Readiness Manager

Role:  Readiness Manager

Location: Wembley Stadium, London

Contract: April 2026 to Summer 2028

The Tournament

Contested every four years, the UEFA European Championship has been showcasing the continent’s top talent since its inception in 1960 and is the world’s third largest sporting event. UEFA EURO 2028 is taking place across the UK & Ireland where Europe's top 24 national teams will compete in a 31-day, 51 match tournament, attended by over 3 million spectators and with a global tv audience of upwards of 2 billion people.

As one of the world's largest and highest-profile sporting events, UEFA EURO 2028 will attract the attention of the sporting and major event communities, the media, and the public at large across the UK& Ireland, Europe and the World. With its unique hosting model, the event promises to spread the impacts and benefits of the tournament across the nations and communities of the UK and Ireland

The Organisation

UK & Ireland 2028 Limited has been set up as a new company to locally deliver several UEFA requirements for the tournament, working closely with UEFA, 9 Host Stadiums, 8 Host Cities and other key stakeholders.

The Role

As our new Readiness Manager, you’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring the operational success of the tournament. You’ll lead on the design and delivery of our readiness strategy — from exercises and simulations, to testing and assurance — and help establish our Command, Communication & Control (C3) framework in partnership with UEFA.

What will you be doing?

• Design and deliver a UK&I-wide tournament readiness programme, including testing, exercises, and simulations.
• Co-develop the UEFA EURO 2028 command and control structure (C3).
• Build and lead a team of Readiness Coordinators.
• Work across internal departments and partners to develop and deliver a fully integrated assurance programme.
• Produce critical tournament-time documentation. 
• Help ensure every venue, city, and delivery partner is prepared for success.

What are we looking for?

This is a unique opportunity to bring your experience of major sporting events, readiness programmes and contingency planning to a once-in-a-generation project.  We’re looking for someone who can plan strategically, execute at pace, and lead with empathy.

Essential:

• Previous experience managing readiness and testing programmes at major sporting or public events
• Strong grasp of project and risk management tools and techniques
• Excellent written and presentation skills, including reporting to diverse audiences
• Ability to manage complexity and communicate across multi-agency environments
• Confident people manager who can coach and develop others

Desirable:

• Familiarity with UEFA or similar stakeholder ecosystems
• Experience working in a Tournament Hub, Main Operations Centre or similar

Please see the attached Role Profile for more details

Values & Behaviours

Embrace the Opportunity

• Encourages experimentation and learning within the team.
• Drives creativity in problem-solving.

Achieve Excellence

• Sets high standards and supports team delivery.
• Models accountability and integrity in all actions.

Thrive Together

• Builds inclusive and trusting team environments.
• Addresses conflict constructively and builds consensus.

Why apply?

We offer a competitive salary (plus benefits of 25 days holiday, contributory pension, Private Medical Insurance etc), which coupled with the opportunity to be part of one of the biggest sporting events to ever take place across UK & Ireland we think makes for an exciting place to be!

Where is the role based?
Our head office is based at the iconic Wembley Stadium in London, however depending on your role you may be required to travel across the UK and Ireland to our 9 Stadiums and 8 Host Cities, with some roles being based in those locations.

As an event delivery organisation, we believe in the power of collaboration and connection. That’s why we currently work from HQ at least two days a week. From 2026, this will increase to three to four days a week, and during the tournament year (2028), full-time onsite working will be required.

Everyone is welcome

We’re hiring for excellence through inclusion

We’re building a skilled, values-led workforce that reflects the diversity of the UK and Ireland. We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and identities — and we don’t expect everyone to have followed a traditional path to get here.

All employees will be subject to a DBS check appropriate to the nature of the role and in line with our commitment to providing a safe and inclusive working environment.