.
• Undertake any training and development as required for the role.
• Any other duties and tasks as directed and required by your line manager.

This is a general guide to the key responsibilities of this role; it is not exhaustive. Similarly, the amount of time that you spend on various aspects of the role may vary.

Person specification:

• Proven event management experience, with ability to measure and monitor performance against deliverables.
• Experience of managing external agencies, including contract management skills.
• Excellent project management skills and ability to work within a matrix management approach.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management and relationship building skills.
• Strong attention to detail, ensuring that high levels of quality are achieved within deadlines and to budget.
• Experience of supporting digital projects associated with event delivery such as registration systems and exhibitor portals.
• Understanding of safeguarding and GDPR requirements.
• Ability to think creatively and innovatively whilst working under pressure.
• Ability to work independently and flexibly within a rapidly changing environment.

EngineeringUK is committed to being an inclusive workplace, where everyone feels they belong. This is supported by the dedicated work we are doing to ensure our policies and practices are inclusive and that our staff are trained to be able to fulfil this commitment.