Times Higher Education
Programme Director - Events
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Programme Director - Events
Hybrid - 2 days in Holborn office
SALARY: up to £65k DOE
About us
Times Higher Education is the data provider underpinning university excellence in every continent across the world. As the company behind the world’s most influential university ranking, and with almost five decades of experience as a source of analysis and insight on higher education, we have unparalleled expertise on the trends underpinning university performance globally. Our data and benchmarking tools are used by many of the world’s most prestigious universities to help them achieve their strategic goals and our events series act as the home of higher education thought leadership around the world.
About the role
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Programme Director - Events to join Times Higher Education's rapidly growing events team and lead the end-to-end content strategy and production for our flagship sustainability event, the Global Sustainable Development Congress (GSDC) along with our growing US series.
As Programme Director - Events, you will shape the strategic vision for one of the world's leading gatherings of university, government, industry and civil society leaders focused on sustainable development. You will be responsible for designing a market-leading multi-track programme that reflects emerging global priorities, anticipates audience needs and delivers commercial value for partners, delegates and sponsors alike.
Working closely with the Event Director and cross-functional teams across sales, marketing, customer success and operations, you will ensure the Congress delivers exceptional thought leadership while supporting ambitious commercial growth.
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This is a highly strategic and commercially focused event role. You will take ownership of the Congress agenda from concept through to delivery, leading speaker acquisition, stakeholder engagement and programme development while ensuring seamless execution. You will work in partnership with the commercial team to develop sponsor-led content opportunities that maintain editorial integrity while delivering measurable value to partners.
The successful candidate will combine outstanding editorial judgement with commercial acumen, exceptional stakeholder management skills and proven experience delivering complex, high-profile conferences. You will be confident influencing senior leaders across government, academia, business and international organisations, while bringing creativity, operational excellence and a growth mindset to one of Times Higher Education's leading global events.
Key responsibilities:
- Define and deliver the content strategy across a portfolio of events including our flagship sustainability event and our growing US portfolio
- Manage the end-to-end production cycle to ensure campaigns stay on track
- Research markets to identify trends, challenges and opportunities
- Secure high-calibre speakers and build lasting relationships with industry leaders
- Work closely with sales teams to maximise commercial opportunities that meet the event revenue goals while maintaining editorial integrity
- Collaborate with marketing to create compelling campaign messaging and promotional content that attracts the right audience
- Monitor event performance and use audience feedback and data to continuously improve programme quality and identify new opportunities for growth
- Manage content planning, production schedules and team priorities
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Experience and skills background:
- Significant experience leading content for live events, brand experiences or immersive environments
- A strong commercial mindset, with experience driving revenue and delivering event growth
- Proven experience developing event programmes and content that translates into physical audience experiences
- Confidence operating at senior level, influencing both clients and internal stakeholders
- A genuine passion for content and its role in storytelling and audience experience
- You are confident operating with autonomy, accountability and at pace
- Line management experience preferred but not essential
You do You
With colleagues located around the world, we know that our individuality and diversity of experiences are our greatest strengths. That’s why we want THE to be a place where you are welcome to be who you want to be at work; where you can share whatever part of your life or self-identity you want, without obligation or facing discrimination; and where all abilities and perspectives are recognised and accommodated.
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