Event Operations Manager

The Event Operations Manager role at Boomtown is responsible for the comprehensive management and execution of the Event Management Plan. Key responsibilities include ensuring compliance with festival licensing requirements, overseeing specific operational areas, and driving the delivery of the annual Sustainability Strategy. This position is a core part of the Operations Department, with a focus on delivering public and crew welfare services. This includes safeguarding and their interface with Medical services, and strategically curating Harm Reduction charities. The role involves managing interdepartmental collaboration and workflow, specifically in areas such as Health & Safety, Crowd Management, and Noise Management.

Core Responsibilities:

• Event Management: Public & Crew Welfare contract management; overseeing contracting, deployment schedules and position briefings. Arena Operations: Oversight of public arena management, recruiting and briefing managers focusing on H&S Sign offs, crowd movement, and "live" staffing levels. Campsite Operations: Oversight of campsite management, coordinating the recruitment and briefing managers, coordinating campsite hubs and welfare interface. Cross Departmental Information management across Noise, H&S and Crowd Management contractors. Signage Strategy: Ownership of the festival’s signage plan to ensure safe wayfinding, harm reduction messaging and brand consistency across the site.
• Licensing & Operational Compliance: EMP Coordination: Collating and updating the Event Management Plan (EMP) and its annexes as directed by the Operations Director. Resource Tracking: Maintaining the "Critical Path" for the operations department, ensuring all HODs meet submission deadlines for the SAG (Safety Advisory Group).
• Harm Reduction & Sustainability: Harm Reduction Delivery: Supporting the Directors to track and implement the strategy. Coordinating the onsite presence of Harm Reduction providers and charities. Sustainability Delivery: Ensuring the festival’s sustainability strategy is communicated and embedded into all departments, collecting data, updating the annual report and managing green initiatives as developed within the strategy. Crew Experience: Managing the Crew Info and Crew Welfare teams to ensure a high standard of care for our 5,000+ staff and volunteers.
• Event Delivery onsite: Duty Management: Serving as a Duty Operations Manager during the build, show, and break. Contractor Point of Contact: Acts as the primary liaison for operational suppliers onsite, ensuring they meet their service level agreements (SLAs). Ops Box Support: Providing real-time support to the Event Director & Operations Director within the Event Control environment.

Candidate Requirements:

• Experience: 4+ years in festival or large-scale event operations (30,000+ capacity).
• Technical Skills: Experience with site layouts, contractor procurement, and the administrative workflows of Licensing/SAG.
• Software: Proficiency in project management tools and Google Workspace.
• Mindset: A "solution-first" approach. You are someone who enjoys the complexity of building a temporary city and thrives on refining systems to make them more efficient.

ROLE DETAILS:

• Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday, normal office hours are (9am - 5pm) based in Bristol HQ.
• Onsite Residency Requirement (Festival Period): This role involves working onsite in Winchester for approximately 5–6 weeks (July–August). Hours and duties may vary. Accommodation and food will be provided for the duration of the residency.

BENEFITS:

• Generous annual leave allowance including extra time off over Christmas and your birthday.
• Salary sacrifice schemes for bikes (inc E bikes), and IT equipment.
• Enhanced maternity/paternity leave (subject to eligibility).
• Regular staff socials.
• Accommodation and meals on festival site.
• Complimentary +1 Boomtown festival ticket for a friend or family member.

HOW TO APPLY:

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and communities. If there are adjustments we can make to support you through the process, please let us know. We encourage applications from underrepresented and marginalised groups within the festivals and live events sector. To be considered for this role, please email a copy of your CV with a supporting Cover Letter to job@boomtownfair.co.uk detailing relevant experience and skills, highlighting how these attributes will support the day-to-day objectives of the Operations Manager position at Boomtown.