Head of Supply

Location: Manchester (M32 0ZH) or Hersham, Surrey (KT12 3PW)

Start date: January 2027

Job Type: Full-time

Type of work: Office-based, Monday to Friday, plus around six events a year

We"re RunThrough. The UK"s biggest running event company, and we"re not slowing down.

Every year we put on 300+ events, from iconic locations like Alton Towers and Hampton Court Palace to closing down entire town centres for race day. We"ve built a reputation for doing mass-participation running differently, and we"re just getting started.

We believe in doing what we love, properly. That means a team that's genuinely obsessed with running and events, not just clocking in. We create solutions instead of excuses, we've got each other's backs, we build real relationships (with each other, our partners, our runners), and we're always looking for a better way to do things.

If you want a job that doesn't feel like a job, where weekends might mean a finish line instead of a lie-in, and where your ideas actually go somewhere, you'll fit right in.

Role Overview:

The Head of Supply leads the team that makes every RunThrough event possible: workforce, logistics, vendors and suppliers, procurement and event services. You will build this team with the company directors, defining the processes, recruiting and training the people, and fixing the supply problems that pull the events team away from delivery. Working alongside the Director of Events and reporting to the COO, you will make sure project managers have the people, kit and suppliers they need, so they can focus on delivering great events.

This is a brand-new role, so you will help shape what it becomes. In most organisations it would be called Head of Operations; we call it supply because everything this team does is about supplying our events.

Responsibilities:

Build and lead the supply team

• Lead the supply team across workforce, logistics, vendors and suppliers, procurement and event services, and line manage its managers.
• Work with the company directors to design the supply team and agree how it fits with the events team.
• Recruit, train and develop specialists, with clear roles, ownership and standards.

Define how supply works

• Design and document the processes that get every event supplied, from pre-planning with project managers through to debrief.
• Own the staffing, logistics and vendor processes, and refine them whenever something goes wrong.
• Work with the tech team to build out and improve our workforce and supply platforms, using data and AI to remove admin.

Deliver for every event

• Make sure every event has the people, kit, vendors and supplies it needs, on time and on budget.
• Oversee workforce planning for full-time crew, part-time crew, marshals and volunteers, including recruitment, briefing and pay.
• Oversee logistics and warehouse operations across our regional hubs.
• Oversee how we select, tender and contract vendors and suppliers, and how we procure what events need.
• When something goes wrong outside the events team, such as kit missing from vans or marshals not turning up, find the cause, fix the process and stop it happening again.

Work as one team with Events

• Partner with the Director of Events and the project managers, so the events team can focus on delivering events and not on operational problems.
• Attend events during your training, and around six a year after that, to stay close to the product and the team.

Performance and budget

• Set and track KPIs for supply performance, including fulfilment, accuracy and cost, and report to the COO.
• Manage the supply budget and help protect event margin through efficient purchasing and staffing.

What we are looking for:

Required:

• Significant experience leading operations or supply for live events, ideally in event operational planning, with a strong understanding of how events work.
• Proven experience managing and developing a team of managers, including recruiting and training them.
• Logistics experience, or the operational background to pick it up quickly.
• Experience managing vendors, suppliers or procurement.
• Strong problem-solving: you trace a problem to its cause and fix the process behind it.
• Confident working with directors and senior leaders, and a clear communicator.
• Comfortable building something new and defining the processes yourself.

Preferred:

• Experience in mass-participation sport, motorsport, festivals or large-venue events.
• Experience building or improving workforce, logistics or supply platforms, and using data or AI tools to improve how teams work.
• Experience owning a budget and negotiating with suppliers.
• A passion for running and events.

We Love What We Do:

• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Free entry to any RunThrough race for you and your family, plus discounts for friends
• £70 towards race entries at other events
• Free personalised running training plans
• Regular team socials and group runs
• Free membership to the RunThrough Run Club
• Flexible hours built around your training

We Are There For Each Other:

• Enhanced parental leave
• Monthly 1:1s with your manager
• Cycle to Work scheme
• A genuinely supportive team, no egos

RunThrough is an equal-opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

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