Senior Events Manager

Job summary

We are the UK’s export credit agency and a government department, working alongside the Department for Business and Trade as an integral part of its strategy and operations. We advance prosperity by ensuring no viable UK export fails for lack of finance or insurance, doing that sustainably and at no net cost to the taxpayer.

About the Role

We are looking for a highly motivated Senior Events Manager to deliver UKEF’s international events strategy and a wide range of high‑profile, impactful events across the globe. This is a key role within the Marketing and External Affairs team, responsible for shaping how UKEF presents itself to UK exporters, international buyers, and global stakeholders.

The role involves leading on international events, delivering UKEF‑led supplier fairs, and co‑leading UKEF’s flagship annual conference, the UK Trade and Export Finance Forum. You will work collaboratively across UKEF, wider government and the private sector—bringing together businesses, banks, trade associations and overseas posts to deliver professional, well‑executed events that support UKEF’s strategic objectives.

You will take end‑to‑end ownership of event delivery, from concept and agenda creation through to stakeholder management, supplier oversight, logistics, budget control, and post‑event evaluation. This role requires strong organisation, excellent communication skills, confidence negotiating sponsorship agreements and the ability to manage multiple complex workstreams simultaneously.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast‑paced, internationally focused environment and wants to be at the heart of promoting UK export capability on a global stage.

Job description

Main Activities

Lead on the international events strategy

• Horizon scan and deliver UKEF participation at overseas events that support UKEF’s business plan and the Industrial, Trade and SME strategies.
• Main point of contact for key internal stakeholders within the Underwriting and Origination and Client Coverage (international business development) teams for overseas events.
• Collaborate with colleagues at other HMG departments (Department for Business and Trade, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and others as appropriate) to identify event opportunities where UKEF can showcase its proposition to key audiences.
• Negotiating sponsorship agreements with key event partners to ensure value for money is delivered for UKEF and the tax payer.
• Budgetary responsibility for international events
• Collect and review feedback from all events to ensure that future activity is appropriate for UKEF and delivers on departmental objectives.

UKEF led events (exc. UK Trade and Export Finance Forum)

• Lead on the end-to end delivery of UKEF’s project specific Supplier Fairs which includes but is not limited to onboarding Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors for supplier fairs, creating the agenda, confirming speakers, leading update meetings with the EPC contractor and managing the events agency to ensure the event is delivered to the required standard, on time and within budget
• Develop and implement a new Supplier Fair programme which focuses on market/ sector focussed events with multiple project sponsors (EPC contractors).
• Lead the events agency in the day-to-day delivery of supplier fairs and ad-hoc UKEF led events (including large receptions, dinners and breakfast briefings).
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams across UKEF and other government departments to deliver UKEF led events involving businesses, trade associations, banks and wider HMG.
• Deliver Country Head events across the world with the support of British Embassy colleagues in post and stakeholders across UKEF and DBT.
• Lead on the end-to-end delivery of UKEF led events for women and ethnic minority business owners which includes collaborating with internal and external stakeholders (banks, trade associations, UKEF’s CEO and Executive Committee).
• Support on high profile events with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Minister for Trade

UK Trade and Export Finance Forum

• Co-lead the UK Trade and Export Finance Forum which includes:
  • Negotiating, securing and managing all event partners which includes banks and EPC contractors
  • Collaborating with Corporate Affairs to secure exhibitors to promote the event externally and participate at the conference
  • Day-to-day management of the events agency ensuring they deliver a professional and seamless event within budget.
  • Leading on the vetting process which involves colleagues from across the department, ensuring that the vetting is completed accurately and on schedule each week.
  • Drafting recruitment email copy

Additional tasks

• Deputise for the Deputy Head of Events where appropriate
• Support the Deputy Head of Events on quarterly reforecasting for finance
• Raise and approve POs

This list is not exhaustive, and you may be required to carry out additional duties according to business needs.

Person specification

UK Export Finance is looking for motivated individuals with a desire to learn about the business. Successful candidates will be provided not only with functional training to enable them to do well in their role, but also with personal development to help them to achieve their career ambitions. Please note that the person specification below outlines at which stage(s) you will be assessed on how you meet the criteria for the role(s) including:-

A = assessed at application stage I = assessed at interview stage = assessed at presentation stage

Essential

Knowledge

• Knowledge of events management principles, including logistics, planning cycles, and delivery frameworks. (A, I)

Skills/Ability

• Excellent organisational and project‑management skills, with the ability to manage multiple events and deadlines concurrently. (A, I)
• Excellent communication skills, able to engage effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders. (A, I, P)
• Ability to negotiate confidently with partners, suppliers and event sponsors to secure value for money. (A)
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and influence colleagues across a complex organisation. (A, I)
• High level of attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in planning and event delivery. (A, I)
• Ability to analyse feedback, evaluate event outcomes and propose improvements to future activity. (A, I)
• Financial literacy, including budget management, forecasting and raising POs. (A)

Experience

• Proven track record of end-to-end event delivery of professional and complex events including planning, logistics, supplier management and on‑the‑day execution. (A, I, P)
• Demonstrable experience leading events involving multiple partners (e.g., private sector, government, trade bodies). (A, I)
• Experience managing external agencies or suppliers to deliver high‑quality outputs (A,I)
• Significant experience preparing event content such as agendas, briefing packs or communication materials. (A, I, P)

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Presentation - a short presentation, this will be a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advanced

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £48,750, UK Export Finance contributes £14,122 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

We are assessing candidates using Success Profiles (see Appendix 1) and across the whole process we will assess your Experience, Technical, and Behaviours as highlighted below.

The application must be completed by 23.55 on the day of the closing date for it to be accepted.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Please ensure that you read through the Candidate Information Pack attached to this advert, before applying.

All applications will be sifted against our essential criteria outlined in the personal specification.

• Statement of suitability - you should fully articulate in 750 words how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification within the Information Pack.

For the initial sift your application will be evaluated against:

1. Experience - CV / Application and Statement of Suitability

In the event of a high volume of applications, there will be a pre-sift on the following essential criteria’s;

• Excellent communication skills, able to engage effectively with senior internal and external stakeholders. (A, I)
• Demonstrable experience leading events involving multiple partners (e.g., private sector, government, trade bodies). (A, I)
• Proven track record of end-to-end event delivery of professional and complex events including planning, logistics, supplier management and on‑the‑day execution. (A, I, P)

If you are successful following the sift stage, you will be invited to an initial interview, to be held via MS Teams; this will include the following assessment:

1. Behaviours / Experience - a formal panel interview where you will be interviewed across all four behaviours highlighted in Appendix 1 of the candidate Information Pack attached.
   • Behaviour - Delivering at Pace (Lead behaviour in the event of tied candidates)
   • Behaviour - Seeing the Big Picture
   • Behaviour - Making Effective Decisions
   • Behaviour - Working Together
2. Technical - you will be assessed across your technical expertise and acumen, in relation to the essential criteria
   • Presentation - a short presentation, this will be a topic determined by UKEF and will need to be prepared in advanced.

Details of interview panel members will be e-mailed to all successful candidates who are invited for interview.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : UKEF Recruitment
• Email : Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk

Further information

Should you have a complaint or wish to raise any concerns regarding the recruitment process, please e-mail your complaint to the Head of Pay and Resourcing (UKEF) at Recruitment2@ukexportfinance.gov.uk and include “Complaint” in the subject heading. Should you remain dissatisfied following UKEF’s investigation then you can refer your complaint to the Commission - http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/making-complaint.

Attachments

Information Pack - Senior Events Manager Opens in new window (pdf, 4362kB)