Senior Marketing Manager, Partner Events

About the role

Avalara is looking for an Event Manager, Partner Events to lead the strategy, planning, and execution of partner-led and partner-focused event programs that drive brand awareness, strengthen partner engagement, and support pipeline growth. You will oversee a portfolio of experiences including Partner SKOs, partner conferences and summits, sponsorships, co-marketing activations, partner-hosted events, and other strategic ecosystem programs. This role will manage programs end-to-end—from evaluating opportunities and defining objectives through budgeting, logistics, onsite execution, and post-event measurement—while building scalable processes that enable Avalara to support a growing portfolio of partner events. You will report to the Director, Event Marketing.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end execution of partner-led and partner-focused events, including Partner SKOs, partner conferences and summits, sponsorships, co-marketing programs, partner-hosted events, and strategic ecosystem activations across multiple regions and partner segments.
• Manage event timelines, budgets, operational processes, vendor relationships, and onsite execution plans to ensure programs are delivered consistently, on time, and within budget.
• Oversee event logistics including registration, staffing, travel coordination, shipping, booth and sponsorship deliverables, lead retrieval, speaking opportunities, partner requirements, and post-event follow-up.
• Collaborate closely with Partner Marketing, Alliances, Sales, and partner stakeholders to establish event objectives, determine the right level of investment and activation, and ensure programs support broader partner and business priorities.
• Develop repeatable frameworks and scalable processes for executing a high volume of partner events while maintaining a consistent Avalara brand and attendee experience.
• Analyze event performance across attendance, engagement, leads, sourced and influenced pipeline, partner impact, and ROI, using results to recommend future investment and optimize the partner event portfolio.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience managing partner activations, including conferences, field marketing programs, sponsorships, corporate events, enablement, and more.
• Experience working directly with partners, alliances, or channel organizations, with an understanding of the unique dynamics of partner relationships and the importance of balancing Avalara’s business objectives with partner priorities and expectations.
• Experience building strong relationships with internal partner stakeholders and external partner teams, navigating shared ownership, competing priorities, and multiple stakeholders to drive programs forward.
• Experience leading complex event programs with ownership of budgets, logistics, timelines, vendor coordination, and onsite execution.
• Experience managing partner sponsorships and activations, including sponsorship benefits, speaking opportunities, branding, registration, lead capture, and other contractual deliverables.
• Ability to manage a high volume of partner event requests, evaluate requirements and investment levels, and create scalable processes that maintain consistency across programs.
• Familiarity with event management, marketing, CRM, and procurement platforms such as Salesforce, Marketo, Cvent, purchase order (PO) and purchase requisition (PR) systems, or similar tools.
• Experience managing agencies and vendor relationships, registration processes, and large-scale event operations across multiple regions or business segments.
• Experience tracking and reporting on event performance, including partner engagement, leads, sourced and influenced pipeline, ROI, budget performance, and operational outcomes, and translating results into recommendations for future investment.

AI Integration

• Embrace AI as an essential capability, with experience using AI and AI-related technologies.
• Apply AI daily to business challenges—improving efficiency, contributing solutions, and driving results for your team, the company, and customers.
• Stay curious about new AI trends and best practices, and share learnings with others.

Benefits

• Total Rewards: Competitive compensation package, paid time off, and paid parental leave.
• Bonuses: Many employees are eligible for bonuses.
• Health & Wellness: Benefits vary by location but generally include private medical, life, and disability insurance.
• Inclusive culture and diversity: Strong support for diversity, equity, and inclusion, integrated into business practices and organizational culture.
• Employee resource groups: 8 employee-run resource groups, each with senior leadership and executive sponsorship.

About Avalara

Avalara is defining the relationship between tax and tech, building an industry-leading cloud compliance platform that processes over 54 billion customer API calls and over 6.6 million tax returns annually. As a billion-dollar business, we’re focused on our mission to be part of every transaction in the world. Our culture is bright, innovative, and disruptive—embodied by the orange we love to wear, symbolizing our quirky spirit and optimistic mindset.