Job Title - Lead, Events

DESCRIPTION

Lead Pearson's global events strategy, portfolio and delivery capability, ensuring every event investment drives measurable commercial, customer, brand, partnership and thought leadership outcomes. Comparable market titles for this opportunity may include Head of Events, Global Head of Events, Director of Events, Senior Director of Events, Events Portfolio Director, Global Events Director, Experiential Marketing Director, Head of Event Marketing, Director of Corporate Events, Director of Strategic Events, Head of Conferences & Events, or Global Event Strategy Lead.

LOCATION & WORKING PATTERN

• Remote role based in the UK.
• No regular office requirement however you may utilise Pearson offices where practical.
• Flexibility is required to collaborate across US, UK and global time zones.
• Domestic and international travel will be required to support priority events, supplier partners, stakeholder engagement and team collaboration.
• Travel levels will vary throughout the year based on business priorities and portfolio requirements.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Pearson is seeking a strategic and experienced Events leader to shape and deliver a large, complex global events portfolio across International Higher Education.

As Lead, Events, you will own the strategy, governance, prioritisation and performance of Pearson's global events portfolio, with particular focus on the United States and United Kingdom markets. You will lead a team of event professionals while ensuring investment, resources and effort are directed toward the highest-value opportunities across conferences, exhibitions, sponsorships, executive engagements, customer events, partner activations and internal leadership programmes.

This role combines people leadership, portfolio management, commercial strategy and operational excellence. Working within a highly matrixed environment, you will align business units, commercial teams, marketing disciplines, executive stakeholders and external partners around a shared vision for event success.

You will play a key role in ensuring every event contributes meaningfully to business growth, customer engagement, brand visibility, thought leadership and strategic partnership development while maintaining consistency, quality and efficiency across Pearson's global event activity.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Lead Global Event Strategy & Portfolio Management

• Own the strategy, prioritisation and performance of a large global events portfolio.
• Translate enterprise, marketing, commercial and customer priorities into an annual events roadmap.
• Define event objectives, audience strategies, investment levels and success measures.
• Apply portfolio tiering and investment frameworks to determine where Pearson should lead, sponsor, exhibit, partner or participate.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate investments, reduce duplication and increase efficiency across regions and business units.
• Use market insight, portfolio data and performance metrics to recommend strategic investment decisions and future opportunities.

Lead & Develop High-Performing Teams

• Lead, coach and develop a geographically dispersed team of event professionals.
• Establish clear priorities, expectations and performance standards.
• Allocate team resources based on business impact, event complexity and strategic importance.
• Create an inclusive, collaborative and accountable culture.
• Build organisational capability through coaching, development planning and succession management.
• Establish operating rhythms that support planning, readiness reviews, learning and continuous improvement.

Drive Exceptional Event Delivery

• Provide strategic oversight across all stages of event planning and execution.
• Ensure excellence in event production, attendee experience, executive engagement and operational delivery.
• Develop playbooks, governance models, templates and quality standards that improve consistency and scalability.
• Lead readiness reviews for major events and critical programmes.
• Ensure risks, dependencies, decision points and contingency plans are clearly understood and managed.
• Act as the senior escalation point for high-profile or high-risk events.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure compliance with legal, procurement, privacy, accessibility, health and safety, financial and brand requirements.
• Protect Pearson's reputation through strong governance and effective risk management.
• Establish clear controls and operational standards across the portfolio.
• Manage contractual, financial and operational risks appropriately.

Influence Stakeholders & External Partners

• Build trusted relationships with senior leaders across Marketing, Sales, Product, Communications, Finance, Procurement, Legal and Regional Business teams.
• Align competing stakeholder requirements into clear priorities and actionable plans.
• Lead strategic relationships with agencies, event organisers, suppliers, venues and technology vendors.
• Oversee supplier selection, commercial negotiations and performance management.
• Provide executive stakeholders with clear recommendations, investment cases and portfolio reporting.

Drive Commercial Impact & Continuous Improvement

• Define and measure success across the events portfolio.
• Connect event activity to pipeline creation, customer engagement, partnership development, brand awareness and business growth.
• Partner with Sales and Marketing Operations to improve lead capture, attribution and reporting.
• Maintain executive dashboards covering portfolio performance, investment effectiveness, capacity planning and risk management.
• Drive ongoing improvements in efficiency, attendee experience, supplier performance and event ROI.
• Champion event technology, automation and data-driven decision making.

WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS

Events play a critical role in how Pearson engages customers, learners, educators, partners and industry leaders around the world.

This role is responsible for ensuring event investments deliver meaningful business outcomes, strengthen customer relationships and elevate Pearson's position as a trusted leader within education and learning.

The successful candidate will shape a world-class events capability that delivers strategic value through disciplined planning, exceptional execution and measurable impact.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Essential Experience

• Significant senior leadership experience managing complex corporate, B2B or enterprise events portfolios across multiple regions.
• Proven experience leading and developing event teams.
• Strong track record of translating business strategy into prioritised event programmes and measurable outcomes.
• Extensive experience managing conferences, exhibitions, sponsorships, executive programmes, customer events and partner activations.
• Experience operating within global, matrixed organisations.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing capability at senior levels.
• Demonstrated success managing budgets, resources, suppliers and commercial investment decisions.

Knowledge & Skills

• Deep understanding of live, virtual and hybrid event delivery.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen.
• Expertise in portfolio governance, event operations and risk management.
• Strong understanding of event measurement, attribution and performance reporting.
• Excellent executive communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to make informed decisions in complex and high-pressure situations.
• Highly organised with excellent planning and prioritisation capability.
• Strong supplier negotiation and relationship management skills.
• Experience using enterprise event management, project management, CRM and reporting platforms.

Desirable

• Direct experience delivering event programmes across both US and UK markets.
• Experience within Higher Education, Education Technology, SaaS or global corporate environments.
• Familiarity with event technology platforms, automation tools and audience engagement solutions.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Event Management or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience.

LEADERSHIP EXPECTATIONS

Live Our Purpose

Connect every event investment to meaningful customer, learner, partner and business outcomes.

Carry Our Culture

Create an inclusive environment built on trust, accountability, collaboration and respect across teams, markets and cultures.

Simplify the Complexity

Turn diverse priorities, competing demands and operational challenges into clear decisions, practical plans and visible ownership.

Deliver Results

Maintain high standards, make evidence-based decisions and deliver predictable outcomes without compromising quality or integrity.

Lead Through Others

Set direction, empower teams, coach for growth and create conditions that enable people to perform at their best.

WHY JOIN PEARSON?

At Pearson, we're committed to helping learners realise the life they imagine through learning.

This is an opportunity to shape one of Pearson's most visible global capabilities, influencing how we engage customers, partners and industry stakeholders around the world.

You'll lead a talented team, manage a high-profile international portfolio and drive measurable business impact through strategic event experiences that strengthen relationships, build brand credibility and support growth across the organisation.