Head of Events

The Observer, London

Fixed-term 12-month contract , Monday to Friday, with the flexibility to work remotely one day a week

Who are we?

The Observer’s promise is in the name. The Observer bears witness; the best of journalism being curious minds at work. It loves the arts and ideas, both for their own sake and because they can change lives. It’s proudly progressive, but has no party allegiance. It’s open to different arguments and its editorial independence is non-negotiable. We are building a new Observer across print, audio and digital. We’re here to build journalism that lasts.

At The Observer, our aim is to be proudly progressive and independent, with no party allegiance. We take the same approach to hiring — ensuring that no job applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

We’re building a workplace that is fair, curious and forward-thinking, where people from all walks of life are genuinely supported to develop, contribute and succeed.

What’s the job?

The Observer delivers a broad mix of live experiences across the year, including editorial newsroom events, forums and a myriad of commercial events

We’re looking for a live events producer to plan, manage and deliver projects across our portfolio. This is a hands-on production role for someone who can take ownership from concept through to delivery, working across logistics, stakeholders, suppliers, budgets and live event execution.

You’ll be responsible for bringing ideas to life, ensuring events are well organised, well produced and delivered to the highest standard for both editorial and commercial partners.

What you’ll do

• Lead the end-to-end production of live events, from initial brief and planning through to delivery and post-event wrap-up

• Produce a range of projects including editorial events, forums, bespoke brand activations, and active/challenge events

• Build and manage project plans, timelines, budgets and delivery schedules

• Coordinate venues, suppliers, freelancers, production partners and operational logistics

• Ensure our events strategy is aligned with driving Observer subscriptions growth and retention, with a clear, practical approach to hit our ambitious subscription goals

• Support venue management and wider stakeholder coordination for challenge or participation-led events

• Act as a confident day-to-day contact for internal stakeholders, commercial partners and clients where needed

• Work closely with editorial, commercial and external teams to translate ideas into well-executed live experiences

• Oversee on-site delivery, troubleshoot in real time and ensure events run smoothly, safely and professionally

• Lead post-event reconciliation and debriefs, capturing learnings for future projects

Who we’re looking for

We’re looking for someone who loves bringing events to life and is ready to take real ownership of the portfolio. You will be comfortable working with Editorial teams as well as commercial partners. You may already be producing projects end-to-end, or you may have built strong hands-on experience across smaller-scale events and now be ready to step into a broader production role with more responsibility.

You’ll likely bring:

• Experience producing or managing live events, experiential activations, conferences or branded experiences

• Confidence managing multiple projects at once in a fast-moving environment

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to keep budgets, timelines and logistics on track

• Experience working with venues, suppliers, technical teams and external stakeholders

• A calm, practical approach to on-site delivery and problem-solving

• Strong communication skills and confidence working with internal teams and clients

• For active/challenge events, experience in route planning, venue operations and stakeholder management would be particularly valuable

Ideal experience

• Experience across brand activations, internal conferences and live events

• Comfortable producing projects end-to-end

• Confident in client-facing delivery and account handling

• Able to work across a varied portfolio, from content-led events to more operationally complex formats

• Experience across media, publishing, brand experience, agency or commercial events environments is helpful but not essential

• Experience with subscriptions and recurring reader revenue focused events strategies

Why join us

This is an opportunity to join The Observer at an exciting point of growth and help shape a live events offering that spans editorial and commercial.

You’ll be part of a collaborative, supportive team and will have the chance to work across a genuinely varied mix of projects, building standout experiences and growing your career in end-to-end event production.

Salary & Benefits

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays

• Private healthcare

• Group income protection & life assurance

• Pension

• Cycle to Work scheme

• Interest-free season ticket loan

• Free snacks and drinks in the newsroom

• Hybrid working (London newsroom + 1 day remote flexibility)

Our Process

We aim to run our interview process at pace and with clarity at every stage, recognising how challenging it can be to balance alongside other commitments or interviews. The number of stages will vary depending on the nature and level of the role, but we see this as a two-way process and hope you’ll enjoy the opportunity to meet a range of potential future colleagues.