Sofitel
Head of Event Operations
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Company Description
At Sofitel London St James, we redefine luxury by treating a stay as more than just a temporary pause—it's an opportunity for guests to fall in love with a unique blend of refined luxury and playful indulgence. Our commitment to excellence transcends the ordinary, and we invite you to join a team that specialises in transforming stays into enchanting tales. We take immense pride in creating a playfully elegant and meaningful experience for both our guests and ourselves. Our commitment to fostering a workplace culture that values diversity, encourages professional growth, and recognises individual contributions ensures that each team member feels appreciated and empowered in their role. Apply now to embark on a career that transcends expectations and celebrates the art of hospitality.
Job Description
The Head of Event Operations is responsible for the end-to-end operational delivery of all conferences, banquets, and private events at Sofitel London St James. This encompasses orchestrating every element—kitchen, front-of-house, AV, planning, and client liaison—to ensure seamless event execution and exceptional outcomes.
The role carries direct accountability for standards, staffing, financial performance, and client satisfaction across all event spaces. Line management responsibility extends to the Conference & Events Operations Manager and Events Planning Executive, ensuring continuity and communication integrity throughout the client journey from booking through execution.
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As a senior member of the Food & Beverage management team, the role extends beyond events operations to contribute to the collective performance, culture, and standards of the wider F&B operation. The successful candidate will be a genuine team player whose capability and presence add value across the department.
Qualifications
- Proven background in event operations leadership within a luxury or five-star hotel, private members club, or a similar premium venue which is ideally in a central London or comparable market.
- Demonstrable experience managing the full events journey from planning handover through to post-event debrief, with accountability for multiple concurrent functions.
- Experience managing or closely collaborating with event planning or coordination functions, an understanding of both the commercial and operational dimensions of the sale to execution relationship.
- A proven track record of building, developing, and retaining high-performing teams within a structured luxury service environment.
- A broad F&B operational grounding, so that they are comfortable and credible across the full food and beverage environment, not exclusively within a conference and events context.
- Exceptional organisational capability – they are able to hold multiple events in preparation simultaneously without sacrificing detail or composure.
- Clear, confident communicator across all stakeholder levels: clients, colleagues, senior leadership, and suppliers.
- Commercially fluent, for example they are able to read a Hotel Profit and Loss statement, manage a payroll budget, and identify revenue opportunities within the event cycle.
- Technically proficient across event Audio Visual and meeting room technology.
- Familiar with Hotel Property Management Systems, Micros Symphony and event management platforms; Opera Cloud and Delphi experience advantageous.
- Fluency in LQA and/or Forbes standards is also advantageous.
- Calm, decisive, and authoritative under pressure, this role is really seen as the Orchestrator who keeps every part of a complex event moving in the same direction, without visible effort.
- Naturally client-facing, with the presence and interpersonal intelligence to represent Sofitel to a discerning audience, able to build an emotional connection with clients and their team.
- An Architect of Occasions in approach, meaning they bring considered intent to how an event space feels, flows, and is experienced, not just whether it functions operationally.
- A team builder who invests in people and takes genuine pride in the success of those around them.
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