Director, Ticketing - FIFA World Cup 2026 in London

Contract Type: Fixed-Term Contract (until August 2026)

We are seeking an experienced Ticketing Director to oversee and lead end-to-end ticketing operations and guest management for a major football hospitality programme for FIFA World Cup 2026. Based in London, with travel to the United States required during the tournament, you will be responsible for overseeing the end-to-end ticketing process—from planning and allocation through to on-site delivery—while also leading the set-up, deployment, and ongoing management of a bespoke ticket and guest management system. This is a unique opportunity to play a key role in one of the world’s biggest sporting events, working with global stakeholders, VIP clients, and internal teams to deliver a seamless guest experience.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Strategic Leadership
• Programme Ownership: Lead the planning, development, and delivery of the ticketing and hospitality programme across all phases of the FIFA World Cup project, from initial briefing to post‑event debrief.
• Team Lead: Day-to-day management of the core ticketing team of 4 who are responsible for central management of all ticketing operations.
• Client Liaison: Serve as the point of contact for the client on all ticketing‑related matters, translating client objectives into actionable operational plans while ensuring strict adherence to FIFA regulations and protocols.
• Guest Experience Strategy: Define and implement guest journey mapping and ticket distribution strategies that integrate seamlessly into the broader event ecosystem, ensuring alignment with both FIFA standards and bespoke client requirements.
• Project Governance: Drive project governance including timelines, workstreams, milestones, reporting, and tracking.
• Cross‑Functional Coordination: Collaborate with leads from other operational verticals (e.g. accreditation, transport, accommodation, F&B) to deliver a cohesive and exceptional guest experience.
• Vendor Management: Oversee engagement and coordination with third‑party tech suppliers, ensuring alignment on deliverables, SLAs, and service excellence.
• Budget & Reporting: Manage programme budget, track expenditures, raise POs, and produce financial updates and reconciliation reports as required.
• Ticketing Systems & Operational Delivery
• Platform Management: Lead the configuration, testing, and rollout of ticketing systems (e.g., ticket order management, guest portals, allocation tools) in partnership with internal teams and external tech suppliers.
• Inventory Management: Maintain detailed oversight of ticket inventory, allocations, contingencies, and real‑time tracking, and reporting to support both strategic and operational decision‑making.
• Compliance & Documentation: Ensure all ticketing processes comply with FIFA protocols, GDPR, and relevant legal/regulatory requirements. Maintain up-to-date documents, guest communications, delivery schedules, and operational playbooks.
• Issue Management: Lead troubleshooting and escalation workflows for ticketing issues—both pre‑event and live—ensuring rapid and transparent resolution for clients and guests.
• Reporting & Audits: Produce regular operational reports and post‑event audit documentation to support transparency and accountability.
• Onsite Operations & Stakeholder Management
• Main contact: Act as senior ticketing contact on‑site during the tournament, which includes managing extended ticket operations managers based in the US who will be supporting during tournament time.
• Issue resolution: Manage issues with ticket delivery, guest changes, last‑minute coordination, guest services, and real‑time issue resolution.
• Venue team support: Coordinate closely with hospitality teams at stadiums to implement last‑minute operational changes swiftly and effectively.
• Cross‑functional role: Represent ticketing interests in cross‑functional meetings and raise issues as appropriate to senior leadership.
• Contingency plans: Develop, document, and implement contingency plans to address critical risk areas such as technical failures, last‑minute ticketing adjustments, and access control problems.
• Responsiveness: Manage support teams during onsite emergencies, ensuring minimal disruption to guest experience and operations.
• Team mentorship: Lead, mentor, and manage junior ticketing and guest services staff, fostering clarity of roles and excellence in service delivery.
• Post‑event reporting: Analyze data and gather stakeholder feedback to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement.

What You Will Bring:

• Extensive experience in large‑scale event ticketing management, ideally within international sports or entertainment contexts.
• Proven leadership in managing complex ticketing operations and stakeholder relationships.
• Strong knowledge of ticketing systems architecture, vendor management, and integration with hospitality and accreditation systems.
• Demonstrated ability to manage operational readiness, compliance, and contingency planning.
• Expertise in data privacy, guest data lifecycle management, and regulatory compliance.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with experience managing diverse teams.
• Ability to work under pressure, solve problems proactively, and make timely decisions in a dynamic environment.
• Availability for onsite event support during FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament phases.

What You Need:

• Proven experience (7+ years) in