Lead, Events

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United Kingdom.

📋 Description

• Take ownership of Pearson's global events strategy, prioritization, and performance across a diverse portfolio of events.

• Transform enterprise, marketing, commercial, and customer priorities into a comprehensive annual events roadmap.

• Establish event objectives, audience strategies, investment levels, and success metrics.

• Direct portfolio tiering, investment choices, consolidation, and efficiency enhancements across regions and business units.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a geographically dispersed team of event professionals.

• Allocate resources, set priorities, define performance standards, establish operating rhythms, and implement continuous improvement practices.

• Provide strategic oversight throughout event planning and execution, including production, attendee experience, executive engagement, and operational delivery.

• Create playbooks, governance models, templates, and quality standards.

• Conduct readiness reviews and manage risks, dependencies, decision points, and contingency plans.

• Serve as the senior escalation point for high-profile or high-risk events.

• Ensure adherence to legal, procurement, privacy, accessibility, health and safety, financial, and brand guidelines.

• Manage contractual, financial, and operational risks effectively.

• Cultivate relationships with senior leaders across Marketing, Sales, Product, Communications, Finance, Procurement, Legal, and Regional Business teams.

• Foster strategic partnerships with agencies, organizers, suppliers, venues, and technology vendors.

• Oversee supplier selection, commercial negotiations, and performance management.

• Provide executive recommendations, investment cases, and portfolio reporting.

• Define and assess event success in terms of pipeline creation, customer engagement, partnerships, brand awareness, and business growth.

• Enhance lead capture, attribution, reporting, efficiency, attendee experience, supplier performance, and event ROI.

• Maintain executive dashboards for portfolio performance, investment effectiveness, capacity planning, and risk management.

• Advocate for event technology, automation, and data-driven decision-making.

⛳️ Requirements

• Extensive senior leadership experience managing complex corporate, B2B, or enterprise events portfolios across multiple regions.

• Proven track record in leading and developing event teams.

• Strong ability to translate business strategy into prioritized event programs and measurable outcomes.

• Significant experience managing conferences, exhibitions, sponsorships, executive programs, customer events, and partner activations.

• Experience in operating within global, matrixed organizations.

• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills at senior levels.

• Demonstrated success in managing budgets, resources, suppliers, and commercial investment decisions.

• In-depth understanding of live, virtual, and hybrid event delivery.

• Strong commercial and financial acumen.

• Expertise in portfolio governance, event operations, and risk management.

• Comprehensive knowledge of event measurement, attribution, and performance reporting.

• Excellent executive communication and presentation abilities.

• Capability to make informed decisions in complex and high-pressure situations.

• Highly organized with outstanding planning and prioritization skills.

• Strong supplier negotiation and relationship management expertise.

• Experience with enterprise event management, project management, CRM, and reporting platforms.

• Direct experience delivering event programs in both US and UK markets.

• Background in Higher Education, Education Technology, SaaS, or global corporate environments.

• Familiarity with event technology platforms, automation tools, and audience engagement solutions.

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Event Management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

🏝️ Benefits

• Remote position based in the UK.

• No regular office attendance required; Pearson offices may be utilized when practical.

• Opportunities for international travel to support priority events, supplier partnerships, stakeholder engagement, and team collaboration.

• Chance to lead a talented team and shape a high-profile international portfolio.

• Opportunity to create measurable business impact through strategic event experiences.