External Operations Manager

As our operating environment continues to change across the Wembley Park Estate, and the complexity of our operations and stakeholder relationships increases, The FA are seeking an External Operations Manager to support the Senior External Operations Manager in the implementation and delivery of external stadium operations. The role will be ensuring we provide safe, secure and efficient access for all at Wembley Stadium, whilst minimising any disruption to local residents and businesses.

What will you be doing?

• Lead external/transport operational planning and delivery for allocated events, which includes delivery of Zone Ex, Transport, Traffic Management, Parking, External Stewarding, Fan Zone & Bag Drop Operations.
• Produce and update pre-event documentation including External Operations Plans, Fan Zone Management Plans, Licence Briefing Sheets and RAMS for allocated events.
• Manage/Oversee pre-event planning for external fan zones, liaising with operations, stewarding, entertainment and catering contractors.
• On event days, manage the Zone Ex Co-ordination Centre Room, liaising with Main Stadium Control Room, Police Control Room, local stakeholders/land owners, transport partners & external operations contractors. Prepare transport comms and co-ordinated response with internal and external stakeholders during the event if incidents occur.
• Co-ordinate/manage external operations and traffic management contractors throughout their event day and non-event day operations.
• Manage finance and budget for allocated events using FA Finance management systems (raising Purchase Orders, etc)
• Liaise with Zone Ex stakeholders (Wembley Park, LBB, Met Police, BTP, TfL, Wembley Arena) on both event and non-event day operations, attending and at times chairing regular meetings including Wembley Stadium Transport Operations Group (WSTOG) & Zone Ex Co-ordination Meetings.
• Oversee the stadium external signage, wayfinding and digital assets for both event and non-event day.
• Liaise with the commercial department on any external sponsor activations or filming – both event and non-event days.
• Liaise with fanatics on the external merchandise event day offering.
• Liaise with the ticketing department on resident & business association ticketing process and distribution.
• Support the External Operations team with administrative support where required.
• Coordinate both event day and non-event day parking, manage queries and requests and liaise with the parking contractor.
• Coordinate Wembley Resident & Business associations meetings and liaisons.
• Manage the accreditation process for the External Operations Department.,
• Manage the vehicle and pedestrian access process for both event and non-event days.
• Manage WNSL's taxi booking process and ensure taxi journeys are booked in line with WNSL policy.
• Manage both WNSL's event day and non-event day parking requirements, by ensuring the parking manifests are up to date, parking enquiries are dealt with promptly and align with WNSL's parking polices.
• Execute additional tasks as required to meet the FA's changing priorities.
• Comply with all company policies and procedures to ensure that the highest standards of health, safety, and well-being can be maintained.

What are we looking for?
Essential for the role:

• Knowledge of Zone Ex/Transport Planning and operations at major events and/or venues.
• Experience of delivering event operations at stadia, external sites or large venues
• Experience in leading teams and delivering projects to tight/immovable deadlines.
• Experience of working in multi-stakeholder environments.
• Good knowledge and previous use of Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams) to an intermediate level.
• Ability to create quality presentations and present to a wide range of key stakeholders using Microsoft Teams or other meeting software
• Strong report-writing skills.

Beneficial to have:

• Knowledge of Zone Ex/Transport Planning and operations, specifically in the mega event, football or concert sector.
• Educated to degree level.
• Experience of working with internal/external stakeholders at different levels of business to influence key event/venue decisions.
• Experience of working under high levels of public scrutiny.
• Experience of delivering event operations at stadia, external sites or large venues in a management role.
• Knowledge or experience of manipulating audio/visual file types for producing digital/static signage.

What's in it for you?
We are committed to ensuring everyone can flourish in their roles, to achieve this we have unique office spaces under the arch of the iconic Wembley National Stadium, which is the home of English Football. We are also delighted to offer a world-class, Elite Performance Centre, St. George's Park in Staffordshire which is an exceptional setting to develop and inspire high-performing England teams and leaders.

We pride ourselves in offering a competitive salary as well as great opportunities to develop and grow in your role. But that is not all; we also have a range of exciting benefits, some of which can be found below:

• Access to event day tickets at Wembley Stadium, alongside a host of regular internal events throughout the season, encouraging you to connect and learn with your colleagues and look after your mental health and well-being.
• Free, nutritious lunches at Wembley Stadium and St. George's Park.
• Free private medical cover.
• A contributory pension scheme.
• An additional 'Thank You' days leave, volunteering days as well as 25 days annual leave (based on a full-time, permanent contract.)
• A hybrid working model which offers greater flexibility.

For more information on what it is like to work at The FA, please visit our FA Careers page,

Currently, we are working within a hybrid working model whereby the expectation is to work from your contractual location for part of the week, and as and when required by the team. The remaining days can be worked remotely. We will continue to monitor this model, and it may be adjusted in future if deemed necessary. The contractual location of this role can be found on the FA Careers page.

We are a diverse workplace, aspiring to represent football across the country. The Football Association actively promotes inclusion and diversity, encouraging you to be the best version of yourself at work.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. If you have any particular requirements in respect of the recruitment or interview process, please mention this during your application.

As part of the FA's commitment to ensuring a safe environment for everyone in football, every employee will be required to complete a DBS check. The level of the check required will be based on the activity of the specific job role and in line with legislation and government guidance.