Description
Associate Director of Events 2025 (REMOTE)
The Associate Director of Events is a critical leadership role within the programs team. This position is responsible for overseeing and executing a wide range of events, from conferences to school and career fairs, board meetings and social gatherings. This role demands a strategic thinker with exceptional organizational skills, a keen eye for detail, and the ability to lead a team to deliver memorable and successful events.
Reporting to the Vice President, Programs, the Associate Director of Events will have the following key responsibilities:
Event Strategy and Planning:
Collaborate with senior management and program directors to define event objectives, budgets, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Create event timelines, task lists, and project plans to ensure smooth event execution.
Manage event technology vendor contracts and negotiate new contracts, including Cvent, RingCentral, Eventbrite, and other platforms. Collaborate with the technology team on integration with the database system. Manage and track staff user accounts.
Leadership and Team Management:
Maintain transparent and proactive communication with internal stakeholders, including senior management, marketing teams, and program directors.
Lead event logistics across a variety of teams and work styles, fostering a collaborative and innovative work environment.
Event Logistics and Execution:
Oversee all aspects of LIVE event logistics, including venue selection, catering, audio-visual requirements, and attendee experience.
Manage vendor relationships and negotiate contracts to optimize event quality and cost-effectiveness.
Coordinate event registration and ticketing processes with marketing and technology teams.
Major events include but not limited to:Annual MBA Leadership conference, Partner Meeting, & Alumni Conference venue selection, hotel contracts, F&B, audio visual, etc. Manage all venues, F&B, AV planning and execution at conference in collaboration with Director and Program Managers.
Conference events hosted by corporate and school partners. Manage relationships with partners and onsite event personnel as related to all event logistics. This includes MBA and College Finance conferences, College Leadership conferences, Industry Meet-ups, and other live events.
Live MBA Forums (school fairs) across 11 cities; venue selection, contracts, F&B, audio visual, and general logistics as needed.
Additional oversight of events managed by program team members including college, pre-MBA, MBA, professional, and alumni.
Oversee the organization of online events, managed by program team members. Establish consistency across program technical materials, communication processes, event set-up.
Budget Management:
Develop and manage event budgets, tracking expenses and revenue to ensure events are financially sustainable.
Identify opportunities for cost savings and explore potential revenue opportunities.
Risk Management:
Identify potential risks associated with events and implement strategies to mitigate them.
Create comprehensive contingency plans and crisis management protocols to address unforeseen challenges.
Evaluation and Reporting:
Collect and analyze post-event feedback and data to assess event success and identify areas for improvement.
Prepare and present detailed event reports to senior management, highlighting key performance metrics.
Desired Skills and Characteristics
Solid event management experience for a large number of events, small and large.
Experience with Cvent registration and event management, Asana, and RingCentral/Hopin.
A confident negotiator with experience in managing hotel and venue contracts exceeding $350,000.
Detail-oriented and adept at maneuvering between multiple projects seamlessly. Comfortable managing multiple budgets simultaneously.
Comfortable working with a variety of constituencies including students, university administration, volunteers, and corporate executives.
Excellent communication, writing, and interpersonal skills; understands the importance of listening, managing relationships and dealing with conflict.
Must be able to work autonomously, meet deadlines, exercise independent judgment, handle day-to-day issues and set priorities with minimal supervision in a fast-changing environment.
Excellent project management, analytical skills, and data-fueled
Demonstrates energy and passion for the Forté vision to advance women into business leadership with a clear understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Required Education/Experience/Qualifications
Bachelor's degree.
Minimum 8 years event management experience including responsible for negotiating major venue/hotel contracts.
Robust project management skills, including developing timelines, managing resources, and delivering projects on time and within budget, with the ability to quickly make informed decisions in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to travel to live events as needed, approximately 15% travel.
Excel, Word, and PowerPoint proficiency required.
Salary
Salary commensurate with experience.
Benefits
401(k) retirement plan with 5% matching available after 1 month of employment.
Health, Dental, voluntary Vision, STD, LTD, and Life insurance
Generous paid time off / holiday schedule.
Job growth opportunities.
Virtual work environment – home office.
Job Environment
Employees of Forté work independently from home offices. Each employee should have the capacity within their home to set up a work environment or office. Forté provides a computer, phone, office supplies, and internet stipend for all employees.
Location
The ideal candidate will be based in Austin or San Antonio, Texas
Organization
Forté is changing the balance of power in the workplace. We open doors for women to reimagine what they can achieve in business—from launching first jobs to advancing to the C-suite. Our powerful alliance of talented women, influential companies, leading undergraduate and business schools, and pioneering donors empowers women to change their career trajectories, their earning power, and their lives. Through business education, role models, professional networks, and leadership training, Forté shows women how to build the credibility, skills, network, and confidence to thrive as leaders and change the status quo. More information about Forté can be found at http://www.fortefoundation.org.
EEO Statement
Forté is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at Forté are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV Status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. Forté will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. Forté encourages applicants of all ages.
Diversity, inclusiveness and respect for all Forté employees is essential to Forté’s success. Forté values each individual’s distinct contribution and leverages our collective strengths to ensure that Forté continues to launch women into fulfilling, significant careers through access to business education, professional development, and a community of successful women.
Requirements
Bachelor's degree.
Minimum 8 years event management experience including responsible for negotiating major venue/hotel contracts.
Robust project management skills, including developing timelines, managing resources, and delivering projects on time and within budget, with the ability to quickly make informed decisions in a fast-paced environment.
Ability to travel to live events as needed, approximately 15% travel.
Excel, Word, and PowerPoint proficiency required.