Senior Program Manager, Awards & Executive Engagement
for sections: About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule. Use - for any list of duties/requirements/benefits, and
for prose. Do NOT repeat job title as heading. Do NOT put Job ID/requisition numbers as headings. Remove boilerplate etc. Must preserve all substantive info. Must not invent or summarize away detail. Must not include sections with filler like "commensurate with experience". Must only include sections when posting has real specific content.
We need to parse the posting.
Key sections:
- About The Role: paragraph describing role.
- What You Will Do: includes multiple sub-sections: Awards Strategy & Portfolio Development, Awards Program Management & Execution, Commercial Growth, Recognition & Event Integration, Executive Gatherings & Convening, Reporting & Continuous Improvement. These are responsibilities/duties.
- What We Are Looking For: Required and Preferred bullet lists.
- Why This Role: paragraph.
- Pay Transparency Disclosure: salary range $90,000 to $110,000, plus benefits mention.
- Benefits: mention competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities.
- Schedule/Location: Environmental Demands section about work location: on-site, hybrid, remote, states list. This is schedule/location info.
We need to map to allowed headings: About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule.
We can combine some.
"About The Role" ->
About the role
with paragraph.
Responsibilities: combine "What You Will Do" sections into a list of duties. Could break into sub-lists? Probably just a with each duty as - . Should preserve details.
Requirements: Required qualifications bullet list.
Qualifications: Preferred qualifications bullet list? Or maybe Qualifications heading for preferred? The spec includes Qualifications as a heading. We'll put Preferred under Qualifications.
Skills: maybe we can extract skills like organization, project management, executive presence, platform administration, commercial instincts, AI tools, writing/communication. Could be a separate Skills section. But we could also fold into Requirements. However spec says we can include Skills section if there is real specific content. There is mention of skills: exceptional organization, project management, executive presence, experience administering program platforms, commercial instincts, comfort using AI tools, strong writing and communication skills. So we can make a Skills section.
Benefits: mention competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities. Also maybe other benefits not detailed. We'll include that.
Pay: salary range $90,000 to $110,000.
Schedule: work location details: on-site, hybrid, remote, states list, expectation 3 days per week if within commute, field work etc. We'll include that.
We must not include boilerplate like EEO, legal, etc. Also remove duplicated lines, navigation, cookie, etc. Also remove "Brand Overview", "About Crain Communications", "Environmental Demands" heading? Actually Environmental Demands includes location info; we need to keep that substance but not the heading. We'll incorporate into Schedule section.
We must not include "Pay Transparency Disclosure" heading; we just put content under Pay.
We must not include "#manager #events #full-time @Automotive_News" etc.
We must not include "Brand Overview:" etc.
We must not include "About Crain Communications:" etc.
We must not include "Environmental Demands" heading but we can keep the content.
We must not include "Employee work location is determined..." etc but we need to keep substance.
We must not include "An “in-office” role would require..." etc but we can keep.
We must not include "Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance..." etc.
We must not include "Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews..." etc.
We must not include "Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves." That's boilerplate; we can drop.
We must not include "To learn more about Crain Communications, visit crain.com." etc.
We must not include "Where you work matters." etc.
We need to preserve all substantive info: location states list, expectation 3 days per week, hybrid/remote/on-site definitions, field work.
Let's extract location info:
From "Environmental Demands":
- Employee work location is determined by the needs of the specific team and may include on-site, hybrid or remote. Employee work location is subject to change.
- An “in-office” role would require the employee to come into the office most days with occasional flexibility to work remotely if tasks can be performed elsewhere and if the manager approves.
- A “remote” role would allow an employee to work from a home office that is in one of the states Crain does business in. We can only employ a remote / "work from home" employee if they reside in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.
- A “hybrid” role would be a mix of in-office and remote work. There may be a specified schedule for coming into the office or it could be at the discretion of the employee with the manager’s approval, subject to change.
- Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance from a Crain office are expected to work on-site 3 days per week.
- Many positions will also include work done in “the field.” Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews, attending work-related events, meeting with sources or clients. Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves.
We need to keep all that substance.
Now compile.
We'll produce:
About the role
Automotive News is the leading source of news, analysis and data for the global automotive industry, serving dealers, automakers, suppliers and the executives who lead them for more than a century. Our awards programs and executive gatherings play an important role in Automotive News’ broader growth strategy: recognizing excellence, connecting industry leaders and deepening their engagement with our brand. We are seeking a highly organized, hands-on program leader to own the strategy, growth and execution of our global awards programs and private executive gatherings. This individual will manage programs from initial planning through delivery and reporting, working closely with editorial, sales, marketing, events, research and senior leadership to grow their impact, participation and revenue. This is a senior-level individual-contributor role that combines strategic thinking with detailed execution. The ideal candidate will be equally comfortable recommending how a program should evolve and personally managing the platforms, communications, judging logistics, fulfillment and RSVP workflows required to deliver it. These are not side programs: the person in this role will build community and engagement infrastructure that Automotive News is investing in as core to its future. Direct awards experience is welcome but not essential; relevant backgrounds may include program or project management, professional recognition, association programming, events or executive engagement.
