PUBLIC is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants of all different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Candidates from non-traditional backgrounds and underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged to apply. 

The Role

PUBLIC is a fast growing company helping the government to work with the latest and best technology. Central to this is the ecosystem PUBLIC creates through our events & engagement, connecting public officials, innovators and investors to rethink how technology can shape public services. 

As the Events Lead, you will be responsible for developing and delivering PUBLIC’s community engagement and events strategy, overseeing a programme of virtual and in-person events. You will work closely with the Campaigns team, the Growth team and PUBLIC’s broader business units to identify new areas for potential events to drive opportunities across the business. 

You will also lead the delivery of PUBLIC’s flagship event, the annual GovTech Summit. Attended annually by over 1,200 startups, investors and public officials, the GovTech Summit is Europe’s leading event on the use of technology in public services and has previously attracted high-level speakers such as President of France Emmanuel Macron, President of Estonia Kaja Kallas, Dutch Digital Minister Alexandra van Huffelen, and Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. You will help to grow the Summit’s presence, working with cross-functional teams to cement the Summit’s role in positing PUBLIC at the centre of GovTech. 

Responsibilities include:

• Managing the Events team, with two direct reports (including managing additional inputs from other teams, e.g. Campaigns team)

• Evolving PUBLIC’s event strategy in line with the objectives of our business development campaigns and paid-client projects; 

• Overseeing the delivery of flagship events (i.e. annual GovTech Summit, Defence Disrupted 2023/4), leading cross-functional teams and managing relationships with third-party delivery partners; 

• Managing the budgets for each event and contributing to corporate sponsor outreach;

• Developing an ongoing programme of in-house events, roundtables and discussions, supporting the Events team to design content and themes alongside PUBLIC’s business unit teams, along with end-to-end organisation of the events; 

• Optimising event processes to improve efficiency and effectiveness;

• Reviewing event outcomes to evaluate success.

Who we are looking for:

We are looking for an ambitious and motivated individual, who can oversee a team delivering a busy schedule of in-house events, whilst leading the long-term project management of The GovTech Summit and developing a cohesive event strategy as PUBLIC grows. The ideal candidate is an excellent communicator and influencer with strong research skills; is analytical and articulate; a team player with a professional demeanour and enjoys being part of an enthusiastic, business-oriented and committed team. Must be driven and able to work with a sense of urgency, have excellent attention to detail, control the event process and be able to immerse yourself in new industries quickly.

Essential skills 

• 4+ year’s experience of planning and delivering high profile events

• Ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with senior stakeholders

• Ability to manage complex teams of internal and external stakeholders, balancing competing interests to deliver events which serve PUBLIC’s business objectives

• Excellent attention to detail and a motivation to take initiative and improve systems and processes

• Experience directly line managing an events team, including overseeing contributions from supporting teams 

• Comfortable working in a demanding, fast-paced environment 

• An interest in public sector innovation / GovTech

• Experience delivering large-scale in person events 

Desirable skills

• Experience delivering government-facing or technology sector events

What you don’t need

A degree, or a traditional educational background

This role is based in the United Kingdom, and as such starting employment will be conditional on the successful candidate’s Right to Work in the UK. For those otherwise eligible to obtain the Right to Work in the UK, we offer the facility to borrow up to £2,000 towards visa-related expenses.

Salary and benefits

Salary for this position will be £46,350 - £61,800 per annum dependent on skills and experience.

Like the rest of the company, you’ll benefit from:

• Company pension scheme

• Discretionary bonus scheme

• 25 days per year, increasing one day per year up to a maximum of 30 days (in addition to bank holidays)

• Investment in your learning & development: 6 days of paid L&D leave per year and a £300 per year learning budget to keep on building your skills through our learning platform, Learnerbly.

• A ‘Wellness Budget’ of £300 a year to spend on things that support your wellness, such as gym membership, yoga, mindfulness or whatever works for you. 

• Mental Health support - via our EAP, Lifeworks. 

• Access to discounts & financial support using our EAP, Lifeworks & Charlie HR

• A Cycle to Work Scheme - giving you a tax efficient way to get a new bike.

• A work MacBook, and a £300 “working from home” budget to make sure you have all the equipment you need to work safely when you’re not in the office.

• Flexibility to work up to 20 days per calendar year outside of the country in which you are employed. 

• Hybrid working flexibility which can be agreed with your line manager when you start.

• Community groups such as Women at PUBLIC, Parents and Carers, LGBTQ+, Race & Ethnicity Group.

• Regular All Team socials and other team-led events.

About PUBLIC

PUBLIC helps reimagine and build digitally-enabled public services. We started life as an accelerator and investor and have evolved to become Europe’s leading government-focused technology company. 

Our mission is to help public sector bodies transform the services they offer in order to create a better society for everyone. We strongly believe that public service can be pursued both inside and outside of government. 

Led by Daniel Korski, ex-deputy head of the No.10 policy unit and venture investor Alexander de Carvalho, PUBLIC is a ‘policy-to-product’ business - keen on shaping policy, transforming systems and finding and developing the products that can bring the policy to life. 

We built PUBLIC amidst Europe’s startup ecosystem, helped shape “GovTech” into a critical sector and firmly believe new companies are critical to government transformation, from welfare policy, through online harms to climate change. 

Our London home is PUBLIC Hall, a buzzing co-working space in the centre of Westminster; in Berlin we co-founded the government’s GovTech Campus. We continue to foster these communities, support innovators and provide the public sector with easy access to a pipeline of innovative solutions.