Head of Live Programming | Live Music and Entertainment
London
Hybrid
50-65k
I'm working with a leading music, nightlife and hospitality group to find a Head of Live Programming for a major new 2,000-capacity music and events venue opening in East London next year.
The business operates a portfolio of established music venues, bars, clubs, festivals and live events, with a strong reputation across London's music and entertainment scene.
This is an opportunity to take ownership of a new venue's ticketed events diary, building relationships with promoters, agents and bookers to establish an exciting, commercially successful programme from the ground up.
The Role
You'll lead the development and delivery of the venue's live events calendar, managing bookings from initial enquiry through to show day. Combining business development, relationship management and programming, you'll proactively secure events across music, comedy and other live formats, while ensuring the diary delivers against the venue's wider commercial ambitions.
Key responsibilities include:
- Owning the ticketed events diary across music, comedy and other live entertainment formats, from initial enquiry through to show day.
- Managing holds, confirmations, cancellations and schedule changes, keeping the diary accurate and up to date.
- Building and maintaining relationships with agents, promoters, managers and tour bookers to generate new business.
- Proactively developing a pipeline of opportunities, tracking leads through to confirmed bookings.
- Arranging site visits and pitch meetings to showcase the venue and convert interest into bookings.
- Working closely with the General Manager to ensure confirmed events are operationally deliverable, including technical requirements and staffing.
- Collaborating with Marketing to ensure shows are communicated early and have sufficient time to build an audience.
- Supporting negotiations and the delivery of commercial deal terms alongside senior leadership.
- Shaping a balanced programme that meets the venue's creative ambitions and revenue targets.
- Working with internal programming teams to develop the live music calendar and expand into comedy, podcasts and other ticketed events.
- Collaborating with the corporate sales team to support programming opportunities linked to private hires.
- Gathering promoter feedback after events and using it to improve delivery, strengthen relationships and encourage repeat bookings.
About You
You'll be a proactive live entertainment professional with experience in bookings, programming or agency and promoter relationships. You're comfortable picking up the phone, opening new conversations and building a strong events pipeline, with the commercial awareness and organisational skills to turn opportunities into confirmed dates.
Ideally, you'll bring:
- Experience within live events, venue programming, bookings or talent and agency relations.
- An established network of agents, promoters, managers or tour bookers, alongside the confidence to develop new relationships.
- Knowledge of live music and ideally additional formats such as comedy, podcasts and other ticketed entertainment.
- A proactive business development mindset, with the drive to pursue leads, follow up consistently and convert interest into bookings.
- Excellent diary management and organisational skills, with experience coordinating multiple events and stakeholders.
- Commercial awareness, including an understanding of deal terms, event economics and revenue generation.
- The ability to work collaboratively across programming, marketing, operations and corporate sales.
- A genuine enthusiasm for helping build a new venue's reputation and establishing it as a destination for live entertainment.
The Opportunity
- A competitive salary, paid monthly.
- Senior ownership of a new venue's ticketed events diary and programming strategy from launch.
- The opportunity to build a venue's reputation, relationships and commercial pipeline from the ground up.
- Close collaboration with experienced teams across programming, bookings, marketing and operations.
- The chance to contribute to the growth of an established music and entertainment business.
Benefits
- Unlimited guest list access and tickets across the group's events.
- 50% discount on food and drink across its venues.
- Work-from-home Wednesdays.
- Regular team socials.
- Pension scheme.
This is an exciting opportunity for a commercially minded live events professional who enjoys winning bookings, building long-term industry relationships and creating a compelling programme for a major new London venue.