On The Day Area Manager (Soho & Squares) (Volunteer Role)

Your Pride In London

Year after year, London's Pride celebrations bring people together in amazing ways. The connections and community we build lay the groundwork for a brighter, more inclusive future. Now's your opportunity to play a meaningful part as a Pride in London volunteer. Pride in London is embracing a renewed sense of purpose that resonates with everyone. We stand as a beacon to highlight ongoing challenges within the LGBTQ+ community, even amidst progress. Our roots intertwine the protest origins of Pride with the spirit of celebration. Our guiding values – Visibility, Unity, and Equality – drive every step we take. Our incredible team is a blend of passionate staff and volunteers who champion diversity, inclusivity, and understanding. We hail from diverse walks of life, forming a vibrant community of change‑makers. Our ultimate goal is to amplify awareness of LGBTQ+ matters and advocate for the rights that ensure equal lives for all. With a diverse and dedicated year‑round team of around 150 volunteers, we orchestrate Pride in London, the event that unites us all. Your unique voice can contribute to the symphony!

Your Role

The On‑The‑Day Area Managers play a key part within the Pride Operations Team. Within the Soho & Squares team, the Area Managers work as the key Pride point of contact and decision maker within one of our five Stage Spaces – Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Dean Street, Golden Square, and Soho Square – or on one of our bustling Parade Grandstands. The Area Managers are leadership roles within the busy and dynamic spaces, working closely with the public, external security teams, stalls, vendors and other Pride volunteers. This role is suitable for anyone with previous experience volunteering at Pride and who believes they would engage well with the organisation and the responsibilities involved. Please note this is a role with high involvement within the on‑day volunteering, with the opportunity to become part of the core team as a supporting/learning role.

Your Responsibilities

• Manage a designated area of the Pride footprint/staged area: oversee and be a lead decision maker on a specific site location within the Pride footprint.
• Oversee entrance/exit, crowd management, ticketing, food vendors, community stores, public welfare and volunteer experience.
• Coordinate between departments: serve as a liaison between both internal Pride teams (Access, Talent, Stages) and external teams (security, vendors, emergency services) to ensure they can operate safely and efficiently.
• Supervise volunteers and assist in coordinating paid event staff: oversee a team of on‑day stewards and supervisors as well as work alongside professional security and steward managers to operationally keep public areas, including access and egress, running smoothly.
• Delegate responsibilities: allocate public‑facing responsibilities to on‑day stewards, while ensuring people feel supported and empowered.
• Respond quickly and effectively to onsite incidents and emergencies: be a key point of contact between members of the public, event control, security and external resources.
• Communicate incidents and emergencies to the relevant teams and be the first level of response to different scenarios.
• Be the face of Pride: uphold Pride values and ways of working within these public sites and alongside external staff.
• Document and capture event details and success/failures: take detailed feedback from personal experiences, volunteers, external staff and members of the public and deliver through the correct channels to help improve and strengthen the event.

What You'll Bring to the Role

• Confidence and self‑awareness: a strong sense of leadership, with self‑awareness of strengths and weaknesses, and an ability to work well with others in making decisions and getting tasks done.
• Experience working and multitasking under pressure: an ability to delegate tasks, prioritise steps in solving problems, and self‑manage your task list on the day.
• Strong people‑management skills: previous experience managing a variety of people from different backgrounds and an ability to both empathise and collaborate with various individuals.
• High levels of communication skill: an ability to communicate clearly, concisely and unbiasedly both in person to members of the public, volunteers and members of external teams as well as over a radio.
• Enthusiasm and positivity: an ability to keep morale high and ensure members of the public and on‑day volunteers have the best Pride day possible.
• Adaptability and strong decision‑making skills: strong confidence and background in making decisions quickly and safely, alongside an ability to take situations on a case‑by‑case basis and adapt to the situation in front.
• Commitment to inclusivity: a deep understanding and respect for LGBTQIA+ rights, with a commitment to ensuring a positive and inclusive event experience.
• An awareness and understanding of accessibility and how to champion accessibility within the event.

Previous event management experience is not essential. This role is focused more on personal skills and abilities to integrate into a pre‑existing team.

Physical Demands

This is a highly physical on‑the‑day role involving long periods of standing and walking. Please contact us if you feel this would be a barrier to being involved.

What You'll Get From Pride In London

• A chance to build new connections: Pride In London is made up of a diverse collection of individuals, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, allies and activists.
• Sense of volunteer purpose and contribution: volunteering with Pride In London gives you the chance to be part of an important annual event which creates an impact on over a million attendees, many of whom may experience Pride for the first time or their first time in London.
• Experience in event management: London Pride is a large‑scale, multi‑site event, giving you the opportunity to gain or build on previous event management experience.
• Building skills in organisation, communication, coordination and problem‑solving across the process.
• Networking opportunities: volunteers often get the chance to work alongside and interact with key figures and groups within the LGBTQ+ community as well as hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life.
• Fun and enjoyment: volunteering at Pride places you within a fun, celebratory and vibrant atmosphere, with the opportunity to volunteer at both Pride event day and many other events year‑round.
• Contribution to social change: through volunteering with Pride In London, you will actively contribute to the ongoing fight for equality and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community, and in turn, help create a more inclusive society.

Diversity & Inclusion

Pride in London embraces diversity and inclusion. We recognise that diversity of background, experience and thought enrich our community and empower innovation. We welcome and encourage volunteer applications from candidates of all gender, ethnic and cultural backgrounds as well as ages, sexual orientations, abilities, beliefs and experiences. Creating an environment where people feel comfortable being their true selves fosters creativity and community. Our commitment is to provide equal opportunities to qualified volunteers without judgement or discrimination. As a member of our team, you can expect fair treatment and genuine consideration. If this role resonates with your passion for creating positive change, we invite you to apply.