Senior Event and Client Experience Manager

About the role

Ready to be part of George Mason's new campus, where you'll interact with high-profile clientele in an innovative ecosystem? You'll have the chance to interact with the external community, students, staff, and more in this dynamic environment. If you're up to the challenge, then we are ready to meet you. We've got the work. Now, we need an additional team member to contribute to our busy environment. We want someone reliable and who takes pride in their work.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for executive-level conferences, academic convenings, industry partnerships, presidential engagements, and institutional events;
• Serves as a leader for the event management pipeline to ensure consistent client experience, accountability, transparency, and operational execution;
• Establishes performance metrics and service benchmarks related to responsiveness, client satisfaction, operational effectiveness, revenue generation, and staff performance;
• Serves as senior advisor to clients and campus partners regarding event strategy, feasibility, logistics, scheduling, and execution;
• Leads post-event evaluation and continuous improvement initiatives informed by operational analytics and client feedback;
• Serves as the escalation point for complex client issues, operational challenges, and high-profile engagements;
• Partners with university stakeholders and external vendors to deliver seamless event experiences;
• Develops executive briefings, readiness protocols, and run-of-show standards to ensure consistent delivery.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Communications, Hospitality, Event Management, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Progressively responsible experience (typically 7–10+ years) in executive event management, conference operations, public relations, higher education events, or large-scale venue operations
• Demonstrated experience managing executive-level, academic, governmental, or industry conferences
• Strong experience in staffing strategy and operational planning
• Experience with enterprise event systems (25Live, Cvent, Social Tables, or similar platform)
• Strong analytical, communication, and executive stakeholder management skills

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Communications, Hospitality, Event Management, or related field (or equivalent experience)
• Master’s degree in related field (preferred)
• Professional certifications preferred (CMP, PMP, CTS, or related)
• Experience within higher education, conference centers, executive education, innovation districts, or public-private partnership environments (preferred)
• Experience implementing automation, AI-enabled workflows, business intelligence tools, or operational reporting solutions (preferred)
• Experience supporting executive-level or presidential events (preferred)
• Knowledge of university operational policies and event governance practices (preferred)
• Project management skills, including budget oversight, facilities coordination, logistical planning, and event management (preferred)