Events Manager

National Council for Voluntary Organisations

Hours
35 hours per week

Length of contract
12 month

About the Organisation

For over 100 years, NCVO has stood shoulder to shoulder with communities, championing and celebrating voluntary action. Our membership is made up of over 17,000 voluntary organisations across England, from small, grassroots community groups and social enterprises, to large, far-reaching charities. We believe that communities are strengthened by voluntary action. We therefore want charities to thrive and be empowered to deliver for people and communities.

​We focus on empowering charities and volunteers by ensuring they have the knowledge, tools, and resources they need. We advocate for and with our members, giving voice to those not often heard, and harnessing the collective power of partners to ensure the voluntary sector is valued. We bring charities together so they can learn, connect, and create a greater impact.

​As the voluntary sector and volunteering adapt to new challenges and a changing context, so must NCVO. We are therefore prioritising work to evolve as an organisation to ensure we live our values of ambition, inclusion, openness, and collaboration in everything we do internally and externally.

​We have around 80 staff and an income of more than £7m per year. With our members at the heart of everything we do, our mission is to unite to champion the remarkable role of charities and volunteers because stronger charities make for stronger communities.

About the role

Lead the strategic development and delivery of a comprehensive portfolio of impactful online, hybrid, and in-person events that support NCVO’s membership strategy and organisational objectives. You will manage the events team, overseeing the planning, coordination, and delivery of diverse events, including major conferences, webinars, and workshops.

This role contributes to NCVO’s brand recognition and fosters connection, learning, and collaboration for its 17,000 members and wider sector audience. You will develop and manage event budgets and continuously improve the programme based on evaluation and data.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, implementation and ongoing evaluation of an innovative, forward-thinking and impactful events strategy aligned with NCVO’s strategic goals and the objectives, encompassing online, hybrid and in-person events.
• Manage and support the Events team, providing project and personal leadership, guidance and support to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of a high-quality events programme.
• Oversee the planning, coordination and delivery of a diverse portfolio of events, including major conferences, member webinars, workshops, briefings, networking and partnership events, ensuring they meet their intended purpose and desired outcomes. This includes developing and reviewing processes to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.
• Manage all aspects of event execution, including content development (working with colleagues across the organisation as relevant), venue sourcing and negotiation, speaker liaison, delegate management, and logistics, ensuring a seamless experience for participants and internal & external stakeholders.
• Work closely with the communications and marketing teams to ensure events are effectively promoted with engaging, targeted copy and campaigns. Ensure events are well attended, and that delegate communications are hardworking and effective as part of the wider marketing and communications plans.
• Develop, monitor and manage event budget, ensuring delivery within financial parameters and identifying opportunities for income generation through ticketing, sponsorship and partnerships.
• Lead comprehensive evaluation of all events, using feedback and data to continuously improve design and ensure events foster collaboration, learning, and community engagement. Create a high-performance culture of learning, ensuring outcomes and output learnings are shared internally to build knowledge and embed grow mindset in the team.
• Keep up to date with emerging trends and best practices in event design, facilitation and community building (both online and in-person) to maintain a fresh, relevant and impactful events programme.
• Collaborate across NCVO teams to align events with wider organisational activities and manage relationships with external suppliers, sponsors and partners to ensure positive, productive collaborations.
• Provide strategic guidance to internal stakeholders, helping them to understand the right way to communicate through events, supporting them to ensure the best possible outputs and outcomes to meet their objectives.
• High-impact line management to ensure the continual growth of our people, with clear project and personal expectations and objective setting. This includes managing all people processes and maintaining an inclusive culture within your team that aligns with our organisation's strategy, values, and policies
• Developing and implementing a cohesive and impactful events strategy that effectively supports the diverse needs of NCVO’s membership and strategic objectives.
• Managing multiple concurrent event projects and competing priorities while ensuring high-quality delivery across the events programme.
• Balancing the strategic need for events to foster connection and collaboration with the practicalities of event logistics, budget constraints, and income generation targets.
• Ensuring NCVO’s events programme remains relevant and innovative in a rapidly evolving external environment and the context of developing hybrid event delivery.
• Embedding a collaborative approach to event development and delivery across different teams within NCVO.
• Utilising data and feedback effectively to continuously improve the impact and effectiveness of the events programme.

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Experience:

• Demonstrable experience of managing and delivering a diverse portfolio of successful events, including online, hybrid, and in-person formats.
• Experience in developing and managing event budgets effectively.
• Experience in leading and motivating teams or project groups.
• Experience of working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience in using CRM systems or similar platforms for event management.
• Experience in evaluating events and using feedback to drive improvements.
• Active commitment to and experience of embedding equity, diversity, and inclusion in event practices.

Skills:

• Strong strategic planning and organisational skills to develop and manage a complex events programme.
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and timelines simultaneously and meet deadlines.
• Proven leadership and team management skills, with the ability to motivate and develop a team.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills to effectively engage with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Competent in utilising a range of online event platforms and systems.
• Ability to analyse event data and provide feedback to inform future planning and improvements.

Knowledge:

• Good knowledge of the voluntary and community sector and the role of infrastructure organisations like NCVO.
• Strong understanding of event management principles and practices, including online, hybrid, and in-person event delivery.
• Good knowledge of developing and managing budgets.
• Knowledge of CRM systems and event booking platforms for managing event activities.
• Understanding of best practices in event marketing and promotion.
• Good knowledge of equity, diversity, and inclusion and their importance in event design and delivery.

Compensation & Benefits

• 25 days’ Annual Leave and office closure between 25 December and 1 January inclusive. 
• ​2.5 extra ‘wellbeing’ days off during the year
• ​Enhanced pay for sick/maternity/adoption leave
• Subsidised gym membership
• Season ticket loan
• Monthly homework allowance for permanent homeworkers
• Monthly office worker allowance 
• Generous employer pension contribution of 8.5% of salary,
• Pension scheme (linked to employee contribution)
• Training and development opportunities.
• Hospital Saturday Fund health cash plan
• ​24-hour free and confidential employee assistance programme

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• Application form1
• Application form2
• Please complete both parts of the application, quoting the reference SDM, and email to [email protected]
• If you have any queries regarding our vacancies or experience any issues downloading or submitting your application form, please email [email protected].

Interviews

• Shortlisting will start on 24th June 2025. 
• The interview will be held on 2nd July 2025

Policies

NCVO is fully committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our sector. We want this to be reflected in the diversity of our employees, and we welcome applications from people from all backgrounds and identities.

We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups in the voluntary sector and those with diverse lived experiences. As part of our commitment to employing disabled people, all disabled candidates who meet the minimum requirement for all competencies on the person specification will be guaranteed an interview.

Please let us know if you have access needs or require reasonable adjustments as part of the recruitment process.

Return to listing