Senior Brand and VIP Experience Manager (FTC)

Role Responsibility

As Senior Brand and VIP Experience Manager, you’ll curate and deliver a world leading experience programme for Selfridges that develops our relationship with our customers and enhances our brand reputation.

With extensive experience in production and programming you’ll be responsible for delivering market leading experiences, managing and implementing live projects, VIP & customer programming and cultural and industry partnerships in unique locations across the country.  

You will have a keen eye for detail, quality management, creative conceptualising, strategy and in depth production experience, managing and tracking KPI’s and budgets every step of the way. You will have excellent network of contacts from fashion, arts to music and be a natural connector.

This is a multifaceted role that touches all areas of the business, you will work with teams across the business to keep everyone up to speed with multiple, large scale projects, helping to drive the overarching business strategy and results.

This is a 12-month Fixed Term Contract. 

As the Senior Brand and VIP Experience Manager, you will:

• Manage and deliver a market leading experiences with a specific focus on Brand Experiences, VIP Experiences and Cultural Partnerships, supporting our overarching business strategy of getting to know our customers better, creating extraordinary experiences and services within our stores and making our brand famous.  
• Be responsible for curating complex brand experience programmes across all channels designed to drive footfall, engage and grow relationships with our existing and new customers (particularly VIP customers) and increase brand health.
• Act as a strong and influential voice across the wider events team and with key stakeholders ensuring that project needs are articulated and understood and that business wide objectives are met.
• Lead on the curation, development and delivery of strategic projects, events & experiences across all stores and online while also working with the wider Events & Experience team to develop and deliver programming
• Manage internal and external teams to deliver projects at the highest level, ensuring exemplary standards and achieving KPI’s
• Manage large project budgets, planning and preparing and tracking annual budget spends
• Take responsibility for hosting planning meetings on large scale projects and communicate effectively across the business with all project stake-holders, customer, communications, creative, buying, finance and legal and up to Exec level
• Attend and be a considered voice within project steering meetings and communicate effectively across the business with all stake-holders
• Manage and plan work streams for the wider team in order to effectively deliver projects
• Provide production and technical experience on all projects ensuring compliance with legal, H&S, licencing standards and seeking sign off and approval from relevant experts
• Ensure that Senior Leadership teams receive regular updates regarding all planned activity and act upon feedback where appropriate
• Generate and present detailed project reports analysing status and KPIs for senior audiences
• Manage creative concepting on experiences from conception to delivery, ensuring that all activity aligns with Selfridges vision and values

• Manage strategic partnerships and long-term relationships, utilising influencing and leadership skills to develop projects that align with objectives
• Maintain a current knowledge of the wider cultural landscape with an understanding of a wide range of creative disciplines

The Ideal Candidate

• High level Senior Event Production Skills
• Excellent Project Management Skills
• Line Management skills including experience of managing teams (internal and external)
• Exceptionally good networker and people manager who possesses effective leadership and mentoring skills
• Possess strong financial acumen with budget tracking and reporting experience
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent presentation, pitching skills
• Creative vision and a commitment to quality programming
• Highly effective negotiating skills
• Strong organisational skills, being able to manage multiple projects at the same time
• Has the ability to work under pressure calmly and effectively, and to tight deadlines
• Extensive experience as a leader in experiences and cultural projects, with evidence of successful programme and project management and delivery in a retail environment
• Innovation and creativity in events management

About the Company

Rewards and benefits 

Here are just a few of our rewards and benefits that help make our team experience that bit more extraordinary. 

• Flexible working options to benefit you, your family and your wellbeing that can include part-time, flexi-time, job sharing or hybrid working

• Generous annual leave that increases with length of service 

• Up to five paid volunteering days – from beach cleans to co-ordinating food and clothing donations 

• Family leave that suits your set up including Maternity, Paternity, Adoption, Surrogacy and Shared Parental leave policies 

• Defined pension contribution scheme  

• Generous bonus and/or commission scheme  

• Enviable team member discount including sale previews and double discount days 

• Exclusive local discounts on a range of restaurants, bars, beauticians and entertainment 

• Subsidised gym memberships  

• A sustainable car salary sacrifice scheme (subject to eligibility criteria)

• Several internal communities to get involved in from our Diversity Board and Green Warriors who are leading the charge on D,E&I and sustainability, to the Wellbeings who are always thinking of new ways to champion healthy minds, bodies and routines for our team members 

• Workplace Options, our confidential team member assistance programme for when life gets tricky or you need a little guidance 

• Access to a wide range of training programmes to help your career development 

Read on to find out how you can play your part in Reinventing Retail… 

Everyone is welcome 

Selfridges is a place where we want everyone to feel a sense of belonging. We embrace every self and are committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive working culture. We are leading with purpose to not only increase the visibility and recognition of under-represented talent within our organisation, but the wider industry too. Here at Selfridges, everyone is welcome – irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, age or disability, we stand by equal opportunities for all.   

To ensure every feels welcome, we offer support at every stage of the application and interview process.  Should you need it, please let your recruitment contact know and they will be more than happy to help.

Our awards cabinet  

We’re not ones to brag, but since you asked...Selfridges has won the award for The World’s Best Department Store an unprecedented four times at the IGDS awards, with an additional award for the Best Sustainability Campaign. We were also recognised as a ‘Best 25 Big Company to Work For 2020’ as awarded by The Sunday Times. 

Selfridges