Head of Event Business and Growth

Role type: Health and Volunteering Operations

Hourly commitment: 35

Head of Event Business & Growth

Our offer to you

We pride ourselves in being a great place to work, providing a supportive culture with opportunities to grow and develop your career, achieve a healthy work life balance and to be recognised for the great work you do. You will receive:

• Competitive salary and pension scheme
• 33 days holiday (inclusive of bank holidays) - increasing to 38 days over 5 years
• Cycle to work scheme Electric Vehicle Scheme (subject to terms)
• Health and Wellbeing portal – access to financial, health and wellbeing support and an Employee Assistance Programme
• Discounts – you will have access to Blue Light and NHS Discounts as well as discounts on mobile phones, gym membership, cinema tickets, restaurants, holidays and shopping

About Us

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a team of over 1,100 employees and over 20,000 volunteers, united by our goal of saving lives through essential first aid services, training and campaigning. As a charity with rich heritage and a long history of serving humanity, we are proud of our past and excited about creating a healthier, safer, more resilient future.

St John Ambulance works at the heart of communities, supporting and enabling them to access and receive physical and mental health first aid. We do this through developing and providing effective community response and outreach services (e.g. Ambulance response) and using our longstanding expertise to empower people with vital clinical skills and the confidence to use them (e.g. our Volunteers and Community Advocates, and Young Responders programmes).

Job Summary

The Head of Events Business and Growth will be responsible for the overall performance, growth and financial sustainability of the Events Business, leading the development of a compelling customer proposition while driving high standards of quality, service delivery, people development and innovation. Operating at a national level, the postholder will ensure the business has the strategy, operating model, leadership capability, systems, resources and partnerships needed to turn organisational priorities into effective delivery plans and achieve our ambitions.

About You

• You have significant senior leadership experience within a complex organisation or service environment, with a proven ability to develop and deliver multi-year strategies that drive sustainable growth, transformation and improved performance.
• You combine strategic vision with strong operational leadership, translating organisational priorities into clear delivery plans, managing risk and resources, and ensuring accountability for outcomes.
• You have a strong commercial and customer focus, with experience growing services, developing new propositions, identifying revenue opportunities and ensuring financial sustainability.
• You are an accomplished leader who builds high-performing teams, develops management capability and leads geographically dispersed teams through change, innovation and continuous improvement.
• You have experience working collaboratively with volunteers and paid staff, understanding the importance of inclusive leadership and building effective relationships across a mixed workforce.
• You bring strong financial and business management skills, including performance monitoring, forecasting, resource allocation and the ability to use insight to inform decisions and drive results.
• You are an effective communicator and influencer, able to build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, customers and external partners, and represent the organisation with credibility and confidence.
• You are educated to degree level (Level 6) or have equivalent industry experience, are committed to ongoing professional development, and can demonstrate the ability to lead within a complex, service-led environment. Experience in events, healthcare, first aid, emergency services or regulated environments would be advantageous. You must also be able to meet the requirements for an Enhanced DBS check.

About the Role

• Develop and deliver a multi-year strategy aligned with SJA’s organisational objectives and market ambitions.
• Drive sustainable growth, financial performance, income generation and new market opportunities.
• Shape a competitive national events healthcare proposition, informed by customer insight, market trends and innovation.
• Ensure safe, high-quality and efficient service delivery through effective planning, workforce capacity and performance management.
• Lead and develop high-performing teams, fostering accountability, collaboration and effective working with volunteers.
• Champion technology, data and continuous improvement to enhance efficiency and customer experience.
• Manage business risks, ensure compliance and provide clear assurance on performance and service quality.
• Build influential relationships with customers, stakeholders and sector partners to strengthen the business and unlock growth, while championing safety across all activities.

St John Ambulance are committed to increasing the diversity of our team and making sure we best reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.At St John, everyone is valued and supported to thrive, we have seven networks including The Armed Forces Network, The Disability & Accessibility Network, The Family & Carers Network, The Heritage & Ethnicity Equity Network, LGBTQIA + Equity, The Multifaith Network & The Women’s Network. We do nottolerate any form ofdiscriminationandengendera sense of belonging for all, by creating an environment of mutual respect, where we value unique differences and demonstrate authentic allyship.We believe passionately in equality, diversity and inclusion.

St John Ambulance is proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. We are committed to supporting current and former members of the Armed Forces, reservists, veterans, cadet force adult volunteers, and military families, ensuring they are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged in their recruitment or employment with us.

St John Ambulance is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice. Therefore, all successful applicants will undergo pre-employment checks, including DBS Clearance, as part of the onboarding process, if applicable to the nature of the role'.

Please note: St John does not accept speculative CVs and will only review CVs sent in application for an advertised vacancy.

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