Area Events Manager

AREA EVENTS MANAGER

Salary: £26,000 - £30,000 per annum

Reports to: Divisional Events Manager (Division 3)

Department: Marketing, Fundraising and Engagement

Location: Home-based covering Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, West Midlands (successful candidate should ideally be based within this area)

Employment type: Permanent

Working hours: 35 hours per week

Closing date: Sunday 31 August 2025, 23:55*

Please note: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.

• Please also note that we may close this role early should we receive enough interest, therefore early application is encouraged to avoid disappointment.
  
  
  

At Cancer Research UK, we exist to beat cancer.

We are professionals with purpose, beating cancer every day. But we need to go much further and much faster. That’s why we we’re looking for someone talented, someone who shares our vision, someone like you.

Do you want to create moments of joy and hope, raise vital funds, celebrate and educate by producing top class events for the UK’s largest charity?

We have an exciting opportunity for you to join us as an Area Event Manager and become part of an ambitious, bold and fun team working together to bring forward the day that cancer is cured.

You will organise and deliver a variety of Cancer Research UK events, including our flagship outdoor mass participation events Race for Life 5km, 10km and Pretty Muddy. You may also deliver Shine Night Walk, indoor staff and supporter conference and engagement events, as well as virtual online events.

What will I be doing?

• Recruiting, planning, organising, delivering, reviewing and maximising income for an agreed number of complex and large scale events ensuring participants have a positively memorable, enjoyable and safe event experience
• Planning, organising and delivering regional marketing activity including: flyer and poster distribution, regional PR, launch activities and promo days, liaising with press and media and using social media platforms to recruit event participants
• Ownership for ensuring events fill to capacity, altering plans and prioritising to achieve success
• Producing detailed planning documentation, and accurate event budgets within set deadlines
• Building knowledge of and relationships with key internal and external stakeholders and influencers in the communities where events are held
• Managing local and national suppliers for each event, negotiating to ensure quality of service whilst keeping costs to a minimum
• Recruiting, managing and retaining volunteers to support the delivery of regional marketing activity and event day delivery
• Recruiting and supervising seasonal casual paid-for staff
• Being the first point of contact for any issues relating to the welfare of our participants or spectators at events, which includes looking after lost or found children.
  
  
  

What skills are you looking for?

• Knowledge and experience of marketing strategies, practice and execution of activity (including promotional activity)
• Experience of event planning, management and delivery – preferably mass participation e.g. over 1000 people
• A solid understanding of Health & Safety guidelines and practice
• Experience of working with budgets and monitoring and reporting on expenditure
• Experience of setting up new events or delivering event trials and test events
• An understanding of the principles of volunteer recruitment and management
• Comfortable with physically challenging activity i.e. lifting and moving event equipment
• Strong time management and prioritisation skills with experience of meeting tight deadlines
• Excellent administration skills including accuracy and attention to detail (with documentation, processes, procedures)
• Full clean driving licence and confident to drive a long wheel-based van.
  
  
  

What will I gain?

Each and every one of our employees contributes to our progress and is supporting our work to beat cancer. We think that’s impressive.

In return, we make sure you are supported by a generous benefits package, a wide range of career and personal development opportunities and high-quality tools, policies and processes to enable you to do your job well.

Our benefits package includes a substantial retirement plan, a generous and flexible leave allowance, discounts on anything from travel to technology, gym membership, and much more.

We review pay annually and aim to recognise individual performance and achievements.

We don’t forget people have lives outside of work too and so we actively encourage a flexible working culture.

Our work – from funding cutting-edge research to developing public policy – will change the world. It’s exciting to be part of our team.

How do I apply?

We operate an anonymised shortlisting process in our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. CVs are required for all applications; but we won’t be able to view them until we invite you for an interview.

Instead, we ask you to complete the work history section of the online application form for us to be able to assess you quickly, fairly and objectively.

Our vision is to create a charity where everyone feels like they belong, benefits from and participates in, the work we do. We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and cultures, in particular those from ethnic minority backgrounds who are currently under-represented.

We want to see every candidate performing at their best throughout the job application process, interview process and whilst at work. We therefore ask you to inform us of any concerns you have or any adjustments you might need to enable this to happen. Please contact [email protected] or 020 3469 8400 as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, we are unable to recruit anyone below the age of 18, so that we can protect young people from health & safety and safeguarding risks.