Workforce Planning Director Venues

Utilita Arena; Manchester; On-site; GBP 100,000 - GBP 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading events organization is seeking a Workforce Planning Director to build and oversee the People Operations function for managing large, diverse teams across multiple venues. This role emphasizes compliance in staffing and ensures a best-in-class experience for employees on event days. Ideal candidates will have senior experience in operations within live events, a strong understanding of workforce management technologies, and a track record of effective team leadership.

Benefits

Discounted tickets

25 days annual leave

5% Pension contribution

Employee Assistance Programme

Cycle to Work scheme

Qualifications

• Experience in large-scale operations within live events or hospitality.
• Strong understanding of event-day compliance requirements.
• Expertise managing large volumes of casual and seasonal workers.

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end event resourcing strategy for multiple venues.
• Lead surge staffing models for high-volume event days.
• Implement compliance and capacity planning across staffing operations.
• Partner with various operational teams to ensure safety and regulations.

Skills

Senior People Operations leadership experience

Proven ability to resource and schedule

Experience with HRIS systems

Understanding of UK Working Time Regulations

Expert stakeholder management

Tools

RotaCloud

Deputy

SAP

Job description

About Legends Global

Legends Global is redefining excellence in sport, entertainment and live events. With unrivalled expertise and international reach, we provide end-to-end solutions – from venue development and event programming to revenue strategy and hospitality.

We take a 360-degree, data-driven approach across Partnerships, Hospitality, Merchandise and Attractions, working with leading clients to deliver outstanding experiences that resonate worldwide.

Our organisation is committed to fostering an inclusive and forward-thinking environment where diversity drives innovation and collaboration. Guided by our values of Align, Scale, Connect, Team and Win... we create a culture where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

About the Role

The Workforce Planning Director will build and lead a scalable, compliant and high‑performance People Operations function for a live‑events environment. This role ensures the organisation can safely and efficiently deploy large, diverse workforces — often across multiple venues — while delivering a best‑in‑class employee and event‑day experience.

You will own the entire People Operations engine, including workforce scheduling, event‑day staffing operations, and compliance.

What we can offer

Hosting events is what we do best, and we want our People to experience that too — enjoy access to discounted tickets to unleash your superfan for all your favourites.

You will work hard at Legends Global, but you will be rewarded with lots of time to relax and rest with 25 days annual leave.

We understand that you have a life outside of work and want to ensure that your loved ones will always be taken care of whilst you’re contributing to our success with our Life Assurance policy.

A healthy contribution of 5% Pension so that your golden years are spent ticking off the items on your bucket list.

Got a dental bill? Need to book a counselling session? Or even help with Physio costs? With the support of Healthshield, Legends Global will support with these unexpected costs. For you and any children.

We understand that from time to time you might need a bit of support to get you back to feeling your best, so we have teamed up with AXA Health to provide our people with an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support mental health in the workplace.

We are visionaries: both physically and metaphorically! When you join Legends Global you will be entitled to eye care vouchers and a contribution towards any glasses you require.

Pedal your way to a greener, healthier commute — join our Cycle to Work scheme and turn every ride into a win for you and the planet.

Great people know great people! Refer a friend through our Employee Referral Scheme and get rewarded for helping us build an amazing team.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee end‑to‑end event resourcing strategy, ensuring the right people, with the right skills, are staffed for each event, across FOH, BOH, F&B, hospitality, security, production, and technical roles.

• You will be responsible for ensuring The F&B Academy is clearly owned, well governed, and experienced across our venues.

• Lead surge staffing models for high‑volume event days.

• Drive the master staffing plan aligned with event calendars, site needs, and commercial forecasts.

• Oversee rota/scheduling systems to ensure Working Time compliance and capacity planning.

• Own the accreditation process — badges, passes, compliance documentation, background checks, eligibility to work.

• Ensure all staff (permanent, seasonal, agency) meet compliance standards before entering site.

• Partner with H&S, Security, and Venue Ops to uphold safety, safeguarding, and regulatory standards.

• Deliver and maintain event‑day People Ops protocols, including check‑in/check‑out structures, incident management, and welfare.

• Oversee mass onboarding cycles for seasonal and temporary talent pools.

• Lead benefits strategy for a blended workforce — permanent, casual, and event‑day.

• Build and lead a high‑performing People Ops team capable of scaling up during peak periods.

• Partner with Operations, Production, Commercial, Hospitality, Security, and F&B leads.

• Provide visible leadership on large events — “on the ground” support, troubleshooting, and people‑flow management.

• Automate workflows to reduce manual event‑day admin.

• Oversee workforce management tech (HRIS, T&A, scheduling, accreditation).

• Introduce strong operational governance: SOPs, audits, risk logs, compliance dashboards.

• Implement VOC (Voice of Colleague) and post‑event debrief loops to drive continual improvement.

We are looking for someone with

• Senior People Operations leadership experience in live events, stadiums, festivals, venues, entertainment, hospitality, or large‑scale operations.

• Proven ability to resource, schedule, and run event‑day or shift‑based operations.

• Experience with HRIS and workforce management systems (RotaCloud, Deputy, Harri, Workforce, Workday, SAP, etc.).

• Strong understanding of UK Working Time Regulations, safety standards, and event‑day compliance requirements.

• Expertise managing large volumes of casual, seasonal, contractor, and agency workers.

• Experience in sports, touring, stadium catering, or festival operations.

• Multi‑site workforce management experience.

• Event‑vendor onboarding.

• Expert stakeholder manager – able to work with Ops, Commercial, F&B, Safety.

All offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory pre‑employment checks. These may include verification of identity, proof of address, right to work, employment history, qualifications, and—where relevant to the role—a basic or enhanced DBS check. All checks will be carried out in line with data protection law and we will only request information that is necessary for the role.

Inclusive Workplace

At Legends Global, we are committed to leading the entertainment industry towards a greener, faster, and more innovative digital future. There’s never been a better time to join our team. We aim to be an inclusive organisation, trusted and admired by our colleagues, customers, and suppliers. Join us and make a significant impact from day one.

We are committed to active inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunities. This commitment begins with our recruitment and selection process. We welcome discussions about flexible working arrangements.

If you need reasonable adjustments at any stage of our recruitment process, please let us know in your application. We are dedicated to providing a fair and transparent assessment process and will do our utmost to accommodate your needs.

If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to ensure it is considered. We will continue to review applications on a rolling basis and may close the advert before the closing date.

General Information

The requirements of the business are such that it is necessary to have a flexible approach and therefore some business‑related travel to be able to work at our venues and operational sites will be required.