Programme Manager

Founded in 1962, D&AD is dedicated to inspiring, celebrating and enabling creative excellence within advertising and design.

Our world-class learning programmes upskill the current and future creative workforce.

While focused on advertising and design, our broader goal is to demonstrate the positive impact that creativity can have across education, the economy and society.

The D&AD Awards and New Blood Awards celebrate and showcase the world's best creative work across design, advertising, production, craft and emerging talent.

Each year, work is judged by hundreds of leading creative practitioners, innovators and industry experts from around the world.

The Programmes Manager is responsible for supporting the operational delivery, continuous improvement and ongoing development of the D&AD Awards and New Blood Awards programmes.

This role oversees awards operations, judging delivery, exhibition management, programme development, systems improvement and performance analysis, ensuring an exceptional experience for entrants, judges, partners and stakeholders worldwide.

Working collaboratively with senior stakeholders across Awards, Foundation and Digital teams, the Programmes Manager drives operational excellence, identifies opportunities for innovation and continuous improvement, and leads projects that support the ongoing development, delivery and global reputation of D&AD's programmes.

Dimensions of the Role

• Responsible for the delivery of D&AD's Awards and New Blood programmes, supporting thousands of entrants and hundreds of judges globally each year.
• Leads multiple complex workstreams simultaneously across awards operations, judging, exhibition delivery, systems development and programme enhancement.
• Line manages a temporary and seasonal workforce of up to 15-20 staff during peak operational periods and provides leadership across cross-functional project teams.
• Manages relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders, including entrants, judges, suppliers, exhibition partners and international representatives.
• Leads the delivery of the D&AD Awards Exhibition programme across UK and international markets, including budget management, supplier oversight and logistics planning.
• Operates across multiple departments, influencing decision-making and driving collaboration between Awards, Foundation and Digital teams.
• Contributes to programme development and future planning through research, analysis, operational insight and stakeholder feedback.

• Manage key operational workstreams across the D&AD Awards and New Blood Awards, supporting the management in the successful delivery of annual programme objectives.
• Lead the end-to-end operational delivery of the awards cycle, including entry processing, verification, judging preparation and programme administration.
• Ensure entries comply with programme rules, submission requirements and quality standards, overseeing quality assurance and resolving operational issues where required.
• Monitor programme progress, risks and dependencies, working collaboratively with internal teams to deliver milestones on time.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying efficiencies, supporting new initiatives and maintaining consistent operational processes.
• Support operational planning, resource forecasting and budget management across Awards and New Blood.

• Recruit, onboard, train and line manage team members and temporary Programme and Customer Service Assistants during peak operational periods.
• Manage team resources, workloads and performance, providing coaching, guidance and regular feedback to support successful programme delivery.
• Liaise with HR, IT and external suppliers to coordinate recruitment, onboarding, equipment and operational requirements for temporary teams.

• Lead customer service operations, ensuring an exceptional experience for entrants, judges and stakeholders throughout the Awards and New Blood programmes.
• Develop and deliver the annual customer service and entrant communications plan, ensuring communications are timely, accurate, consistent and aligned with programme objectives and brand guidelines.
• Work collaboratively across teams to coordinate programme communications relating to entries, judging and operational activity.
• Manage complex enquiries and customer issues, identifying opportunities to continuously improve the entrant experience.

• Support the operational delivery of online and live judging, leading key work streams to ensure the smooth preparation, handling and movement of entries throughout the judging process.
• Coordinate judging logistics, including schedules, physical materials, temporary staff, venues and operational requirements to support a seamless judging experience.
• Manage post-judging operations, including winning work verification, entrant communications, physical returns and feedback processes.
• Provide operational support for the D&AD Awards Ceremony, D&AD Festival, New Blood Festival and Academy activities.

• Lead the planning and operational delivery of the D&AD Awards Exhibition programme across UK and international locations.
• Manage exhibition timelines, budgets, logistics and supplier relationships to ensure successful delivery.
• Oversee the preparation, tracking, storage and movement of physical winning work throughout the exhibition lifecycle.
• Collaborate with internal teams, international partners and business development representatives to support touring exhibitions and future exhibition opportunities.

• Contribute to the development of Awards programmes through market research, operational insight, stakeholder feedback and evidence-based recommendations.
• Analyse programme, operational and customer service data to identify trends, measure performance and drive continuous improvement.
• Produce reports, presentations and business cases to support strategic decision-making and long-term programme planning.
• Lead post-cycle reviews, identifying key learnings and recommendations to improve programme delivery, entrant experience and operational effectiveness.

• Support the continuous improvement of awards systems, operational processes and customer service platforms to enhance programme delivery and user experience.
• Act as a key operational liaison between Awards, Operations and Digital teams, defining business requirements and supporting system development.
• Define, document and prioritise operational requirements for system enhancements and new developments.
• Coordinate testing, quality assurance and implementation of new system features and operational improvements.
• Develop and maintain operational documentation, workflows and best-practice guidance to drive efficiency and consistency.

• Lead the operational delivery of D&AD Shop fulfilment, managing supplier relationships, budgets and timelines to ensure the successful distribution of purchased and complimentary products.
• Oversee fulfilment logistics, including inventory management, quality assurance, tracking and distribution to ensure an efficient and high-quality service.
• Coordinate fulfilment activities with internal teams and external suppliers to ensure accurate and timely delivery.

• Proven experience managing complex operational projects or programmes across multiple work streams.
• Experience managing and motivating large temporary or seasonal teams.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across departments and with external partners.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
• Experience using data, feedback and reporting to identify improvements and support decision-making.
• Experience reviewing and improving operational processes, systems or workflows.
• Proactive, adaptable and solutions-focused approach.

• Experience delivering exhibitions, festivals, awards programmes, conferences or other mid-size events.
• Experience managing suppliers, logistics providers or external contractors.
• Experience managing budgets and monitoring project expenditure.
• Knowledge of the creative industries, including design, advertising or creative education.
• A passion for creative excellence and nurturing emerging talent.

D&AD is committed to diversity, equality, equity, inclusion and respect for all.

Providing a work environment in which all employees are treated with fairness, respect and dignity and which is free of discrimination, victimisation, bullying and harassment.

At D&AD we are interested in every individual bringing their ‘Whole Self’ to work and this includes you!

Please email vanessa.knight@btinternet.com to let us know if you need any reasonable adjustments to be made for any part of the recruitment process.

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