Event Staffing & Workforce Planning Manager

Event Staffing & Workforce Planning Manager

Location: Ascot Racecourse, High Street, Ascot, SL5 7JX, with travel to off-site events
Salary: Up to £44,000 per annum plus up to 10% performance bonus and benefits
Hours: 40 hours per week, including weekend racedays and events as required
Perks: Raceday tickets

Job Introduction

From the first staffing forecast to the final raceday deployment, your planning will help bring exceptional hospitality to life at Ascot Racecourse. You will act as the People Operations lead, coaching and directing

Sodexo Live! is looking for an Event Staffing & Workforce Planning Manager with practical experience coordinating casual or temporary workforces and controlling labour costs. Joining our team at one of the world’s most recognised sporting venues, you’ll lead the staffing operation that connects event requirements with the people needed to deliver them.

Ascot offers an impressive scale and variety of events, with approximately 3,500 casual workers supporting Royal Ascot. Alongside this flagship occasion, you’ll plan staffing across racedays, hospitality and core business operations, and provide support to off-site events. You’ll work closely with operational managers and agency partners to turn changing requirements into accurate, achievable staffing plans.

This role combines detailed planning with live operational delivery. You’ll lead the People Operations team, use workforce data to inform decisions and keep staffing levels, costs and service requirements aligned. During busy periods, you’ll help resolve staffing challenges and ensure colleagues are deployed where they are needed most.

If you have experience managing event staffing, coordinating a temporary workforce or leading workforce scheduling in a busy hospitality, leisure or service environment, this is an opportunity to bring your expertise to a prestigious venue and see the impact of your work on every event.

What You’ll Do:

• Own workforce planning and staffing coordination across Ascot’s core business, racedays and hospitality operations, supporting off-site events as required.
• Translate event requirements and anticipated demand into staffing forecasts, schedules and deployment plans that meet service needs and agreed budgets.
• Lead, coach and develop the People Operations team, setting clear priorities and ensuring staffing activity is organised, accurate and responsive.
• Coordinate casual workers and agency partners, monitoring staffing availability, addressing shortfalls and responding to changes before and during events.
• Monitor labour costs, agency usage and staffing performance, identifying potential overspends and working with operational managers to take corrective action.
• Oversee timesheet checks, hours authorisation and payroll submissions, ensuring workforce information is accurate and deadlines are met.
• Work with colleagues to strengthen the casual workforce pipeline through effective recruitment support, onboarding, engagement and retention.
• Improve scheduling processes, workforce reporting and use of systems, ensuring staffing activity meets company policies and relevant workforce compliance requirements.

What You Bring:

We’re looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• Direct experience planning, scheduling and deploying casual, temporary or agency workers across a busy operation or events programme.
• Ownership of staffing forecasts and labour cost control, including matching staffing levels to demand and monitoring performance against budgets.
• Experience coordinating changing staffing requirements, managing shortages and resolving operational issues under time pressure.
• Experience leading and developing a team, with the ability to set priorities and maintain standards during peak periods.
• Confidence using workforce scheduling, time and attendance or labour management systems.
• Strong Excel and reporting skills, with the ability to interpret workforce data and turn it into practical staffing decisions.
• Experience checking timesheets or workforce hours and coordinating accurate information for payroll.
• Strong relationship-building skills, with experience working closely with operational managers, staffing agencies and other stakeholders.
• A practical understanding of the compliance requirements involved in engaging and deploying casual or temporary workers.
• Flexibility to support weekend racedays, peak event periods and travel to off-site events.

Experience using Humanforce and a full UK driving licence would be advantageous.

What we offer:

Working with Sodexo is more than a job; it’s a chance to be part of something greater. You’ll belong in a company and team that values you for you; you’ll act with purpose and have an impact through your everyday actions; and you’ll be able to thrive in your own way. In addition, we also offer a range of resources, rewards and benefits for our colleagues and their families:

• Unlimited access to an online platform offering mental health and wellbeing support.
• Employee Assistance Programme to help with everyday issues or larger problems where you may need additional support, including legal and financial advice, support with work related issues or personal issues such as bereavement.
• Access to a free health and wellbeing app that provides rewards for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and includes access to a 24hr virtual GP and various other services.
• The Sodexo Discounts Scheme, offering great deals 24/7 (also open to friends and family) and/or the prepayment cashback card.
• Money Insights and financial benefits via the Salary Finance Platform.
• Save for your future by becoming a member of the Sodexo Retirement Plan
• A Death-in-Service benefit for colleagues who pass away whilst employed by Sodexo
• Opportunities to enable colleagues to grow and succeed throughout their career at Sodexo, including a variety of learning and development tools.
• Cycle to Work Scheme to help colleagues to do their bit for the environment whilst keeping fit.
• Volunteering Opportunities to enable all colleagues to help support worthwhile causes in our communities.
• Flexible and dynamic work environment
• Competitive compensation
• Full training and full protective uniform supplied.

Ready to be part of something greater? Apply today! Career progression for the caring profession.

Sodexo reserves the right to close this advertisement early if we are in receipt of a high volume of applications.

About Sodexo

At Sodexo, our purpose is to create a better every day for everyone to build a better life for all. As the global leader in services that improve the Quality of Life, we operate in 55 countries, serving over 100 million consumers each day through our unique combination of On-Site Food and FM Services, Benefits & Rewards Services and Personal & Home Services.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer. We are a forces friendly employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds, and identities. We encourage our employees to get involved with our Employee Networks such as Pride, Sodexo Parents & Carers, Sodexo Disability, Ability network, So Together, Generations and Origins.

Sodexo Disability, Ability network, So Together, Generations and Origins.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations.

Click here to read more about what we do to promote an inclusive culture.

File Downloads

• UK Rewards and Benefits Guide..pdf