Responsibilities
- Awards Strategy & Portfolio Development: Own the performance, growth and ongoing evolution of Automotive News’ global awards programs in partnership with senior leadership. Develop annual program roadmaps encompassing schedules, growth priorities, revenue opportunities and cross-functional requirements, while maintaining consistent standards across programs and markets. Analyze program performance, industry trends and competitive offerings to recommend improvements, new categories, market extensions and potential new programs.
- Awards Program Management & Execution: Lead the complete lifecycle of each awards program, from planning and launch through entries, judging, recognition, event execution and post-program reporting. Develop and manage detailed timelines and workflows, serving as the central point of coordination across editorial, sales, marketing, events, research and other participating teams. Directly administer the award entry and judging platform, including program setup, categories, deadlines, content, user access and data. Manage entries, participant questions, program correspondence and historical records, ensuring information remains complete and accurate throughout each program. Develop and safeguard credible, editorially independent judging processes in partnership with editorial — the integrity of our judging is what makes Automotive News recognition worth winning — including recruiting judges and coordinating assignments, materials, meetings, deliberations, communications, follow-up and travel. Maintain accurate, consistently structured award entry and participant data using definitions agreed with the research and data team, supporting approved research and benchmarking uses while respecting confidentiality and data-use restrictions. Manage program vendors, invoices and expenses; identify execution risks, resolve day-to-day issues and escalate larger strategic or resource decisions when necessary.
- Commercial Growth, Recognition & Event Integration: Partner with sales and marketing to develop strategies that increase award entries, sponsorship revenue and overall industry participation. Translate awards programs into clear commercial and promotional opportunities, providing the materials, insights and timelines needed to bring each program to market while monitoring entry pipelines, participation and revenue performance. Serve as a primary day-to-day contact for award sponsors, ensuring that commitments are documented and fulfilled while supporting strong renewal opportunities. Manage the entrant, finalist and winner experience, including communications, information collection, notifications, trophies, certificates, LinkedIn badges, licensing materials and fulfillment. Partner with the events team to integrate awards into Automotive News events, coordinating winner participation, scripts, presentation materials, award assets, sponsor deliverables and onsite execution. Partner with marketing and research to identify relevant opportunities for award participants, judges and event guests to engage with other Automotive News programs, and coordinate appropriate follow-up consistent with communication preferences and confidentiality requirements.
- Executive Gatherings & Convening: Own the program-management process for private sponsored dinners and other invitation-only executive gatherings, from initial planning through execution and follow-up. Develop and proactively maintain targeted lists of industry leaders, customers, prospects and other priority guests in partnership with sales, editorial and leadership. Directly manage high-touch invitation and RSVP workflows, including personalized outreach, response tracking, follow-up, guest information and last-minute changes. Lead day-to-day sponsor relationships and partner with the events team on planning, guest experience, logistics, sponsorship fulfillment and onsite delivery, ensuring the event supports both Automotive News’ and the sponsor’s objectives. Support the development of new executive engagement formats — councils, roundtables and peer forums — as Automotive News expands its convening role in the industry.
- Reporting & Continuous Improvement: Track participation, revenue, audience composition, sponsor fulfillment and the growth of qualified executive relationships — including repeat participation across programs — and produce internal and sponsor-facing reports and post-program reviews that inform future improvements. Build repeatable templates, checklists and workflows, and implement practical uses of AI and automation to reduce manual work, improve consistency and support program growth.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience in program management, awards or recognition programs, association programming, high-end events or executive engagement — with a track record of owning complex, deadline-driven programs end to end.
- Exceptional organization and project management skills — you can run multiple overlapping program timelines, workflows and vendors without letting details slip.
- Executive presence and polish — comfortable corresponding with C-level executives, sponsors and judges, and representing Automotive News in high-touch settings.
- Experience administering program platforms — awards or submission systems, judging tools, RSVP or event platforms, CRM — and managing structured participant data with accuracy and discretion.
- Commercial instincts — experience supporting sponsorship fulfillment, revenue tracking, renewals or business development.
- Demonstrated comfort using AI tools (large language models, workflow automation or similar) to reduce manual work and improve program quality and consistency.
- Strong writing and communication skills, from executive-level invitations to sponsor-facing reports.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
Qualifications
- Direct experience running awards or recognition programs, including judging operations.
