Director, Events and Strategic Partnerships

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and Manage a Comprehensive Events Strategy and Plan
• Pursue events and experiential marketing opportunities that align with organizational goals.
• Fundraising & Supporter Engagement Events: Lead the end-to-end experience design and serve as the key project manager for the annual gala hosted in the Washington, D.C. area, and collaborate cross-functionally to plan regional in-person supporter engagement experiences.
• National and Regional Conferences: Lead the event design and planning for an annual Active Minds Conference as well as regional conferences and convenings. Focus on the user-experience, marketing activations, venue and partner coordination, site logistics, scheduling, and on-site management.
• Youth & Young Adult Awareness Events: Lead the strategy, planning and implementation of experiential marketing activations that expands our reach, stands out and engages youth and young adults.
• Experiential Marketing & Onsite Branding: Lead the strategy and development of an interactive and impactful presence at tabling events and high-visibility conferences and public spaces. Manage onsite engagement, data capture, documentation (photography, video, testimonials) and optimize attendee conversion and post-event engagement strategies.
• Partner Events & Activations: Lead the ideation, planning and implementation of joint events and experiential marketing opportunities with strategic partners to position Active Minds as a national leader in youth mental health advocacy.

Strategic Partnerships Cultivation and Management

• Strategic Partnership Identification & Growth: Identify, secure, and amplify strategic marketing partnerships with organizations—such as sports teams, entertainment venues, Greek-letter organizations, clubs, and associations—to reach core audiences, drive awareness and create experiential marketing opportunities.
• Relationship Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for experiential marketing and events partnerships. Build and nurture long-term relationships through consistent communication, ensuring all contractual obligations and Memorandum of Understanding/Agreement (MOUs/MOAs) are established and met. Vet inbound event opportunities, assessing alignment with organizational goals in collaboration with internal teams.

Project Management & Continuous Improvement

• Project Management & Implementation: Lead project management including developing detailed project briefs and cross-team meetings. Leverage Active Minds' project management protocols and technology to establish explicit expectations, detailed timelines, and budgets.
• Performance Monitoring: Establish key success metrics, timeline adherence, monitor budget projections, and track attendee engagement data. Gather feedback to generate impact reports for funders, partners, and the broader Active Minds network.
• Budget management: Set and monitor budget adherence and efficiency for all partnership and event initiatives

Team Support & Collaboration

• Manage, mentor, and develop direct reports within the Events and Strategic Partnerships team
• Provide day-to-day leadership, guidance and oversight including assigning tasks, reviewing projects, approvals and supporting skill development. Oversee recruitment, training, and retention of high-caliber talent
• Set performance goals, provide objectives, coaching, and foster professional growth
• Serve as a key point of contact for internal teams seeking support, helping gather insights and ensure timely execution.