Workforce Manager

Job Title: Workforce Manager

Location: Manchester, Stretford (M32 0ZH) or Hersham, Surrey (KT12 3PW)

Start date: ASAP

Job Type: Full-time, permanent

Salary Range: £38,000 - £45,000 depending on experience

Type of work: Office-based, Monday to Friday

We're RunThrough. The UK's biggest running event company, and we're not slowing down.

Every year we put on 300+ events, from iconic locations like Alton Towers and Hampton Court Palace to closing down entire town centres for race day. We've built a reputation for doing mass-participation running differently, and we're just getting started.

We believe in doing what we love, properly. That means a team that's genuinely obsessed with running and events, not just clocking in. We create solutions instead of excuses, we've got each other's backs, we build real relationships (with each other, our partners, our runners), and we're always looking for a better way to do things.

Role Overview

Every RunThrough event depends on the right people being in the right place: our core events team, Full Time and Part Time Crew, marshals and volunteers. As our first Workforce Manager, you'll own that nationally, around 325 UK events a year, roughly 900 crew shifts and 10,000 marshal shifts. You'll build the year's staff plan, grow and pay our crew, and make sure every event is staffed, briefed and ready before race day. You'll sit in our new Supply team, reporting to the Head of Supply (the COO until that role is filled), and work hand in hand with the Event Project Managers who own each event.

Key Responsibilities

The staff plan

• Run our annual planning cycle: the October leave and away-weekend window, building the year's plan in November, a two-week check with the team, and the final plan in early December.
• Allocate core staff to every event and setup day against our planning rules: the right levels at every event, each person's workload inside their target, weekends and travel shared fairly, and time off in lieu planned in advance.
• Keep the plan live through the year, changes, sickness and swaps handled quickly, and the people affected told straight away.
• Protect our busiest weekends: around 20 weekends carry over half of the year's work.

Crew and marshals

• Recruit, train and onboard Part Time Crew in every region, building the pool around the weekends that need it most.
• Book, brief and confirm crew and marshals for every event, so everyone arrives knowing their role, their location and their timings.
• Lead marshal recruitment and the re-engagement of past participants, working with our community team on volunteer outreach.
• Pay all crew accurately and on time, and set and review crew rates within budget.

People

• Line manage our Full Time Crew and regional Staffing Managers.
• Set clear standards for how events are staffed, briefed and debriefed, and make sure every new starter gets the training events and support they need.

Systems and data

• Lead the roll-out of our new in-house workforce platform, working with our developer to shape it.
• Report every week on staffing, gaps, cover, crew costs and workload across the team — and use the data to fix problems before they reach an event.
• Own the staffing budget for crew and marshals.

On the day

• Be accountable for every member of the workforce being in position at every event, with a clear escalation route when something changes on the morning.

What success looks like in your first year

• The 2027 staff plan published on time and trusted by the team: fair workloads, leave honoured, busiest weekends covered.
• No event left short of people at the last minute.
• Crew booked, briefed and paid without problems — and coming back.
• A crew pool that grows where we need it most, with staffing costs understood and controlled.
• The new workforce platform live and used every week.

What We’re Looking For

Required

• Experience planning and managing a large flexible workforce - events, festivals, sport, hospitality, retail, a staffing agency or similar.
• Rostering and scheduling at scale, to rules and to budget, using scheduling tools and spreadsheets with confidence.
• A confident recruiter and people manager who can brief and train others clearly.
• Commercial sense: you can manage a staffing budget and negotiate rates.
• Calm, organised and decisive under pressure, with real attention to detail, especially on pay.
• Tech savvy and able to be part of our ongoing systems development by testing and feeding back on all workforce systems.

Preferred

• Knowledge of UK rules for casual and part-time workers: worker status, holiday pay and right-to-work checks.
• Experience running volunteer or marshal programmes, or working on mass-participation events.
• Experience implementing or improving a workforce or rostering system.
• A runner, or someone who understands why race day matters.

Benefits

We Love What We Do:

• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays
• Free entry to any RunThrough race for you and your family, plus discounts for friends
• £70 towards race entries at other events
• £200 Kit voucher + 20% Sport Shoes discount
• Free personalised running coaching
• Regular team socials and group runs
• Free membership to the RunThrough Run Club
• Flexible hours built around your training

We Are There For Each Other:

• Enhanced parental leave
• Wellbeing platform access
• Monthly 1:1s with your manager
• Cycle to Work scheme
• A genuinely supportive team

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit their CV and a cover letter outlining their relevant experience and suitability for the role to [email protected].

RunThrough is an equal-opportunity employer. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.