Head of Operations - Australia
Infopro Digital · Kingsgrove, New South Wales, Australia · hybrid
Infopro Digital, the B2B group specialising in information and technology, is currently looking for a Head of Operations on a permanent basis to join our AUSREiiF business based in Sydney.
About the BusinessInfopro Digital is a global B2B group with more than 4,000 employees across 26 countries, delivering information, data and technology solutions to professional communities across automotive, risk and insurance, construction, industry and retail.
Our Australian events business is home to AUSREiiF, Australia’s new major real estate investment and infrastructure forum, bringing together government, investors, developers, infrastructure leaders, professional services and the wider built environment to drive investment, development and regeneration across Australia.
Modelled on the highly successful UKREiiF, AUSREiiF will take place in September 2027 as a three-day, festival-style event bringing together the people, projects and investment opportunities shaping Australia’s future.
This is an opportunity to join the Australian business at the ground level and play a pivotal role in creating and delivering the inaugural event.
What the role involvesThis is a highly hands-on leadership role suited to an experienced event operations professional with a strong background in festival-style events, outdoor activations, temporary builds and complex live environments. Reporting directly to the Head of Events – Australia, the Head of Operations is responsible for the end-to-end operational planning and delivery of AUSREiiF 2027, from the master operational plan through to bump-out, turning the vision for AUSREiiF into a commercially successful, operationally safe and experientially excellent event.
This is not a standard B2B conference. AUSREiiF connects indoor and outdoor elements across a defined area of a city, requiring complex site planning, temporary infrastructure, permits and public-space management, coordination across many stakeholders and sharp event-day management. The successful candidate will work closely with venues, councils, government authorities and suppliers, as well as the Content, Marketing and Sales teams, to make the event safe, on budget and seamless for delegates, sponsors, exhibitors and speakers.
You will be both strategic and exceptionally practical: building the plan, managing budgets and negotiating with venues and contractors, and being the person who works out what to do next when something doesn’t go to plan.
Joining at the start of AUSREiiF’s Australian journey, you will shape the systems, processes and event experience from the ground up, gain exposure to senior leaders across property, infrastructure, government and investment, and have the opportunity to grow with the Australian business.
This job is based in Sydney, NSW.
Responsibilities & duties- Take overall operational responsibility for AUSREiiF 2027, from planning through to delivery and bump-out.
- Develop and maintain the master operational plan and critical path.
- Lead the transition from planning into onsite delivery, managing the operational team throughout the event.
- Partner with Sales and Marketing to ensure sponsor, exhibitor and delegate requirements can be delivered operationally.
- Build operational processes for exhibitors and sponsors, covering logistics, access, furniture, power and branding.
- Deliver a seamless registration, onsite information and delegate experience.
- Recruit, brief and lead temporary event staff and contractors, with clear roles and onsite reporting structures.
- Own venue negotiations and relationships, working with venues and councils to shape a viable event footprint.
- Develop floorplans and coordinate room allocations, catering, access, signage, registration and security.
- Manage bump-in, live event and bump-out, including site access, loading docks and vehicle movements.
- Identify, brief, appoint and manage suppliers across AV, temporary structures, exhibition build, catering, security, traffic management, transport and more.
- Set clear scopes of work, deliverables and timelines, and negotiate commercial terms that deliver value for money.
- Manage relationships with councils, government authorities and regulatory bodies.
- Secure permits, approvals and licences in time to protect the critical path.
- Manage road closures, traffic management, pedestrian access and public-space requirements where applicable.
- Coordinate with police, emergency services, traffic authorities and other agencies as required.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive risk management and contingency plans, including adverse weather, access, transport, infrastructure and supplier issues.
- Ensure health, safety, security, emergency and insurance requirements are in place.
- Coordinate risk assessments and operational documentation with venues, suppliers, authorities and specialists.
- Ensure the event complies with relevant Australian regulations and venue requirements.
- Own the operational budget, working with the Head of Events on overall event financial management.
- Develop accurate operational cost forecasts and monitor expenditure against budget.
- Identify efficiencies and flag financial risks early so they can be managed.
We are looking for an experienced event operations professional with a proven track record of delivering large-scale, complex events.
You will ideally have:
- Significant experience leading the operational delivery of major events, festivals or exhibitions with indoor and outdoor activations, temporary site builds and multiple site environments.
- Experience managing public spaces, including road closures, traffic management, council permits and approvals.
- Proven experience working with venues, production companies and multiple event suppliers.
- Experience developing detailed event plans and critical paths, with excellent project management and organisational skills.
- Strong budget, commercial and negotiation skills, with an understanding that great operations must also make financial sense.
- A strong understanding of event risk, safety and compliance.
- Experience leading temporary teams and onsite event delivery.
- Confidence managing senior stakeholders, authorities and suppliers.
Personal AttributesWe are looking for someone who is:
- Highly organised - able to manage hundreds of moving parts without losing sight of the bigger picture.
- Calm under pressure - when something inevitably goes wrong, you are the person people want in the room.
- A problem solver - you don’t simply identify problems; you work out how to fix them.
- Commercially minded - you understand that great operations also need to make financial sense.
- Proactive - you anticipate issues rather than waiting for them to happen.
- Adaptable - comfortable working in a growing business where processes are being built as we go.
- Collaborative - able to work closely across sales, marketing, content and leadership.
- Hands-on - happy moving between strategic planning and the detail required to make an event work.
- Resilient - event delivery is demanding and you know how to keep yourself and your team focused.
- A good communicator with a good sense of humour - because whilst building a new event is hard work, it should also be fun.
We know great people make great companies.
As part of the Infopro Digital group we are defined by people and passion, and powered by knowledge and innovation. Everything we do is centred on trust, integrity and respect. Our collaborative approach drives creativity across our markets and our focus on giving teams ownership allows us to build an entrepreneurial culture where our people and brands can thrive and grow.
- Excellent base salary plus superannuation.
- Performance bonus.
- A genuinely influential role in the launch of a new major Australian event.
- The opportunity to shape systems, processes and the event experience from the ground up.
- Exposure to senior leaders across property, infrastructure, g