Head of E& A Events

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2050222CDAt the University of Southampton, our aim is to change the world for the better, bringing together realms of research, creativity and knowledge to have a truly collaborative, immersive and ground-breaking impact. We care about the challenges that humanity is facing, and work to support others on a local and global scale.In the Office of Development & Alumni Relations, our job is to galvanise our community to solve these challenges and to make a difference. Would you like this to be your job too?About The RoleHead of Events is another exciting new role in our expanding team. Managing a team of four events professionals and reporting directly to the Associate Director for Alumni & Supporter Marketing & Engagement, you will have responsibility for developing, growing and leading the University of Southampton’s annual strategic and creative programme of Engagement and Advancement (E&A) events. Your team’s events programme will engage and nurture our global 265k+ alumni community, support donor cultivation, as well as fulfil a wider University corporate events remit – including our biggest staff events, VIP visits and other high-profile events. An expert in your field, you will be responsible for leading the team, driving innovation and creativity, managing multiple complex projects and ensuring the highest quality throughout all our activity. Events are a vital component to our philanthropic programmes, and you and your team will design and deliver a strategic programme to help reach our ambitious fundraising targets. We are planning our biggest ever £100m Campaign, and you will be at the forefront of this exciting and transformational project.This role is based at our lively Highfield campus, although most of the team work on a hybrid basis so your time can be split between working remotely from home and catching up with colleagues on campus.About YouHighly organised with strong leadership skills, you will be an experienced senior events professional with a passion for making a difference. Adept at managing senior stakeholders, you will be audience and data centred, experienced at managing multiple complex events, and enjoy bringing creativity and innovation to everything you do. An expert in your field, ideally (but not essentially) with HE or fundraising event experience, you will have developed annual strategic plans, managed and motivated teams, and have excellent communication and digital skills. Your experience will span large in person, VIP and online events, understanding the importance of first rate quality, special touches, and thorough risk assessments for all. Able to both see the bigger picture and keep an eye on detail, you remain calm under pressure and will help steer the team to success. Your events programme will launch and support our £100m fundraising and engagement campaign – It’s an exciting time to join and be part of our team.About UsWe are planning our first University-wide fundraising and engagement campaign. Together, we want to raise more money and to engage more alumni and friends with Southampton so that we can change the world. And with the full support and investment of our University leadership, we are growing our team over the next few years. We are so excited.We need people with intellectual curiosity and people who have different ideas. We need people with direct experience or transferable skills and the interest and drive to take on a new challenge. We are actively determined to welcome a diverse group of colleagues into our inclusive team. Every day will be different, you will meet incredible people and the rewards will be huge.Imagine fundraising for medical technologies that could cure cancer or dementia. Or engaging a volunteer who can help a student improve their career prospects. Or connecting alumni around the world and reawakening important friendships and partnerships. Or seeing the look on a student’s face when they learn they will be the first person in their family to attend University—because of a scholarship that you secured. That could be you .As well as flexible working, we offer a great benefits package that includes a contributory pension scheme, generous holiday allowance of 44 days (comprising of 30 days annual leave, 8 bank holidays and 6 University Closure days), subsidised health and fitness facilities, a cycle-to-work scheme and a range of discounts and offers at local shops, restaurants and service providersThis could be a career-defining opportunity and we want to hear from you. See Join ODAR to learn about our team and current opportunities. Please do contact us if you feel you don’t meet all of the selection criteria and want to discuss the role further. If you’d like to have an informal chat about this role, please contact Susanna Brenchley, Associate Director, Alumni & Supporter Marketing & Engagement by email on .