Community Hires and Events Manager

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Business Development

Lead on the strategic development of the resident community hires and events service, ensuring alignment with Somerset House’s organisational goals and maintaining competitiveness in the creative workspace market
Cultivate and maintain relationships with resident organisations to foster engagement
Collaborate with Somerset House departments and onsite operators, ensuring a consistent and joined-up approach to promotion, pricing and delivery of space hires and related services
Oversee the creation of marketing and promotional assets to enhance visibility and uptake of the resident community hire offer
Maximise use of the resident community platform and digital channels to promote, manage and streamline hires and events
Identify and pursue new business opportunities, including partnerships, products, and packages—that deliver added value to residents and Somerset House
Work closely with the Senior Community Manager to develop and deliver the Community Strategy, taking a lead on relevant areas

Sales and Bookings

Manage the full sales and booking lifecycle, acting as the main point of contact for incoming resident hire enquiries, converting leads into bookings.
Conduct and coordinate site visits, space hire tours, sales calls, and planning meetings
Manage the contractual process from initial quote to final agreement
Develop and execute targeted sales strategies to increase revenue and optimise space utilisation, including offers and promotions
Track sales data, maintain accurate financial records, and produce regular status updates and reports
Review and improve existing sales and booking processes, automating and streamlining processes to ensure a user-friendly customer experience

Event Planning and Delivery

Oversee all aspects of resident community events planning, delivery and on-site operations
Supervising events staff, ensuring the team is supported to offer a consistent and high-quality resident experience
Coordinate with other departments and subcontractors to ensure residents' needs are met, including onsite bars, security, and cleaning teams
Ensure all events comply with health and safety, licensing, heritage requirements, and GDPR
Manage all resident queries and resolve any logistical issues

Operations and Finance

Budget management, including forecasting, analysis, and reporting
Financial administration including raising sales and purchase orders, debt chasing, and reconciling accounts
Lead the implementation and optimisation of the event management system (DIESE), driving process improvements and operational efficiency
Identify potential cost savings and efficiencies, working across departments to create proposals, ensuring a joined-up approach

Evaluation and Impact

Evaluate the service, setting objectives, creating regular reports, and actionable insights
Identify and produce case studies demonstrating the broader value and impact of the events and cultural projects supported
Identify and develop opportunities for added community value or benefit

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Experience

Venue hire management, ideally within a workspace and/or creative community
Sales experience, including making and exceeding financial targets
Demonstrable events management experience with clients and/or subcontractors to a superior level
Building and managing strong relationships with clients and meeting customer needs
Budgetary responsibilities including forecasting, managing P&Ls, reconciling accounts and financial administration
Management experience either as a line manager or working with project teams
Experience with Event Management Systems (EMS) or Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems

Skills

Commercial awareness and business negotiation skills
Marketing and communications skills
Ability to lead and motivate a team
Problem-solving skills, with ability to identify and address issues before they arise
Ability to meet deadlines and take personal ownership to achieve team goals
IT literate with ability to learn new systems and software quickly
Evaluation and reporting skills

Benefits

Mental Health & Wellbeing

Access to our external Employee Assistance Programme (CiC) for free 24/7 confidential advice and support, including up to 6 free counselling sessions per year where needed
Mental health support and guidance from our in-house trained Mental Health First Aiders
Hybrid working based on having 3 days in the office per week (pro rata if part-time)*
Contribution towards eye tests and glasses
Trust life insurance scheme
We offer winter flu vaccination vouchers

Holiday

Enhanced annual leave – 25 days plus bank holidays (pro rata)
Birthday leave - additional day leave
Celebration day - to celebrate anything of your choice

Other Leave

Sick leave – 20 days full pay, followed by 20 days half pay (pro rata & following 3 months service)
Emergency dependent care – option to use 25% of paid sick leave for emergency care of a dependent (pro rata & following 3 months of service)
Enhanced maternity pay

Benefits

8% employer pension contributions, no employee contribution required* After 3 months
Option for salary sacrifice
Season ticket loan
Cycle to Work scheme

Discounts, offers and free stuff

The list is endless and includes tickets to Somerset House events and entrance to other London Heritage sites
Discounts in Somerset House cafes and restaurants
Discounts with various high street retailers and restaurants
Discounts to local leisure centres

About Somerset House Trust

Somerset House is actively anti-racist, you can read about our Anti-Racism Pledge and the action we’re taking

here. We are working hard to ensure our people, our onsite community and our sector reflect, represent and include all of society.

Our Commitment to Anti-Racism, Diversity and Inclusion:

discrimination

in the initial screening stage of our recruitment process. This reinforces our commitment to focusing on the skills and qualifications of all applications from the start.

We're committed to creating an inclusive recruitment process. Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help you perform at your best. We're open to adjusting our process to accommodate your needs please email people.team@somersethouse.org.uk.

The Trust reserves the right to close a job before its application deadline.

Please only apply if you have the right to work in the UK; the Trust cannot currently offer sponsorships.

Somerset House Trust operates a hybrid working model which does not allow employees from working outside the United Kingdom

Documents

Our Hiring Process

Don't worry if you don't see any roles you want to apply for now. Register your interest to allow us to contact you when a suitable role meeting your criteria comes along. Unfortunately, the Trust cannot sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.