Events Manager - Maternity Cover

WSET's purpose is to empower people through inspiring learning experiences all over the world. We offer a comprehensive suite of globally recognised qualifications covering wines, spirits and sake.

We are the world’s leading provider of qualifications in wines, spirits, beer and sake, delivering over 140,000 exams each year to candidates in over 70 countries via our network of Approved Programme Providers (APPs).

WSET is a global organisation and we are proud to have people who work for us all over the world. We have people in Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the USA as well as the UK.

The successful applicant will contribute to a culture of integrity, empowerment, dynamism, and inclusivity within WSET.

WSET fosters a welcoming, empathetic and inspiring culture that empowers our global talent to innovate and thrive.

Any offer of employment or your ongoing employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a thorough background check by an independent third party. NB - If you currently work for one of WSET's APPs (Approved Programme Provider), you may not be eligible to apply for this role subject to your future career plans and the nature of that role. If you work for an APP either in a self-employed or employed capacity and would like to discuss your eligibility, please contact the hiring manager.

This maternity cover position offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced Events Manager with a passion for delivering impactful digital engagement and community-building experiences on a global scale. The Events Manager will be responsible for programming and delivering a diverse and dynamic annual enrichment webinar programme, ranging from globally accessible sessions to customer and community focused engagements. This includes developing and managing industry panel webinars that provide valuable insights and thought leadership. The Events Manager will also lead the development and delivery of WSET’s high profile flagship events – the Global APP Summit (virtual) and Graduation 2026 (hybrid). In addition to managing our global events programme, you will work closely with the digital marketing team to maximise webinar attendance through effective promotion. You will also be encouraged to identify new collaboration opportunities and share ideas. Additionally, you will ensure that event processes are consistently adopted across the wider organisation, providing guidance and support as required. This is a busy and fast-paced role that requires excellent organisational skills, high attention to detail, and the ability to build and manage effective relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. The ideal candidate will be highly collaborative, creative, and proactive, with proven experience in end-to-end event management and event marketing. Our events programme is evolving so flexibility and a passion for both digital and in-person events is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Webinar programme management: curate and deliver a diverse range of webinars and panel talks, ensuring alignment with global marketing themes and securing a wide range of speakers (approx. 30 sessions annually)

• Virtual conference management: Plan and deliver the annual virtual Global APP Summit in September 2025, coordinating all aspects from speaker management to audience engagement

• Lead the preparations for Graduation 2026 and the transition to our new venue.

• Event communications: Write engaging copy and build emails for event invitations, reminders, and post-event follow-ups

• Event marketing: Collaborate with the global marketing team to develop promotional plans and assets, ensuring consistent brand representation

• Budget and supplier management

• Risk assessments and contingency planning

• Providing best practice guidance across WSET

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list, and responsibilities may evolve in accordance with strategic priorities and team objectives.

Essential skills and competencies

• Extensive experience in end-to-end event management, including digital and hybrid events, with a proven track record of delivering impactful and high-quality activity.

• Demonstrated ability to manage a busy events programme with exceptional organisational skills and attention to detail.

• Experience delivering inclusive digital events on an international scale, particularly across APAC, Americas, and EMEA.

• Strong stakeholder management skills with experience building and maintaining effective relationships internally and externally.

• Excellent written communication skills with experience producing inspiring and engaging event communications.

• Proficiency in using event management and email marketing platforms, including Zoom webinar, Accel Events (or similar), Eventbrite, and Dot Digital.

• Strong budget management and reporting skills.

• Ability to work under pressure and prioritise workload

• A proactive team player with a positive and adaptable approach.

Desirable skills and competencies

• Professional events or marketing qualification

• Proficiency in CRM, ideally Microsoft Dynamics

• Experience using design tools such as Figma.

UK Benefits

Annual Leave - 27 days pa + public holidays, increases with service; ability to buy/sell 5 days

Pension (Generous options available after three months)

Health insurance (after three months):

Vitality scheme - post probation - Access to virtual GP appointments, Rewards include Caffe Nero drinks, Cinema Tickets, Apple Watch, Cash Back on Waitrose shopping, 75% off at Champneys, 6 month subscription with HeadSpace, Discounted Weight Watchers membership and gyms, Smoking Cessation day worth £300 and half price health screens

Eye voucher scheme

Food and drink in the office

Nespresso coffee makers and a range of other drinks, fruit, cereals, soups

Season ticket & gym membership loan scheme

Group income protection scheme

EAP

24/7 confidential help and support from trained counsellors and advisors

Death in service

4x annual salary paid to nominees with associated bereavement support for family

Enhanced family friendly leave and pay

Celebration vouchers

Cycle2Work scheme

Discretionary bonus

Development - WSET's in-house training and qualifications in Wines, Spirits, Sake and Beer as well as other professional development opportunities

DISCLAIMER: This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks be performed as assigned, at any time.