Event Project Manager (UKMD) – Maternity Cover

Salary: £35 - £38k annually dependant on experience
Annual Leave entitlement: 25 days (plus 10 bank holidays) 
Working hours: Full-Time – 35 hours per week
Contract: Fixed Term – 12 Months
Location: Ratho, Edinburgh / Hybrid-working
Closing date for applications: Wednesday 1st October 2025 at 17:00

In person interviews for this role will take place w/c 6th October 2025.

Prior to any employment commencing with Scotland Food & Drink you will be asked to provide documents to demonstrate your right to work in the UK.

The expected start date for this role is early December 2025.

JOB SUMMARY

The Events Project Manager (UKMD) will work within the Events team at Scotland Food & Drink, collaborating closely with the UK Market Development (UKMD) team to support the delivery of the UK market strategy through a range of events and initiatives.

The role includes strategic responsibility for developing Scotland Food & Drink’s approach to events, with a particular focus on the Showcasing Family (Showcasing Scotland, Showcasing UK – new event, Sourcing Scotland – National and Regional). This involves complex project management, including stakeholder engagement, sponsor and partner management, business and buyer interactions, and upskilling support.

In addition to event planning and delivery, the role will contribute to the development of new UKMD initiatives, including The Academy 2.0. The position requires strong project management, organisational, and administrative skills, as well as the ability to manage multiple activity streams and high-profile stakeholders.

This person is responsible for designing, supporting, and delivering a range of events, from corporate and member-focused events to market-driven activities aimed at creating commercial opportunities and enhancing business capabilities. The UKMD team focuses on driving sales opportunities for Scottish food and drink companies across retail, foodservice, and wholesale through supplier development programs, producer-buyer engagement, customer relationship management, and trade show participation.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Your day-to-day responsibilities may include but are not limited to:

• Working closely with UKMD colleagues across a range of major activities specifically across the Showcasing Family which will involve creating, monitoring, managing and delivering project plans; ensuring all agreed actions are delivered on time and within budget and preparing/gathering project reports and feedback on these activities including the management of partners and stakeholders
• Scope up new activities such as Showcasing UK in collaboration with UKMD colleagues and the UK Market Board
• Develop strategic thinking about our on-going approach to activities that support the UK Market Strategy, ensuring they are relevant, deliver impact and value for money

There will be day to day project management required and including:

• Coordinating internal resources and third parties, including contractors for relevant projects and ensuring excellent execution of the project
• Ensuring that projects within the portfolio are delivered on-time, within scope and within budget
• Meeting budgetary objectives and making adjustments to project constraints based on analysis
• Performing risk management to minimize potential risks
• Measuring performance using appropriate project management tools and techniques
• Reporting and escalating issues to colleagues if needed
• Developing relevant project teams for activities
• Tracking and measuring project’s performance, specifically to analyse the successful completion of project goals
• Ensuring that project evaluation is undertaken and learnings applied to future projects
• Performing other related duties to support the wider Events team work and that of Scotland Food & Drink

ABOUT YOU

• Excellent project management skills with a proven track record of successfully planning, coordinating, implementing and evaluating large-scale projects
• Solid organisational skills, including high attention to detail and proven ability to multi-task several project facets simultaneously
• Excellent analytical skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with emphasis on client-facing and internal communication
• Strong relationship-building skills with an ability to work closely with senior stakeholders in a variety of settings
• Engaging and positive individual with a flexible, ‘can-do’ attitude
• Self-starter, collaborative and ability to take own initiative
• Knowledge of, and keen interest in, the food and drink sector
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Project Management Professional certification is an advantage

ABOUT SCOTLAND FOOD & DRINK

Scotland Food & Drink is the industry leadership organisation tasked with delivering the industry strategy and driving responsible growth for the sector. We are also a membership organisation with over 350+ companies at our heart.

Working with us gives you an opportunity to be part of one of the most exciting and innovative industries in Scotland.

Our culture and our people are core to delivering our diverse and collaborative work. We have work/life balance as one of our core values and a comprehensive benefits package including, a group pension plan, 35 days annual leave (in addition to your birthday off), enhanced maternity & paternity benefits, a health care cash plan, a flexible working policy, an electric vehicle scheme, a cycle to work scheme, a life assurance scheme, professional study & training assistance, an employee assistance programme and wellness events.

There is also opportunities to socialise and attend industry events and dinners.

 We believe working with us should be a hugely positive experience, our core values are:

Ambition – We pursue excellence with unwavering ambition.
Collaboration - We believe in the power of working together.
Innovation – We embrace a culture of continuous improvement and creativity.
Celebration - We believe in recognising and celebrating achievements.
Authenticity - We are committed to honesty, transparency, and integrity.
Balance - We believe in finding balance between work and the rest of our lives.

We are also an equal opportunity employer, and we recognise that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive. We support candidates with reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please let us know when applying if you will require any additional support.  

APPLY NOW

Please send CV and covering letter, or any questions you have regarding the role to: careers@foodanddrink.scot with the title of the job you are applying for in the subject line.