Freelance Events Planner

Start Date: 19th May

Initial Duration: 7 weeks (19th May - 6th July 2026) with the possibility of extension or further engagement later in the year.

Time commitment: 2 days per week

Rate: £41 per hour

Oak National Academy is looking to engage an experienced freelance events specialist to support the end-to-end planning and delivery of our presence at key sector events.

The focus of this engagement is to ensure that Oak’s participation in events is well-planned, effectively delivered, and clearly communicates our offer to the education community, from school leaders to classroom teachers.

The appointed freelancer will bring their own expertise and approach to shape how this work is delivered, working to agreed priorities and timelines.

This is a remote role, with travel to events required as needed.

Scope of work

The freelancer will be responsible for delivering the following outcomes:

• A clear and actionable approach to Oak’s participation in agreed sector events during the engagement period, including being present at the Festival of Education in Berkshire on 2nd to 3rd July 2026.
• End-to-end co-ordination of Oak’s presence at large-scale sector events, from planning through to delivery.
• Effective management of relationships with event organisers and suppliers, including booking and logistics.
• Coordination and briefing of Oak colleagues attending events, ensuring clarity on roles, goals and messaging.
• Overseeing the design, production, and delivery of event materials and collateral.
• Oversight of the events budget, making informed decisions to maximise impact and ROI.
• Attending key events in person to ensure smooth execution and high-quality representation of Oak.
• Support to colleagues attending smaller or subject-specific events with supplier coordination and event materials.
• Evaluating event performance, using data and feedback to assess impact and return on investment and inform future planning

Experience and expertise

We are interested in hearing from freelancers who can demonstrate:

• A strong track record of planning and delivering large-scale events end-to-end.
• Strong strategic thinking, with the ability to translate organisational goals into a clear, effective events plan,
• Experience managing event budgets and making decisions to maximise return on investment.
• Excellent project management skills, with the ability to prioritise, manage multiple timelines, and deliver at pace.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of delivering agreed outcomes.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build relationships and collaborate effectively across internal teams and with external partners.
• Clear and confident communicator, including the ability to support briefings and represent an organisation professionally at events.
• A practical and solutions-focused approach, with the ability to anticipate challenges and adapt plans quickly
• Experience working within, or a strong understanding of, the UK education sector is desirable.

Ways of working

This engagement is offered on a self-employed basis. The appointed freelancer will have autonomy over how the work is delivered, working to agreed outcomes and timelines.

They will not be subject to line management but will liaise with a named Oak contact to ensure alignment, share progress, and agree priorities across the engagement period.

Next steps

You’ll answer some questions – a few quick admin ones and two 'sift' ones. Your answers will go through our sifting process: all answers will be anonymised, randomised and then reviewed by a panel of reviewers.

If you are shortlisted, we’ll invite you to an interview remotely over Zoom. 

We are experiencing really good responses to our job adverts. This may lead us to closing the role early, so if you are considering applying, please get your application in early to avoid missing out.