Main purpose of job:

The British Government’s Consulate-General in Los Angeles has an exciting opportunity for a creative and proactive person to join the Communication Team as LA Festival Programme manager. This opportunity is a rewarding role which supports and further develops the special relationship between the UK and the US, working at the forefront of international diplomacy in order to make a real difference globally.

The LA Festival Programme Manager will ensure the successful delivery of the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Los Angeles. This will be a $multi-million event that will be the centrepiece in the UK’s marketing activity in the US in 2025. It will showcase the best of the UK, shift the dial on West Coast investor sentiment towards the UK as well as build long lasting US-UK relationships. The project manager will ensure successful delivery of the event, coordinating across multiple internal and external stakeholders and managing risks and issues. Responsibilities will include working to secure sponsorship, running project governance, liaising with event and marketing companies, overseeing budgets, event design and event management.

The British Government offers a unique career enhancing opportunity and is committed to supporting its staff in the US through a variety of benefits including generous leave, insurance packages and a highly competitive 401k programme.  It also promotes a culture of flexibility which enables people to better maintain wellness through an excellent work/life balance approach that encompasses hybrid working, including working from home and flexible hours, where possible.  In this role you would be working in a diverse international environment side-by-side with UK diplomats, armed forces personnel and other country-based staff operating across the British Government’s network of Consulates and Government Offices in the United States. This network provides a platform for approximately 30 Government departments and agencies to conduct their work in the United States and is made up of over 900 staff with a rich and diverse background, skill sets, and experiences.

Roles and responsibilities:

• Managing design and development of a high value, complex programme drawing on industry latest design thinking and tools.
• Support teams to manage risks and issues across the programme, identifying and addressing common trends as they arise.
• Assess and propose responses to strategic risks considering organisational objectives and risk appetite, delivery partner relationships and political landscape.
• Work confidently with delivery partners, other UK government departments and sponsors to encourage collaboration and maximise value for money.
• Support the Senior Responsible Officer to ensure successful event delivery, preparing updates and regular reports on programme progress.
• Creating long- and short-term plans, including setting targets for milestones and ensuring delivery teams meet deadlines.
• Create and maintain an effective overview of UK Government campaign activity in the US, ensuring this work is aligned to the goals of the festival and that audiences and messages support the themes of the festival.
• Traffic control of incoming tasks, delegating these to delivery teams best positioned to complete them or escalating them to the Senior Reporting Officer / workstream leads as needed.
• Serving as the central point of contact for multiple teams working on the LA festival, ensuring these teams remain in synergy and focused on delivery.
• Communicating with senior leaders in the US and UK to keep the programme aligned with their goals.
• Advise on the communications strategy for the programme, based on an understanding of stakeholder interests and sensitivities.
• Performing quality control on the programme and it’s workstreams to maintain the standards expected.
• Adjusting schedules and targets on the programme as needs or financing for the work change.
• Coordination across multiple internal and external stakeholders, including business engagement.
• Management of a multi-million dollar budget including forecasting and financial reporting.
• Undertake occasional travel in both North America and the UK.
• Other duties as assigned.

Resources managed (staff and expenditure): 

• Oversee and administer significant festival budget
• Role requires oversight of project workstream leads, without direct line management.

Essential on arrival:

• Established experience running festivals or large-scale events.
• Large scale project and programme management
• Stakeholder management skills and ability to build effective relationships across stakeholders with competing interests.
• Experience managing large budgets.

Language requirements:

Language: English

Level of language required: excellent verbal and written English