Operations & Race Control Lead

Wolf Pack runs two-day navigation races across the UK. Teams travel 30 miles or more by map and compass, complete checkpoints and challenges, and sleep outdoors overnight. Phones are sealed and racers don’t learn the secret start location until they are on the coach. The race is rigorous and also faintly absurd. We take the operation seriously so that racers can properly disappear into the adventure.

For Birmingham to Wye Valley on 29–30 August 2026, we are hiring an Operations & Race Control Lead. You will work alongside the Race Director and a volunteer crew running checkpoints, challenges and camp. This is a paid role with real operational responsibility—and part of the standing paid crew Wolf Pack is building across its races.

THE ROLE

Your central responsibility is maintaining an accurate picture of where every team is throughout the race. Around 35 teams will check in and out of checkpoints across two days. You will keep the race log current, monitor expected arrival windows, identify missing or contradictory information, and notice when a team has gone unusually quiet or become overdue. There are two emergency numbers: you will monitor one and the Race Director will monitor the other. You will handle routine operational decisions independently under the agreed event plan, including speaking to teams, gathering information and arranging practical support or collection. The Race Director remains available when two situations arise simultaneously, when additional transport is required, or when an incident needs a wider event-level decision. Teams will not carry GPS trackers at this race. Their progress is established through checkpoint records, crew reports and direct communication. Race Control is therefore a mobile function that stays with you as you move around the event.

REGISTRATION AND THE START

Racers meet in Birmingham at 6:45am on Saturday and board a coach to the secret start. You will:

• Deal calmly with missing or early teams
• Help get the coach away on time
• Follow the coach to the secret start in the support vehicle

Once the race begins, Race Control goes live.

THE SUPPORT VEHICLE

You will operate the primary event support vehicle and collect racers when required. There may be long periods without any support calls, followed by several teams needing assistance at similar times. You will assess priorities, communicate clearly and resolve routine situations without waiting for step‑by‑step direction. The Race Director can provide additional transport and operational support where necessary. Volunteer drivers may also assist when specifically coordinated, but you and the Race Director remain responsible for managing the response. You must hold a full driving licence and be confident driving a seven‑seat vehicle. Access to your own reliable seven‑seater is strongly preferred, but Wolf Pack may arrange a hire vehicle for the right person. The vehicle must have at least five passenger seats available for racers. It may not always be possible to carry an entire team and all its expedition kit simultaneously, so additional kit movements will be coordinated separately where necessary.

MOBILE EVENT OPERATIONS

Race Control and participant support will not occupy every minute of the weekend. During quieter periods, particularly during the opening hours of each race day, you will work as a roving member of the operations team. Tasks may include:

• Helping checkpoint crews find and set up their locations
• Placing clue chests and other race materials
• Checking that checkpoints are ready before teams arrive
• Moving equipment between locations
• Helping establish Race Control and camp
• Assisting with finish‑line setup
• Solving practical problems around the route

You will continue monitoring the Race Control phone while carrying out these jobs. If a team needs support or collection, that becomes your priority. This is not a fixed control‑room position. It is a mobile operational role for someone who can keep track of the wider race while moving around, completing practical jobs and responding when needed.

SCORING

You will oversee the live scoring process. Checkpoint results will be entered by the crew into a central Wolf Pack system, with scores calculated automatically. You will monitor incoming results, identify missing or contradictory entries, resolve discrepancies and maintain an accurate provisional leaderboard. You will be trained on the system before the event. You are not expected to build it or calculate the entire race manually.

WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We are looking for someone who has held responsibility for other people outdoors and remained calm while doing it. You might have experience as a mountain leader, DofE supervisor, expedition worker, youth worker, outdoor instructor or event operator. You do not need every possible qualification. You need sound judgement, clear communication and the confidence to take ownership of routine operational decisions without constant direction. You should be comfortable:

• Handling several sources of information at once
• Using straightforward forms and spreadsheets
• Making initial assessments without becoming flustered
• Following an agreed incident plan
• Driving and collecting participants
• Solving practical problems independently
• Spotting when information does not add up
• Switching priorities when circumstances change

Just as importantly, you need to understand what Wolf Pack is. We need someone who can hold both sides at once: uncompromising about safety and accuracy, but entirely unbothered about looking sensible. If you have raced or crewed with Wolf Pack before, please say so. It counts.

DATES AND LOCATIONS

Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 August 2026. Racers meet in Birmingham at 6:45am on Saturday. For most people, this will mean travelling to Birmingham on Friday evening. The race finishes in Chepstow at around 6pm on Sunday, with racers boarding their return coach at approximately 7pm. You will finish once the operational close‑down and coach departure are complete. You can live anywhere, provided you can manage the Friday journey to Birmingham and the journey home from Chepstow on Sunday evening.

FEE AND VEHICLE COSTS

The fee is £400, including approximately four hours of mandatory pre‑event briefing. If you use your own vehicle, agreed travel and operational mileage will be paid at 55p per mile. If Wolf Pack provides a hire vehicle, Wolf Pack will arrange and pay for the hire and appropriate cover. Event fuel will be reimbursed, but mileage payments will not apply.

FOOD AND SLEEPING

An evening meal is provided on Saturday. You will need to bring your own food and snacks for the daytimes. Hot drinks will be available throughout the weekend. You will sleep at the event camp in your own tent or vehicle. Once the final team reaches camp on Saturday and the operational close‑down is complete, overnight responsibility sits with the Race Director.

BEFORE THE EVENT

You will attend approximately four hours of mandatory briefing with the Race Director, split across one or two remote sessions. The briefing will cover:

• The route and checkpoint structure
• Emergency procedures and escalation
• The practical event schedule

You will receive the relevant event plans, templates and role instructions in advance.

HOW TO APPLY

Email with the subject line: Operations & Race Control Lead Application. Please tell us:

• Who you are
• Where you have held responsibility for people outdoors
• About a time something went wrong and how you handled it
• What experience you have with event operations, record‑keeping or scoring
• Whether you have access to a suitable seven‑seat vehicle
• Whether you have raced or crewed with Wolf Pack previously

Please attach a CV. Applications close at midnight on Friday 31 July 2026. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a remote interview during the following week.