Head of Events - Royal Academy of Arts

The Royal Academy Events Team manages over 350 public and private events per year, including fundraising galas, opening receptions, private views, lectures, dinners, and corporate and private hires. Many of these events are attended by prominent individuals from across the arts world, high-net-worth individuals, celebrities, politicians, and royalty.

We are now seeking an ambitious and dedicated Head of Events to lead and inspire our dynamic events team. Bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in events production and management, the Head of Events will manage the delivery of all internal and external events at the Royal Academy. This includes high profile events such as the Summer Exhibition Preview Party, events celebrating exhibition openings, corporate events and private hire.

The RA dates way back to 1768 when a group of artists and architects persuaded King George lll to help them to ‘establish a society for promoting the Art of Design'. The original academy, in Pall Mall, was less than 10 meters long. Since then, there have been many changes, though the RA’s core purpose of bringing art and design to a broad audience and championing art and artists still holds true.  

Today we are a contemporary art organisation hosting internationally acclaimed exhibitions and through investment in employee training and development, with courses such as Unconscious Bias, LGBTQ+ Awareness, Bystander, and Mental Health First Aid training, we are striving to foster a safe space for everyone through positive action. We also have Employee Network Groups, Ways In Groups, and an Employee Council so every employee has a voice and a way to feel heard by colleagues through the CEO.  

The RA is truly a unique place, both as an attraction to our visitors, but also as a workplace. Our people are at the heart of all we do, and we support a broad and inspiring mix of departments; from exhibitions, curators, art handlers, researchers, publishers, and digital to schools and education, visitor welcome, fundraisers, and corporate support.

‍

To be considered for this role, you will have substantial experience in events production and management together with demonstrable experience effectively managing an events team. With significant experience managing fundraising events and income generation through corporate and commercial hire events, you will have a successful track record of delivering a varied portfolio of events, ideally within a museum and/or gallery. You will be well versed in liaising with a range of stakeholders, and networking at a senior level, as well as be a confident communicator who has a solution focussed approach to working. With refined team leadership skills, you will be a strategic thinker experienced in shaping and developing strategy.

For more information, please see the attached job description and person specification.

Head of Events - Job Description - May 24.pdf - Download

‍