Head of Events & Catering

Location: Beaumont Street, Oxford, OX1 2PH

Salary: Starting from £49,119 per annum*

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Ready to lead one of the most exciting events and catering operations in the museum world?

Join us to shape unforgettable experiences at Britain’s oldest public museum.

About the role

In this role, you will work within the Commercial Department in the Ashmolean Museum, which supports the museum through income from catering, retail, publishing and venue hire.

You will lead our Events & Catering function, overseeing retail catering, venue hire and corporate membership. You will set commercial plans, manage supplier relationships and ensure excellent service standards. You will lead a team of Events Managers and support staff development. You will also oversee financial performance, ensure legal and safety compliance, and work closely with colleagues to deliver high-quality events.

This is a full-time post, working 37.5 hours per week. The role is predominantly based on-site, but some level of home-working is available, dependent on the events programme.

About You

You will have strong experience in events and catering management, with a track record of delivering high-quality events and managing budgets. You will be confident working with suppliers, leading a team and building positive relationships with clients and colleagues. You will be well organised, calm under pressure and comfortable managing multiple priorities.

Experience in museums, corporate membership schemes or systems such as Artifax would be helpful but not essential.

What We Offer

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer including: an excellent contributory pension scheme, 38 days of annual leave, a comprehensive range of childcare services, family leave schemes, cycle loan scheme, discounted bus travel and Season Ticket travel loans. More information is available at https://hr.admin.ox.ac.uk/staff-benefits

How to apply

You will be required to upload your CV and a supporting statement as part of your online application (via the ‘Apply’ button above). Your supporting statement should list each of the essential and desirable selection criteria, as listed in the job description, and explain how you meet each one. CVs alone will not be considered.

Only applications received online by 12.00 midday (GMT) on Friday 16th January 2026 can be considered. Interviews are expected to take place on Monday 2nd February or Tuesday 3rd February 2026.

* An automatic annual increment each year will be paid up to (and not including) the discretionary range within the University of Oxford’s Grade 8 salary scale.

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