Workforce Planning Manager Permanent NEW

Workforce Planning Manager

Location: London (hybrid working)
Role Type: Permanent, full-time (35 hours)

Salary: £63,000 – £68,000 per annum

The Role

We are supporting a large-scale events organisation in the search for an experienced Workforce Planning Manager. This is a pivotal role responsible for leading workforce strategy and operational delivery across a complex, high-volume event environment.

You will take ownership of workforce planning, scheduling, and headcount management across a workforce of permanent staff, casual workers, freelancers, and volunteers. Alongside this, you will oversee the operational delivery of workforce logistics, ensuring a seamless experience for all event personnel.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end workforce planning across multiple workforce types, ensuring a clear view of demand, supply, and cost
• Deliver workforce forecasting and scenario modelling to support changing event requirements
• Partner with finance and operational teams to align workforce plans with budgets
• Analyse workforce data to identify risks, improve performance, and inform decision-making
• Define and track key workforce metrics such as fill rates, costs, and utilisation

• Own the workforce planning cycle, ensuring clear governance, timelines, and accountability
• Influence senior stakeholders to improve planning discipline and cost control

• Oversee workforce demand planning and scheduling strategy
• Define principles for shift planning, coverage, and workforce allocation
• Identify risks in workforce deployment and implement mitigation strategies
• Drive improvements in workforce fill and utilisation

• Ensure workforce readiness for live events, including contingency planning
• Oversee workforce logistics such as accommodation, transport, uniforms, and catering
• Support robust and efficient pay processes in partnership with finance

• Lead and develop a small team, setting clear priorities and service standards

Essential experience:

• Strong experience in workforce planning, operations, or large-scale resource management
• Experience within events, hospitality, or large-scale operational environments
• Highly analytical, with experience working with large datasets and generating insight
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment

• Experience with workforce management systems (e.g. scheduling platforms)
• Budget management experience
• Experience leading teams and driving process improvement