Job Details (Back to Job List)

If you have reason to believe this job is out of date, please let us know.

HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Cheltenham

Cheltenham Festivals is a charity co-creating experiences which bring joy, spark curiosity, connect communities and inspire change. Our year-round education, community and talent development programmes culminate at the town’s internationally acclaimed Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals.

This is an exciting opportunity for a brilliant events project manager to head up the operations team who deliver the 4 festivals and year-round charitable activities. Working collaboratively with all teams across the charity, plus external production company, the successful candidate will have a key role in driving the critical pathway for each festival and champion the charity’s sustainable and accessibility ambitions across all our activities.

You will be very well organised, have meticulous attention to detail and drive the organisational timelines and deadlines. You will be collaborative, solution-focussed, enjoy working in a team and sharing innovative, creative ideas.

For a downloadable job description and application form please click on Apply Now.

For any queries, please email us via the email address to the right of this advert.

Cheltenham Festivals is an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer who
embraces the benefits of diversity so that everyone – irrespective of individual differences in
their identities, background or any personal characteristics – receives fair and equal
treatment in a safe, welcoming and enjoyable environment.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Head of Operations
Location: Cheltenham (with occasional homeworking)
53-57 Rodney Road, Cheltenham, GL50 1HX
Responsible to: CO-CEO
Hours: 3 days a week
Some evening and weekend work during Festivals
Salary: £38,000 - £40,000 per annum pro-rata
Benefits:

• 33 days holiday per annum including bank holidays pro-rata
• Pension
• Staff Ticket Allocation

Background information

Cheltenham Festivals is a charity co-creating experiences which bring joy, spark curiosity, connect communities and inspire change. Our year-round education, community and talent development programmes culminate at the town’s internationally acclaimed Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals.

Since the launch of the Music Festival in 1945 and the Literature Festival in 1949 (the World’s oldest Literature Festival) Cheltenham has been at the forefront of contemporary British culture.   The Jazz Festival was introduced in 1996 and the Science Festival in 2002.

The charity is jointly led by CO-CEOs whoare responsible forlive and digital content, all year-round outreach & education programmes, festival delivery, marketing,Peopleand finance.

The Role

The Head of Operations will lead the internal project meetings that drive the key milestones and critical path for each festival and year-round programmes, ensuring deadlines are kept and delivered to time and budget. The postholder is required to work collaboratively with all departmental teams within the charity, and the external Production Company, to achieve the best possible experience for audiences, artists, participants, volunteers, donors and partners across all Cheltenham Festivals’ charitable activities.  With inclusion, equity and sustainability driving the charity’s mission and vision this role is pivotal in creating a welcoming, safe and enjoyable experience for everyone.

The Head of Operations will head up the Operations team (1 x Operations Manager, 2 x Operations Co-ordinators, 1x Volunteers Co-ordinator,plus 1 intern for 8 months of the year and occasional freelance/fixed term staff) in all aspects of operational delivery. The Head of Operations will line manage the Operations Manager and the Volunteers Co-ordinator.

Detailed Job Description

• To provide support and advice to the Co-CEOs and Heads of Departments on all aspects of operational delivery across festivals and year- round activities

• To Head up a high performing Operations team in all aspects of the delivery of the charity’s activities.

• In consultation with all teams set the annual organisational timeline, taking into account key milestones and deadlines, for all of the charity’s activity.

• To work alongside the Head of Production, who oversees technical specifications and venue infrastructure, and in consultation with CF’s external Health and Safety advisor, to deliver large scale public events safely, taking into account all risk management and Health & Safety legal compliance.

• In consultation with the programming teams, marketing and development, oversee a look and feel that is consistent across the charity’s activities that is in line with creative themes, branding guidelines and charitable messaging, this will include all site signage.

• Lead on the catering and bar contracts across the charity’s activity to include participant and staff requirements, handing over delivery to the external Production Company whenappropriate.

• To lead on all relevant paperwork and licensing requirements required to fulfil the Festivals’ legal obligations in accordance with the Land Use Agreement drawn up with Cheltenham Borough Council each year.  To review and update all relevant policies annually.

• To contribute to the creation of the organisation's Environmental & Accessibility strategies and ensure that the Operations team fulfil their roles and responsibilities to achieve them.

• To Chair CF’s internal Health & Safety committee, to ensure that the Health & Safety requirements for all festival events and year-round activities are fully compliant; review and develop policies, in consultation with CF’s external Health & Safety Consultant, whenrequired.

• With the support of HR, monitor and review staff welfare and ensure policies are in place to support all staff, freelance staff, event staff and volunteers throughout the live festival days and across all year-round activities

• Working closely with the Head of Production, oversee operational budgets keeping a close eye on spend and costs, raising any concerns or unforeseen spend to the Co-CEOs as and when relevant

• Be an effective member of the senior Heads of team, working collaboratively towards the overarching objectives of the charity, building a positive organisational culture and supporting the development of the wider team

General responsibilities

In addition to the specific responsibilities of the role above, all the Cheltenham Festivals team are expected to:

a. Diversity and Inclusion: ensure that our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policies are followed and embrace the benefits of diversity so that everyone – irrespective of individual differences in their identities, background or any personal characteristics – receives fair and equal treatment in a safe, welcoming and enjoyable environment.
b. Performance Improvement: be responsible for your own performance, participate in our performance review procedures and propose better, faster or less expensive ways to do things which help our overall mission.
c. Health and Safety: be responsible for ensuring the health and safety of the team and yourself by following safe systems of work, and by meeting the requirements of the health and safety policy.
d. Compliance and Integrity:be compliant with the law and the Festivals’ policies especially with regards to data protection and IT security and ensure other policies as advised from time to time are followed.
This job description is not intended to be exhaustive and the nature of our work and the size of our team at Cheltenham Festivals requires everyone here to be flexible. You may be required to take on such reasonable additional or other responsibilities and tasks as we need from time to time.

Person Specification

Criteria Essential
Skills & knowledge

• Demonstrable experience of leading a team to achieve a high level of operational delivery in events, hospitality or visitor/cultural sector.
• Experience of project management and working to tight deadlines
• Strong organisational skills and solid time-management, with the ability to prioritise
• Setting budgets, monitoring financesand reporting as required
• Excellent communication skills – written and verbal
• Excellent IT skills, especially Excel
• Creative and innovative thinking
• Collaborative
• Extensive knowledge of Health & Safety, licensing and public event compliance
• Ability to use and interpret CAD drawings (desirable not essential)
• Ability to think laterally to solve problems and make continuous improvements to ways of working

Disposition

• Ability to handle relationships sensitively
• Resilience and tenacity
• Ability to forge strong supportive relationships with other staff
• Commitment to inclusion
• Willingness and ability to be flexible

Qualifications • Relevant professional experience in a senior position within the events sector.
• English and Maths at GCSE level or equivalent

Cheltenham Festivals is an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer who embraces the benefits of diversity so that everyone – irrespective of individual differences in their identities, background or any personal characteristics – receives fair and equal treatment in a safe, welcoming and enjoyable environment

Closing date for applications: Monday 10th February 2025 at 10am Interview date: w/c 17th February 2025

Salary: £38,000 - £40,000 per annum pro-rata + 5% pension contribution, staff ticket allocation

Hours Per Week: 3 days a week, permanent

Apply Now

Be the First to Apply for Jobs Like This

Browse All Jobs

Browse More Jobs from the "PAID Work for Charity Organisations" Category

Newsletter
To sign up up for GlosJobs weekly newsletter, please click here.