Head of Major Events Planning, Exercising and Lessons
We recognise the challenges that people with protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.
Are you a experienced leader who can lead and manage a team to deliver objectives?
Can you tackle complex problems using your own creative solutions?
Do you thrive on building and maintaining stakeholder relationships?
As Head of Major Events Planning, Exercising and Lessons, you will work with partners across DfT, other government departments and industry, to build the department’s resilience and deliver the transport elements of reputationally significant events.Over the next 3 years there are a range of high-profile major events attracting national and international attendance, including the reputationally important VE and VJ Day commemorations; Women’s Rugby World Cup; Commonwealth Games in 2026, Tour de France in 2027; and EUROS in .
In addition to this the successful candidate will oversee planning for ceremonial events and planning will likely be required for the G7 and G20 Summits. All of these events require operational transport planning and engagement.
In addition to this you will shape the exercise and lessons programme for the Department. There will be some scope for individual tailoring of focus areas according to expertise and interest, and plenty of opportunity to expand your skills and knowledge, particularly in leadership.
This role is ideal for an individual looking to take on a new challenge and broaden their experience. There will be opportunities to brief senior officials and Ministers and represent the Department at cross-Whitehall discussions and multinational fora.
Responsibilities
will Include, but not limited to:
- Effectively leading a small team, providing the strategic direction and vision for major events and exercising across the department Leading on the co-ordinated development and assurance of transport sector plans for major government events;
- Managing risk development and assessment for major event risks;
- Work with other teams such as Intelligence & Threats colleagues on transport security, the wider Department for resilience aspects and Transport Security Operations Centre during event ‘live’ dates;
- Engaging with specialist teams within the Department and across government including Home Office, Cabinet Office, DCMS, DHSC and others to ensure join-up of resilience;
- Designing, embedding and running a new exercising programme to improve the skills and capability across the department;
- Implementing a lessons capture and recommendation process to support the preparation for new and existing risks as set-out in Department planning documents.
For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.