Camp Wildfire
Only The
Curious

Event Programme Manager

Own the creative programme across our outdoor events, from the activities people try to the live line-up they come for.

Every weekend at our events, thousands of people throw themselves into things they would never normally try, and watch acts they will still be talking about years later. That programme is what they come for, and you would own it. You would design the activities, book the line-up, run the budget, and lead the crew that delivers it live on the ground across the whole portfolio. You would also build the formats and systems that make it repeatable. It is hands-on, outdoors and operationally demanding, not a desk job.

If that is the work you want to do, this could be the position for you. You'll build something real, and see the difference it makes to people's lives.

About Wildkind

Wildkind is primarily an events business, with two market-leading outdoor events: Camp Wildfire and Camp Kindling. Founded in 2015 and growing rapidly, we aim to take our events worldwide to inspire, challenge and entertain over 1 million customers.

Our mission: To spark curiosity, encourage endeavour and create joy.

Our culture: We are ambitious and hard working, with a supportive, growth-focussed culture that invests in education and experimentation to push your abilities. We champion diverse skill sets, perspectives and discussion; everyone is encouraged to be themselves and input at all levels. We care deeply about our impact on customers, colleagues, communities and the environment, and we promote creativity and adventure in everything we do.

Key Information

  • Salary: £44,000 to £52,000 per year

  • Working pattern: 5 days per week, hybrid, minimum 2 days in the office, with residential weekends onsite at events

  • Location: Our London office (Larcom House, 9 Larcom St, SE17), with regular travel to and residential stays at our rural event sites

  • Application deadline: 30 July 2026

  • Benefits: Bupa health and dental, £1,000 learning budget, profit share, monthly team socials, Wild Working, Cycle to Work and industry perks.

  • Annual leave: 30 days annual leave (including public holidays)

  • Working hours: Starting between 09:00 and 10:00 each day

  • Start date: Sep/Oct 2026

We publish the full hiring range. We benchmark pay at the 60th percentile of the market using independent salary data, and we don't make offers outside of the range. Salary offers reflect your experience within the range.

Your Mission

Own the creative and cultural programme that guests come for: design and curate the activities and book the entertainment, performers, shows and ceremonies that turn a field into a weekend people remember and feel they belong to, across Camp Wildfire, Camp Kindling and Winter Wildfire, delivered on budget and to our activity safety standards.

Your Objectives

By the end of your first year:

  1. A full activity catalogue and entertainment line-up booked, confirmed and delivered across both Camp Wildfire weekends, Camp Kindling and Winter Wildfire.

  2. A programme satisfaction score of at least 4.5 out of 5 in the post-event survey, across both activities and the line-up.

  3. Every activity and performance delivered to our activity safety and quality standards, with activity risk assessments feeding the Event Manager's Event Safety Management Plan.

  4. A programming budget of around £650k delivered to plan, within the cost-per-credit guardrails and margin targets set by Finance and Operations.

  5. Programming systems and data maintained in Fibery so a briefed crew member can run a confirmed programme without you onsite.

  6. New activities and formats trialled each season with keep-or-drop decisions evidenced by post-event data, and Winter Wildfire picked up mid-stream and progressed as a normal part of the portfolio.

Your Responsibilities

As a company we focus on objectives and results, with individuals driving the decisions on how to achieve them. The list below is a starting point; you will shape it.

  • Take on the confirmed programme for the coming season, including the mid-stream Winter Wildfire handover.

  • Design and curate the activity catalogue and entertainment line-up across the portfolio.

  • Source, book and contract activity leaders, performers, musicians, comedians, speakers and suppliers on terms that protect our margins.

  • Own the programming budget, tracking spend against the cost-per-credit guardrails and flagging variances before they are incurred.

  • Recruit, brief and lead the seasonal programme crew and patrol leaders, and build a bench you can rebook season on season.

  • Set activity risk assessments and specify the infrastructure the programme needs (stages, marquees, power) for the Event Manager to deliver.

  • Build and maintain programming data and booking systems in Fibery so the programme is repeatable and not person-dependent.

  • Run the live programme on the ground across the portfolio, directing the crew and owning the programme schedule and areas.

Your Experience

Must-haves:

  • You have designed and curated an activity, entertainment or event programme, and can point to specific choices and the evidence that they landed with the audience.

  • You have sourced, booked and contracted performers, activity leaders or suppliers, and rebooked the good ones.

  • You have managed people, both a team and third parties, ideally including seasonal or freelance crew.

  • You have planned and delivered a sizeable event or programming budget, balancing creative ambition against cost.

  • You have run a live event or programme on the ground, and you are up for residential weekends, evening and late working, time outdoors in variable weather and travel to rural sites.

Nice-to-haves:

  • You have worked in outdoor, festival or experiential events.

  • You have built reusable systems, briefings or data (in Fibery or similar) that let others run what you set up.

  • You have set or worked within activity safety and risk-assessment frameworks.

  • You have developed new formats with a clear success measure and a keep-or-drop decision.

  • You have delivered across multiple events or a portfolio in a season.

  • You hold a full driving licence.

We don't require a degree; we care about what you can do.

Research shows that strong candidates, particularly women and people from underrepresented groups, often only apply when they meet every criterion. If you meet the must-haves and the role excites you, we would love you to apply even if you don't tick every nice-to-have.

This Role Is Probably Not For You If...

  • You want a desk role. This is hands-on and onsite, with residential weekends, evening work and time outdoors in all weathers.

  • You want to focus purely on the creative side and hand off the rest. You own the booking, the budget, the crew and the live operation too.

  • You prefer a permanent team around you. You will build and lead a seasonal freelance crew that you recruit and rebook each season.

  • You want to own site, production and the overall run of show. That sits with the Event Manager; you own the programme, and you work cleanly at that seam.

  • You are not excited by the full portfolio, including Winter Wildfire.

How to Apply

Submit your CV or portfolio and answer five application questions via our application form.

Please don't send a cover letter. The five application questions are how we assess you; we read them all, and a strong answer beats a polished cover letter.

Using AI to help you draft is acceptable; it won't put you ahead or behind. We score on specific, personal examples, so the best answers come from your own experience either way.

Application Process

  1. First Chat: a relaxed 30-minute conversation.

  2. Deep Dive: an interview on your most relevant experience and our values.

  3. Practical Task: a role-relevant task and a discussion of your approach.

  4. References and offer.

We aim to complete the process within 4 weeks of the application deadline.

We use AI to process applications efficiently; a human reviews every one before any decision is made.

Equal Opportunity and Accessibility

Wildkind is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, and we know diverse teams make better decisions. If you need adjustments to the application or interview process, for any reason, tell us when you apply and we will make it work. We review every application personally.

Apply Now

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