Executive Assistant & Events Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Provide direct coordination support to the CEO and senior leadership team
• Manage domestic travel logistics for leadership and event attendees: flights, hotels, ground transportation, and itineraries
• Anticipate needs, respond to last-minute requests, and stay reachable and available during event periods
• Support preparation of agendas, communications, and materials tied to events and partner engagement
• Handle sensitive and confidential information with appropriate discretion and judgment
• Own end-to-end planning and on-site execution for all Strongpoint firmwide and partner-platform events
• Manage all event logistics: venue sourcing and contract negotiation, catering, AV, hotel blocks, attendee communications, run-of-show, and day-of production
• Build and own a master events calendar and project plans for all active events simultaneously; maintain organized systems and documentation for every engagement
• Manage event budgets within approved parameters and deliver post-event financial reconciliation
• Partner with Marketing, Sales, and Partner teams to align messaging, collateral, and communications with brand and business objectives
• Distribute post-event feedback surveys; synthesize results and bring forward clear recommendations

Requirements

• 3-5 years of experience in corporate event planning with demonstrated ownership of large-scale, multi-day events (conferences, summits, or national meetings with 100+ attendees)
• Prior experience running events start to finish – from venue contract through day-of production – and can point to examples where something went sideways and you handled it
• Ability to build systems instinctively: you use checklists, trackers, and timelines not because you're told to, but because that's how you stay ahead
• Flexible; comfortable with ambiguity and last-minute pivots – you don't need everything planned to perform at your best
• Local to Chicago (or actively relocating) and available in person when events require it, including evenings and occasional weekends
• Responsive and available for event support when it matters – responsive on your phone, accessible to the team during event periods, and treat availability as part of professionalism
• Superior written and verbal communication skills to clearly and professionally communicate across all levels, including senior leaders and external partners
• Proficient with MS Office to create PowerPoint presentations, draft Word documents, and create Excel spreadsheets
• Familiar with AI tools (i.e. Claude, ChatGPT, Co-Pilot) and automating simple tasks
• Able to operate independently with minimal direction and know when to ask versus when to decide
• Able to bring high emotional intelligence and genuine care for the experience of others