Head of Events, Tracks & Rental UK in Bedford

UTAC is a market-leading international group in digital & sustainable mobility, customisable testing solutions, vehicle engineering, homologation, regulatory advice & expertise, certification, training, corporate events and classic & sportscars festivals. The Group provides services and systems to customers in various sectors: mobility, transport, tyre, petrochemical, agriculture and defence industries. UTAC operates test centres and laboratories in France, the UK, USA, Finland, Morocco, and Germany; it has subsidiaries in China, Korea and Japan. UTAC employs around 1300 people across its various locations.

As a group, we share a strong and clear vision to deliver safe and efficient solutions and systems to our customers. We are proud and confident in our heritage, our capabilities and our people and believe that by creating a culture where individuals feel they can make a difference and enjoy coming to work, we can deliver the best possible service to our customers.

UTAC Millbrook offers four unique venues, with the capacity to run indoor events for between 30 and 700 delegates and outdoor space to accommodate up to 5,000. The Events team at UTAC Millbrook is responsible for the delivery of a wide range of experiential events, mainly working with our agency clients for customers in the automotive industry and a small number of other clients. These events primarily comprise automotive product launches & associated training and exhibitions, with a significant proportion of these using our famous test tracks.

The Head of Events, Tracks and Rental UK is responsible for the development of the growth strategy and business plan for the Events business unit in the UK under the supervision and direction of the Vice President of UTAC UK Ltd. The role is responsible for the successful delivery of Events at the UTAC Millbrook facility, the hire of the various Test Tracks as well as the long-term Rental of offices and garage spaces within the UTAC Millbrook site.

• Influencing the strategy & execution of the business plan for the business unit
• Providing support to the Vice President including providing a weekly briefing of Event Management
• Creating the business plan for the department to include P&L (Revenue and EBITDA) budgets with updates/re-forecasts as required
• Responsibility for the execution of the business plan to deliver the P&L (Revenue and EBITDA) of the department, providing regular reports and commentary on monthly performance
• Collaborating effectively with Sales & Marketing to devise activities to drive sales order intake for the business unit
• Construct an investment plan and provide associated business cases for Capex requests as required
• Manage Human Resources (recruitment needs, training, evaluations, etc.)
• Ensuring the department continues to exceed customer expectations, including management of outsourced service providers
• Responding to direct inbound customer enquiries, passing the information promptly & accurately across to the Sales team
• Collaborating effectively with the Sales team to prepare customer quotations & respond to operational questions concerning enquiries
• Delivering high-quality events with excellent customer service supported by soliciting feedback and measuring customer satisfaction
• Ensure proper coordination with other departments and other UTAC facilities
• Overseeing the evolution of new event processes and ensuring compliance with documented process for both internal and external audits to relevant ISO standards
• Active in the management of key suppliers including negotiation of long-term contracts
• Attending specific industry exhibitions to promote keys events in the UTAC Millbrook calendar
• Working with the UK Tracks and Rental Manager to ensure best practice and adherence to budgets and company procedures
• Work closely with Head of Security to ensure access to the site for visitors and event attendees is effectively managed to ensure client confidentiality is maintained

• A proven background in Event Management and the automotive environment, capable of dealing with clients at all levels
• Experience of Facility Rental (both short and long term)
• Experience of managing the delivery team in a fast moving, complex events environment, preferably at a large-scale venue
• Experience of working in a transversal/matrix international environment

• Strong leadership and sales skills coupled with effective project and relationship management skills
• A confident and energetic approach with a pro-active nature and the ability to take the initiative
• A strong creative and professional approach coupled with exceptional negotiating skills
• The ability to ‘think on their feet’ and read a situation quickly is imperative when seeking creative solutions to problems on live events
• Be highly motivated with a flexible and positive attitude, an innovative approach with a professional ‘can do’ mentality
• Effective communication skills (both written and verbal), as well as a confidence when presenting to individuals or groups

• Flexibility to travel as and when required
• Full UK driving licence
• Willing to undergo a Criminal Disclosure check

UTAC is proud to be an equal opportunities employer, valuing inclusion and supporting our people to be themselves and at their very best. By joining us you will gain access to a broad range of learning relevant to your role and personal development, as well as exposure to leading technologies and expertise. Our reward and benefit programmes are designed to support our people with competitive and locally tailored packages combined with support for individual health and wellbeing both inside and outside of work.