Head of Event; EMEA

About

The Role x SailGP Championship is the most exciting racing on water, where anything can happen in short, adrenaline-fueled battles between national teams at iconic stadium destinations worldwide. Top athletes fly in identical high-tech F50 catamarans faster than the wind, at speeds approaching 60 mph. Founded in 2018, SailGP is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports and entertainment properties, now in its fifth season.

SailGP also races for a better future, championing a world powered by nature. In 2020, SailGP set a new standard as the first climate positive sports and entertainment property and began delivering actions and innovations that advance the global adoption of clean energy. Underpinning the organisation’s purpose-driven agenda is a diversification of the league, with the goal of immediately progressing gender equity and inclusivity.

We are seeking an experienced, driven, and collaborative Head of Event to lead the planning, execution and delivery of up to two SailGP events across our host cities. You will own the full event lifecycle, working closely with our Global and Local teams, and orchestrating a wide range of operational, commercial, and stakeholder functions to deliver a world class sporting spectacle.

• Lead the end-to-end project management of the event, maintaining a robust project plan aligned with the One Event Plan (OEP) framework and utilising the governance tools provided by the Event Readiness team to ensure strict compliance with SailGP processes, stage gates, and timelines.
• Drive effective communication across teams and stakeholders to ensure smooth coordination, cross-departmental alignment, and successful delivery.
• Maintain a rigorous, high-frequency reporting cadence, providing regular updates on milestone progress, active risks, and operational readiness through the Championship Dashboard to guarantee total accountability and visibility throughout the event lifecycle.

• Act as SailGP’s in-market representative, managing all local stakeholder relationships and obligations within the Host Venue Agreement.
• Organise and report on key stakeholder meetings and maintain strong local engagement.

• Ensure seamless alignment and integration between the specialist Infrastructure and Operations teams, guaranteeing that venue design, infrastructure planning, build, and dismantle activities are perfectly synchronised with the overarching event timeline.
• Facilitate continuous cross-functional coordination across all localised site operations and services— including health & safety, crowd management, catering, ticketing, branding, and accreditation—to maintain a unified, macro view of event readiness.
• Act as the central integration point on-site, ensuring that the physical footprint delivered by Infrastructure perfectly meets the commercial, fan experience, and operational requirements of all internal and external stakeholders.

• Lead on the event budget development and financial oversight, maintaining strict budget accountability across all assigned functions.
• Maintain a rigorous financial reporting cadence, providing regular updates on forecasting, tracking budget-versus-actual spend, and flagging variances early to ensure total transparency for the Finance team and leadership.
• Ensure absolute adherence to global procurement, finance, and legal policies.

• Oversee the development and execution of key safety, risk registers, and emergency management plans.
• In conjunction with the SailGP Risk function, ensure compliance across local regulations and internal risk and safety protocols.

• Lead the local team on all permitting and licensing processes, acting as the primary liaison with local authorities to ensure legal deadlines are met.
• Manage documentation, tracking systems, and briefings related to all required permissions.

• Partner with and support the specialist Experience team in curating and delivering a compelling and inclusive fan experience program, including ticketing,…