Head of Advancement Events

About the role

As King’s College London approaches a landmark period—launching a new Philanthropy and Engagement Campaign in 2027 and celebrating our Bicentenary in 2029—events will play an increasingly pivotal role in connecting our community of supporters with King’s and driving clear and measurable growth in philanthropic giving and engagement.

The Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement (P&A) Directorate is seeking an exceptional individual to establish and lead the Advancement Events team, bringing together UK and overseas philanthropy and alumni engagement event management and delivery under one unified, strategic function in order to support the University’s overarching alumni engagement and philanthropy goals and priorities.

Reporting to the Director of Advancement Communications & Engagement, the Head of Advancement Events will work closely with the Philanthropy & Alumni Engagement Leadership Team and other senior colleagues to develop the vision, strategy, and operational framework for a world-class events programme that engages our global community of alumni, donors and supporters.

The portfolio will include a diverse range of in-person, hybrid and digital activities—spanning large-scale donor engagement and recognition events, awards dinners, cultivation events for high-net-worth individuals, public engagement lectures, alumni and student networking events, donor recognition occasions, and major institutional milestones in the lead-up to 2029 and beyond.

The successful candidate will be an experienced and dynamic events leader with a proven record of delivering complex, integrated and high-profile programmes both in the UK and overseas. You will bring creative vision, operational excellence, strong decision-making and problem-solving skills and a proven ability to influence, challenge and inspire at all levels of an organisation. You will be able to use analysis and research to support the development of the Events strategy.

Your team will also have a key role to play in engaging the entire King’s community—including staff and students—in support of the forthcoming Campaign through a series of pop-up engagement and awareness events.

This is an exciting moment to look afresh at how we deliver events at King’s—an opportunity to reimagine our programme and ensure it reflects our growing ambitions, inspires our community, and brings to life the transformative power of philanthropy and engagement.

About You

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

• Significant experience leading large-scale and strategic events programmes in the UK and overseas, ideally within a higher education, non-profit, or cultural institution
• Strong strategic and creative planning skills, with the ability to translate institutional objectives into impactful event experiences
• Excellent stakeholder management and written and oral communication skills, including experience working with senior executives and major donors
• Influencing skills and ability to navigate different priorities and viewpoints
• Exceptional leadership and team management skills, with a track record of developing and motivating high-performing teams
• Strong budget management and resource planning capabilities
• Strong understanding of event metrics, evaluation frameworks, and data-informed decision-making
• Experience using CRM and event management systems

Desirable criteria

• Demonstrated success at managing, delivering and executing events overseas, that are aligned with institutional priorities, working effectively across different cultures and markets
• Proven experience of collaborating with central communications teams to create events that drive engagement and giving

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