Job of the Week (JOTW): Operations Planner at London Marathon

Who we are:

Prudential RideLondon is the world’s greatest festival of cycling with more than 100,000 riders expected to participate over the weekend of 27-29 July 2018. Prudential RideLondon was developed by the Mayor of London, Transport for London and London & Partners in partnership with Surrey County Council, and staged for the first time in 2013. The event is managed by the London & Surrey Cycling Partnership (LSCP). London Marathon Events Ltd (LME) is the majority owner of LSCP.

LME organises some of the biggest and best mass participation sports events in the UK, including the Virgin Money London Marathon, the Prudential RideLondon festival of cycling, Swim Serpentine and our new event, The Big Half.  We are a not-for-profit organisation and any surplus we make is given to the London Marathon Charitable Trust to improve sports and recreation in the UK.

Our team:

Integrity, Excellence, Together, Inspiration and Fun is at the core of everything we do.  LME staff live and breathe these values in and outside the work place and so are a natural fit for our business.

Our staff work collaboratively to ensure every event is even better than the last and strive for the best and most memorable experience possible for our employees, participants, sponsors and charities.

About the role:

We are currently looking for a full-time permanent experienced ‘Operations Planner’ to join our existing Operations Department. This small team leads on the operational planning for the LME Ltd portfolio of major international mass participation and elite sporting events.

The primary focus of the role is on the Prudential RideLondon event; liaising directly with a broad range of stakeholders becoming actively involved in the planning, management and delivery of the world’s greatest festival of cycling; but the successful candidate will have the opportunity to become an integral part of the Operations Team across all events.

We are looking for an experienced event management professional to support the Prudential RideLondon Route Director and Route Manager within the Operations Team to deliver our mass participation cycle event for 30,000 cyclists on a 100 mile closed road route.  You will be responsible for the co-ordination and delivery of the welfare support for participants, route infrastructure and temporary event management staff across the Prudential RideLondon route to provide the best possible experience for the participants. You will also have a key operational role in one of our exciting new events – The Little Half, which forms part of the Big Half event.

Key responsibilities:

The role will include the following duties:

• Assisting in the production of the Event Management Plan
• Assess needs and ordering route infrastructure, including signage, in conjunction with the Logistics Team
• Organise welfare provision for hubs and  drinks stops on the route, this includes seeking permissions, liaison with stakeholders, volunteers, crew, product sponsors and logistics
• Lead on the delivery of event timing systems, sweep process and the logistical delivery of the event medical plan
• Coordinate arrival and departure plans for cyclists at start/finish venues
• Work with our CAD Technician to produce accurate event layout plans
• Produce plans, run sheets and briefing documentation for all route staff
• Manage the Route Depot at event time
• Key involvement in the planning and operational delivery of the Little Half.

About you:

You should be someone who enjoys a rewarding challenge and someone who is prepared to go that extra mile whilst helping LME to deliver world class mass participation events.

Essential skills:

• Strong communication and leadership with the ability to lead and manage meetings
• Logical workflow is considered paramount and proficiency in Microsoft Office
• Strong organisational skills with a good understanding of mass participation sports events
• Competent with the maintenance of records, documents and filing structures
• Local knowledge of central and south west London and Surrey road networks is considered an advantage
• A full UK driving licence is required

Experience:

Previous experience in organising mass participation sports events, creating event management plans, project planning, working with budgets and stakeholder engagement would be seen as advantageous.

Personal attributes:

• Strong team working ethic with the ability to work within a dynamic environment which will include working on-site at events including weekend work with long hours
• Desire to continually learn and develop
• Knowledge of, or interest in, running, cycling or swimming would be a distinct advantage

Closing date is Thursday 23 November 2017.