Head of Events UK

Company DescriptionUTAC is a market-leading international group in digital & sustainable mobility, customisable testing solutions, customisable testing systems, vehicle engineering, homologation, regulatory advice & expertise, certification, training, corporate events and classic & sportscars festivals.

The Group provides services and systems to customers in the various sectors: mobility, transport, tyre, petrochemical, agriculture and defence industries. UTAC operates test centres and laboratories in France (including the official Euro NCAP facility), the UK, USA, Finland, Morocco, and Germany; it has subsidiaries in China, Korea and Japan. UTAC employs around 1300 people across its various locations.

As a group we share a strong and clear vision to deliver safe and efficient solutions and systems to our customers. We are proud and confident in our heritage, our capabilities and our people and believe that by creating a culture where individuals feel they can make a difference and enjoy coming to work, we can deliver the best possible service to our customers.

Our core values of Expertise, Innovation and Integrity provide a clear daily guide to how we work together safely, as one team, helping each other to succeed.

The Head of Events UK role is located at the UTAC Millbrook site, the largest hire-able event venue between Birmingham and London, offering over 70 km of unique tracks: contemporary and diverse concept hubs and event spaces, high speed circuit, 4×4 tracks, alpine tracks, durability, as well as facilities dedicated to connected and automated vehicles.

The extensive range of buildings and infrastructures include modular meeting rooms, auditoriums, dining areas, cutting-edge AV installations and high-power connectivity. UTAC delivers client events from 10 to 5000 attendees, the iconic and unique sites offering unlimited possibilities for holding unforgettable bespoke events of all sizes in complete safety and security.

Job Description

The Head of Events - UK (the role) assists with the development of the growth strategy and business plan for the Events business unit in the UK under the supervision and direction of UTAC Group Director for Events, Tracks & Rentals. The role is primarily responsible for the successful delivery of Events at the UTAC Millbrook facility and the development of skills and capabilities of the UK Events team. It is a multi-functional, hands on operational role with accountability for performance whilst working collaboratively within the transversal organisation across;

• Sales, Marketing & Communications
• Health, Safety & Facilities
• Finance, HR, IT, Purchasing

The key accountabilities and responsibilities of this position include:

• influencing the strategy & execution of the business plan for the business unit
• providing support to the Group Director as necessary including providing a weekly briefing of Event Management
• creating the business plan for the department to include P&L (Revenue and EBITDA) budgets with updates/re-forecasts as required
• responsibility for the execution of the business plan to deliver the P&L (Revenue and EBITDA) of the department, providing regular reports and commentary on monthly performance
• collaborating effectively with Sales & Marketing to devise activities to drive sales order intake for the business unit.
• construct an investment plan and provide associated business cases for Capex requests as required
• manage Human Resources (recruitment needs, training, evaluations, etc.) ensuring the department continues to exceed customer expectations, including management of outsourced service providers
• responding to direct inbound customer enquiries, passing the information promptly & accurately across to the Sales team
• collaborating effectively with the Sales team to prepare customer quotations & respond to operational questions concerning enquiries.
• sharing responsibility for sales activity with the Events Operation Manager and Business Development team members but accountability for Sales Order Intake rests clearly with the Sales team Business Development Manager.
• delivering high-quality events with excellent customer service supported by soliciting feedback and measuring customer satisfaction
• ensure proper coordination with other departments and other UTAC facilities, (particularly France & Morocco) to maximise cross-selling opportunities.
• overseeing the evolution of new event processes and ensuring compliance with documented process for both internal and external audits to relevant ISO standards
• active in the management of key suppliers including negotiation of long-term contracts.
• attending specific industry exhibitions to promote keys events in the UTAC Millbrook calendar.

Qualifications

The role reports to the Group Director - Events, Tracks & Rentals and the ideal candidate will possess the following qualities and experience:

• a proven background in Event Management and the automotive environment, capable of dealing with clients at all levels
• experience of managing the delivery team in a fast moving, complex events environment, preferably at a large scale venue
• strong leadership and sales skills coupled with effective project and relationship management skills
• a confident and energetic approach with a pro-active nature and the ability to take the initiative
• a strong creative and professional approach coupled with exceptional negotiating skills
• the ability to ‘think on their feet’ and read a situation quickly is imperative when seeking creative solutions to problems on live events
• be highly motivated with a flexible and positive attitude, an innovative approach with a professional ‘can do’ mentality.
• effective communication skills (both written and verbal), as well as a confidence when presenting to individuals or groups
• experience of working in a transversal/matrix international environment

Additional Information

For you, as a potential UTAC team member, we believe that the international and diverse nature of our business combined with the passion, energy and friendliness of our people create a great place to work. UTAC is proud to be an equal opportunities employer, valuing inclusion and supporting our people to be themselves and at their very best.

By joining us you will gain access to a broad range of learning relevant to your role and personal development, as well as exposure to leading technologies and expertise.

Our reward and benefit programmes are designed to support our people with competitive and locally tailored packages combined with support for individual health and wellbeing both inside and outside of work.

In the UK this includes ;

• Life Cover
• Access to a wide range of discounts and offers via the Perkz reward scheme
• Recognition awards linked to our UTAC values of Expertise, Innovation and Integrity.
• Healthcare cashback plans
• Generous holiday benefits
• Contributory pension schemes
• Attractive family friendly policies; maternity, paternity, shared parental leave, flexible working.
• Access to a variety of employee assistance support services.

Learn more about UTAC and what and how we do what we do at www.utac.com

Candidates for positions at UTAC must be able to provide proof of identity and eligibility to work in the country the role is based in. Immigration visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Note to Recruitment Agencies :

UTAC do not accept speculative applications from agencies for our open positions and any submissions made will not be accepted and no fees will be accepted or paid in respect of speculative CVs received.