Events and Place Activation Manager

About the job
Salary: £45,718 - £48,710 a year pro rata plus £3,203 car benefit allowance
Hours per week: 37
Contract type: FTC for 12 months

We're looking for an experienced and enthusiastic Events and Place Activation Manager to join our dynamic Culture and Creativity team within the Inclusive Growth service at Luton Council. In this key role, you'll take the lead in delivering and commissioning a wide range of community events and an exciting annual programme of place activation activities - with a particular focus on the town centre and other key spaces across Luton.

You'll also have the opportunity to bring lasting impact through small-scale town improvements, including public art installations and town dressing projects that reflect the vibrancy and identity of Luton.

Reporting directly to the Head of Culture and Creativity, you'll play a strategic role in driving our mission to:

• Raise civic pride
• Increase participation in arts, culture and heritage
• Support a thriving visitor economy
• Create a safe, family-friendly, and welcoming town centre experience

This is a hands-on, high-impact role, ideal for someone with proven leadership experience in events delivery and place activation, and a passion for working collaboratively with teams, partners, and communities. Experience in communications and marketing will be a real plus, as you'll oversee event marketing plans in collaboration with our dedicated comms teams.
About you
We're seeking someone with hands-on experience in overseeing, commissioning, and delivering major community and/or cultural events. You'll have a strong track record of planning and executing programmes that bring people together, spark creativity, and make a real difference to how places are experienced.

You'll also bring experience in delivering place activation programmes-projects that help foster a strong sense of identity, increase public engagement with culture, heritage or education, and contribute to civic pride and positive perceptions of place.

The ideal candidate will have a solid grounding in coordinating and overseeing the key elements of successful events, including:

• Event planning
• Marketing and communications strategies
• Post-event evaluation and reporting

You should also have experience in coordinating the installation of marketing assets and town dressing, which may include commissioning design, print, and installation services.

Strong project management and leadership skills are essential. You'll need to be confident in overseeing all aspects of event delivery - from drafting event plans and managing budgets to coordinating teams and partners and carrying out thorough evaluations.

We're also looking for someone with the ability to develop and manage event marketing campaigns, and with a strong understanding of the broader place activation and events management landscape.

A working knowledge of local or national government legislation and policy relevant to events and public space activation is important. A qualification in events management, place activation, or equivalent relevant experience is highly desirable.
About us
Our ambitious Luton 2040 Vision - that no-one in Luton will have to live in poverty - is at the heart of everything we do. We recognise that our people are remarkable, talented, committed and passionate about serving our residents.

The people of Luton depend heavily on this council - and that means our workforce! Are you ready to realise the remarkable and help us deliver our vision?

We welcome applications from all sections of the community and are committed to developing a workforce thatreflects the diversity of our borough
Application Process
On occasions, we may close a vacancy early due to a very high number of applications being received.

Benefits
We offer a range of excellent staff benefits which include:

- From 25 to 32 days' annual leave: linked to length of service and grade
- Buying annual leave scheme: buy up to 20 days additional annual leave
- Career Pathways: step up in your career or move into a specialist area
- Pension scheme: with generous employer contributions of up to 20.2 per cent (at July 2023) and 3x salary death in service grant
- Generous relocation package: up to £8,000 (subject to eligibility)
- Employee Assistance Programme: a free, 24/7 confidential counselling and wellbeing support service available to all employees, their partner or spouse and dependent children over 16 still living at home
- Work/life balance: flexible working options including working from home where possible. We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements including part-time hours and alternative working patterns
- Training and support: unlimited access to development courses, mentoring and support and clear career pathways
- Staff offers: includes discounts on your MOT, gym and fitness, restaurants and salons
- Arriva Travel Club: great value savings on local bus travel