Event Management Specialist

Ko wai mātou? - About us

As New Zealand's largest telecommunications and digital services company, Spark’s purpose is to help all of New Zealand win big in a digital world. We provide mobile, broadband, and digital services to millions of New Zealanders and thousands of New Zealand businesses.

We operate in an exciting and constantly evolving industry, where the pace of change brings new and unique challenges every day, so we operate using Agile ways of working to allow us to meet the fast-changing needs of our customers. Agile replaces the traditional hierarchical organisational structure to produce a transparent, collaborative environment with highly productive teams who are empowered to deliver better outcomes for our customers, communities, and all of New Zealand.

Mō tēnei tūranga mahi - About the role:

As the Live Experience Specialist for Spark NZ, you hold full end-to-end ownership and accountability for a portfolio of complex live experiences, including sales conferences, awards evenings, client hosting and internal company events. You own these programmes from brief through to concept, delivery, evaluation and financial reconciliation, and you are the single point of accountability for their success.

You'll act as trusted advisor to senior stakeholders - Leadership Team members, executive sponsors, senior sales leaders and senior client contacts - translating business objectives into experiences that surprise, delight, inspire and inform our clients and our people.

Working closely with the Live Experience Manager, you operate with a high degree of autonomy: making and owning decisions within your programmes, managing complexity and risk, holding agencies and suppliers to account, and driving continuous improvement of Spark's live experience offering.

Ngā mahi o ia rā – Daily tasks

End-to-end programme ownership and accountability

• Own assigned events end to end - brief, concept, delivery, evaluation and reconciliation.
• Own plans, timelines, budgets, risks and outcomes.
• Lead complex, high-profile programmes, escalating by exception.
• Turn business goals and brand ambition into measurable experiences.
• Set the event style, tone and attendee experience in line with Spark's brand.
• Lead on-site delivery, resolving issues in real time.
• Report progress, risks and post-event insights to senior stakeholders.
• Manage sponsorship ticket allocations and defend those decisions.

Planning and strategic contribution

• Advise senior stakeholders on event format, investment and delivery.
• Identify improvements that lift business, brand and stakeholder impact.
• Use audience insights and trends to shape Spark's event approach.
• Raise risks and opportunities early, with clear recommendations.

Senior stakeholder, partner and supplier leadership

• Build trusted relationships and operate confidently at GM and executive level.
• Advise executive sponsors while managing scope, budget and quality.
• Challenge briefs, align priorities and translate requirements into standout experiences.
• Represent Spark credibly with senior clients and partners.
• Direct teams, agencies and contributors, with clear accountability.

Financial and commercial ownership

• Own event budgets from estimate through forecasting to final reconciliation.
• Monitor spend, correct variances early and report accurately to senior stakeholders.
• Make and justify trade-offs across cost, quality, experience and business value.
• Hold agencies and suppliers to account, negotiating scope, cost and performance.

Leadership, capability and continuous improvement

• Act as the team's subject matter expert on complex programmes.
• Coach team members, sharing knowledge and building capability.
• Lead by example through sound judgement and ownership of outcomes.
• Deputise for the Live Experience Manager and lead key workstreams as needed.
• Own risk across your programmes - delivery, stakeholder, supplier, health and safety, and financial - mitigating and escalating early.
• Drive continuous improvement through trends, shared learnings and consistent ways of working.

Strategic contribution

• Deliver live experiences that drive stakeholder, brand and commercial outcomes.
• Support Spark's ambition to be New Zealand's most exciting place to work.
• Champion Spark values and represent the function credibly with senior audiences.

Tō wheako- your experience

• 3+ years' experience delivering complex corporate events, live experiences and hosting programmes, with a proven track record of owning events end to end.
• Demonstrated personal accountability for the delivery and outcome of high-profile events, including budgets, risk and multiple stakeholder groups.
• Strong project and programme management skills, with the ability to lead multiple complex priorities and make sound decisions independently and under pressure.
• Proven senior stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the credibility to advise, challenge and align executive-level stakeholders.
• Strong experience leading and holding agencies, suppliers and venues to account, including negotiating scope and cost and managing performance.
• Strong financial management skills, including budgeting, forecasting, expenditure management and reconciliation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present clear recommendations to senior audiences.
• Demonstrated ability to support and coach others and contribute positively to team capability.
• A proactive, resilient and solutions-focused team player who takes full ownership of outcomes.

He aha te take e uru ai koe ki a mātou – So, why choose us?

Te Kanorau me te Whakawhāiti mai - Diversity and Inclusion:

At Spark, we are constantly looking for ways to build a more inclusive culture. Our vision is for diversity and inclusion to be “how things are done at Spark”, embedded into our day-to-day activities, standards, and business practices. We want you to feel totally comfortable bringing your whole self to work regardless of your gender, ethnicity, orientation, age, or ability.

Toitū - Sustainability:

Sustainability is a key focus for us. We are dedicated to supporting Aotearoa New Zealand’s recovery and economic transformation. The principle of equity is at the very heart of our approach, and we remain committed to working in partnership to make a positive contribution to digital equity in line with our focus on Diversity and Inclusion.

He aha te take e uru ai koe ki a mātou – So, why choose us?

Te Kanorau me te Whakawhāiti mai - Diversity and Inclusion:

At Spark, we are constantly looking for ways to build a more inclusive culture. Our vision is for diversity and inclusion to be “how things are done at Spark”, embedded into our day-to-day activities, standards, and business practices. We want you to feel totally comfortable bringing your whole self to work regardless of your gender, ethnicity, orientation, age, or ability.

Toitū - Sustainability:

Sustainability is a key focus for us. We are dedicated to supporting Aotearoa New Zealand’s recovery and economic transformation. The principle of equity is at the very heart of our approach, and we remain committed to working in partnership to make a positive contribution to digital equity in line with our focus on Diversity and Inclusion.

Ō tatou painga – our Benefits:

Our people matter and we make sure we look after them. As a valued employee of Spark, we’ve got our people covered with a range of leading benefits including:

• Wellbeing – Comprehensive medical insurance, life and income protection. Access to wellbeing coaches, EAP and in-house Specialist Clinical support through our leading Mahi Tahi Wellness programme.
• Hybrid Ways of working– for most teams at Spark this means being in the office for 4 days a week, with 1 day being flexible.
• Leave – in addition to four weeks annual leave, we offer purchased leave, enhanced parental leave payments & support, and study leave.
• Spark Credit – We provide permanent employees with $150 monthly Spark credit to use on any of our amazing products.
• Spark Share scheme – periodically we offer the opportunity to buy into our share scheme.
• Career Development – access to an internal marketplace that connects employees with experiential, on the job learning across Spark.

Ngā pūkenga Motuhake – the must haves:

Due to the nature and urgency of this role, we are only considering applicants that are based in New Zealand with permanent residency, citizenship, or a valid work visa (with at least 18 months remaining)