Deputy Operations Manager

About this role

Bringing the event to life requires a dedicated workforce of event professionals who play a vital role in delivering safe, memorable and high-quality experiences for guests throughout the season. We are looking for a Deputy Operations Manager who will play a vital role in supporting the safe, efficient and successful delivery of Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. Acting as a key operational presence across the event site, you will be responsible for monitoring day-to-day operations, identifying and escalating issues, supporting incident management, and ensuring event plans, procedures and safety measures are effectively implemented.

Working closely with the Event Control Centre (ECC) team, the Ticketing & Customer Operations team, the Production team, and security, stewarding, safety, medical and welfare providers, you will help maintain high operational standards across the event. In the event of an incident or emergency, you will act as an Event Bronze, coordinating resources on the ground, providing situational awareness to Event Silver, and supporting the delivery of an effective and proportionate response.

This is a dynamic, hands-on role that requires excellent communication, sound decision-making and a proactive approach to ensuring the best possible experience for our visitors, staff and stakeholders.

Purpose

The purpose of the Deputy Operations Manager role is to maintain a safe and secure event and a high-quality visitor experience through solid and dynamic operational management. This role forms part of a team of two Operations Managers and four Deputy Operations Managers, who will ensure the successful operational delivery of the event.

The event will open for seven weeks to the public, running from 19th November 2026 until 3rd January 2027, and will kick-off with a private preview night on 18th November. There will also be a number of set-up days prior to the event opening in mid-November and derig days immediately after the event closes in early January. This role will be operational throughout set-up, live show and derig; the post holder must therefore be available for the whole period.

Role Responsibilities & Accountabilities

Business As Usual

• During Business As Usual, the post-holder form part of the Event Operations Management Team, working on a rota basis and supporting the safe, efficient and successful delivery of Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. This will include:
• Carrying out daily opening checks prior to the event opening (early shift) and supporting the safe and efficient egress of visitors at the end of each operational day (late shift).
• Providing operational oversight of designated zones across the event site, ensuring high standards of safety, service and operational performance are maintained.
• Supporting the management of designated operational areas, including:
• Ops North: Overseeing the northern area of the site, including responding to and managing escalated issues at Gold and Red Gates.
• Ops South: Overseeing the southern area of the site, including responding to and managing escalated issues at Blue and Green Gates.
• Ops Resilience: Supporting the Event Control Centre (ECC) by monitoring site capacity, visitor flows and gate operations, while remaining deployable to incidents as required.
• Ops Central: Overseeing the central areas of the site, liaising closely with the Bavarian Village Operations Manager and Venue Managers, and responding to operational issues as they arise.
• Conducting routine patrols and inspections of the event site to ensure operational activities are running in line with plans, procedures and safety requirements.
• Carrying out regular inspections of key infrastructure and safety-critical areas, including emergency exit routes and access points.
• Monitoring crowd densities, visitor flows and pinch points, reporting concerns and recommendations to the Event Control Centre.
• Attending, monitoring and supporting areas of operational concern, providing real-time updates, recommendations and actions to the Event Silver and/or ECC.
• Reporting incidents, near misses and operational issues, and supporting the Incident Reporter in gathering and communicating accurate information.
• Identifying and escalating infrastructure issues, defects or concerns to the Production Team and relevant stakeholders.
• Maintaining effective communication with the Event Control Centre, providing regular updates on operational performance, emerging risks and incidents.
• Liaising with Security, Medical, Welfare, Stewarding and other event partners to ensure coordinated operational delivery across the site.
• Supporting the implementation of operational plans and contingency measures to maintain a safe and positive visitor experience.

Incident Response

• In the event of an incident or emergency, the post-holder will act as an Event Bronze in line with the HPWW Emergency and Major Incident Procedure. This will include:
• Effectively coordinating the scene of the incident, including cordoning off the relevant area(s), ensuring public safety and instigating crime scene preservation if required.
• Managing the resources made available by the Event Silver/Event Control Centre (ECC) to effectively achieve the above.
• Making an initial assessment of the situation, using ETHANE to provide early situational awareness of the incident and the relevant resource requirements.
• Co-locating with resources from suppliers (e.g. medical, security, stewarding) to identify a forward command point (FCP), if not already done, and agreeing initial actions including the timings of future meetings.
• Sharing information, intelligence and risk information to make effective joint decisions and coordinating operational plans with the Event Silver.
• Ensuring resources (e.g. security, medics, welfare) are briefed on actions and coordinated on the ground to meet the priorities set by the Event Silver.
• Communicating to the Event Silver with situational updates.
• Discussing how continually changing hazards and risks could affect each supplier and communicating this with the Event Silver - working with teams to address these hazards and risks and remaining aware of the potential impacts of any decisions made.
• Carrying out operational support as deployed by the Event Silver.
• Keeping a record of decisions made throughout the incident response.
• Joining Hot Debriefs post incidents and provide written debriefs as and when required to the Event Silver

Requirements

Essential

• Experience managing event operations at ticketed outdoor/greenfield events.
• Experience of event front of house and/or gates management.
• Experience working with contractors and suppliers.
• Experience working with a wide range of stakeholders from different organisations and differing organisational levels.

Desirable

• Experience of incident response and acting as an Event Bronze.
• Experience working on large-scale public events, festivals, sporting events, exhibitions, or entertainment venues.
• Knowledge of event security and access control procedures.
• Skills & Abilities (Personal and Professional)
• A confident and proactive individual who remains calm, professional and decisive in both routine operations and emergency situations.
• Strong verbal and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively with staff, contractors, emergency services, suppliers and senior management.
• Excellent situational awareness and the ability to assess dynamic situations quickly, making informed decisions under pressure.
• Ability to build and maintain positive working relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to coordinate multidisciplinary teams and resources effectively during incidents and operational activities.

Qualifications and Training

• Educated to A Level, Degree or equivalent.

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