Director, Events (External Agency Staff)

Oversee and manage the UK based NFL events team across EMEA with primary focus on international game (currently: UK, Germany, Spain and Ireland) to build event strategies, operational plans and execute fan experiences and year-round activities and events ensuring a best-in-class delivery and fan experience that meets the wider business, commercial, marketing and local market objectives.

Essential Functions

• Event Management
  • Extensive experience of planning and delivering both large- and small-scale events across EMEA
  • Strong operational delivery experiences across both sport and fan/public events
  • Experience with all aspects of public events including, but not limited to licenses, health and safety, authorities’ management, programming, scheduling, branding/creative, and procurement

• Fan Event delivery
  • Planning and execution of a range of events during games weeks, as well as year round activities to support local offices and key business initiatives, including gameday fan experiences, Kickoff events, local market activations, NFL club activations, community, partner integration and lead development, OnePass app content strategy, NFL FLAG, NFL Academy event support, and overall best practices.

• Budgeting
  • Oversight of all fan event budgets:
    • Ensure the team track, manage, and communicate their budgets to ensure events are delivered to target including identify risk & opportunity
    • Strong knowledge and ability to build event budgets in line with event strategy including League procurement practices

• Agency Management
  • Ability to drive and lead relationships with event agencies across EMEA including budget oversight
  • Experience with robust RFP process and onboarding of new vendors

• Team Management
  • Ability to manage and drive the team to ensure success, development, and coordination with key internal and external stakeholder groups, including managing cross organizational working groups, across both EMEA and US
    • Support events team in successfully managing cross functional events with key focus delivering against NFL business objectives
    • Support events team in successfully managing external partnerships, including but not limited too; City / Host authorities, Local organizing committees, Government Sports bodies and Stadium & Team partners

Required Education and Experience

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in the events and/or hospitality industry
• 5 years management experience
• Extensive knowledge within a highly technical discipline of managing and executing large scale fan events
• Ability to manage budgets up to the value of £2 million
• Experience in managing multiple partners and agencies
• Outstanding stakeholder management
• Strong knowledge and understanding of sports marketing to drive attendance and engagement
• Commercially astute and able to identify revenue generating opportunities
• Ideally, an understanding of American Football

Leadership Attributes

• Highly organised, with exceptional time management and the ability to prioritize tasks as necessary and meet key deadlines
• Effective problem-solving, can identify issues, find solutions and make informed decisions.
• Proven ability in managing upwards and communicating effectively
• Excellent communication skills used to drive collaboration across business areas and functions.
• Strong presentation skills with ability to deliver key information to large audiences and senior leadership
• Ability to adapt and be resilient within an ever-changing environment and event landscape
• Strong capability for stakeholder management; confident in influencing and negotiating with both internal colleagues and external partners whilst maintaining key relationships
• Demonstrates integrity, motivates team members and is recognized as a valuable team player
• Enthusiastic, self-starter with a positive attitude and a commitment to delivering at the highest standard

Management Requirements

• Strong track record of managing a team (minimum 5+)
• Ability to communicate effectively and deliver key information to all team members
• Proven track record of supporting and developing team members

Travel

• Willingness to travel within EMEA and US, work long hours and weekends when required