- Experience with invitation-only executive events, councils or
for prose. Do NOT repeat job title as heading. Do NOT put Job ID/requisition numbers as headings. Remove boilerplate etc. Must preserve all substantive info. Must not invent or summarize away detail. Must not include sections with filler like "commensurate with experience". Must only include sections when posting has real specific content. We need to parse the posting. Key sections: - About The Role: paragraph describing role. - What You Will Do: includes multiple sub-sections: Awards Strategy & Portfolio Development, Awards Program Management & Execution, Commercial Growth, Recognition & Event Integration, Executive Gatherings & Convening, Reporting & Continuous Improvement. These are responsibilities/duties. - What We Are Looking For: Required and Preferred bullet lists. - Why This Role: paragraph. - Pay Transparency Disclosure: salary range $90,000 to $110,000, plus benefits mention. - Benefits: mention competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities. - Schedule/Location: Environmental Demands section about work location: on-site, hybrid, remote, states list. This is schedule/location info. We need to map to allowed headings: About the role, Responsibilities, Requirements, Qualifications, Skills, Benefits, Pay, Schedule. We can combine some. "About The Role" ->
About the role
with paragraph. Responsibilities: combine "What You Will Do" sections into a list of duties. Could break into sub-lists? Probably just a- with each duty as
- . Should preserve details.
Requirements: Required qualifications bullet list.
Qualifications: Preferred qualifications bullet list? Or maybe Qualifications heading for preferred? The spec includes Qualifications as a heading. We'll put Preferred under Qualifications.
Skills: maybe we can extract skills like organization, project management, executive presence, platform administration, commercial instincts, AI tools, writing/communication. Could be a separate Skills section. But we could also fold into Requirements. However spec says we can include Skills section if there is real specific content. There is mention of skills: exceptional organization, project management, executive presence, experience administering program platforms, commercial instincts, comfort using AI tools, strong writing and communication skills. So we can make a Skills section.
Benefits: mention competitive benefits including retirement plan savings contributions and bonus opportunities. Also maybe other benefits not detailed. We'll include that.
Pay: salary range $90,000 to $110,000.
Schedule: work location details: on-site, hybrid, remote, states list, expectation 3 days per week if within commute, field work etc. We'll include that.
We must not include boilerplate like EEO, legal, etc. Also remove duplicated lines, navigation, cookie, etc. Also remove "Brand Overview", "About Crain Communications", "Environmental Demands" heading? Actually Environmental Demands includes location info; we need to keep that substance but not the heading. We'll incorporate into Schedule section.
We must not include "Pay Transparency Disclosure" heading; we just put content under Pay.
We must not include "#manager #events #full-time @Automotive_News" etc.
We must not include "Brand Overview:" etc.
We must not include "About Crain Communications:" etc.
We must not include "Environmental Demands" heading but we can keep the content.
We must not include "Employee work location is determined..." etc but we need to keep substance.
We must not include "An “in-office” role would require..." etc but we can keep.
We must not include "Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance..." etc.
We must not include "Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews..." etc.
We must not include "Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves." That's boilerplate; we can drop.
We must not include "To learn more about Crain Communications, visit crain.com." etc.
We must not include "Where you work matters." etc.
We need to preserve all substantive info: location states list, expectation 3 days per week, hybrid/remote/on-site definitions, field work.
Let's extract location info:
From "Environmental Demands":
- Employee work location is determined by the needs of the specific team and may include on-site, hybrid or remote. Employee work location is subject to change.
- An “in-office” role would require the employee to come into the office most days with occasional flexibility to work remotely if tasks can be performed elsewhere and if the manager approves.
- A “remote” role would allow an employee to work from a home office that is in one of the states Crain does business in. We can only employ a remote / "work from home" employee if they reside in one of these states: AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NY, NC, OH, OR, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI, and Washington, DC.
- A “hybrid” role would be a mix of in-office and remote work. There may be a specified schedule for coming into the office or it could be at the discretion of the employee with the manager’s approval, subject to change.
- Employees who live within a reasonable commute distance from a Crain office are expected to work on-site 3 days per week.
- Many positions will also include work done in “the field.” Depending on the role, this may include conducting in-person interviews, attending work-related events, meeting with sources or clients. Specifics will be noted in the job posting but are subject to change as a role evolves.
We need to keep all that substance.
Now compile.
We'll produce:
About the role
Automotive News is the leading source of news, analysis and data for the global automotive industry, serving dealers, automakers, suppliers and the executives who lead them for more than a century. Our awards programs and executive gatherings play an important role in Automotive News’ broader growth strategy: recognizing excellence, connecting industry leaders and deepening their engagement with our brand. We are seeking a highly organized, hands-on program leader to own the strategy, growth and execution of our global awards programs and private executive gatherings. This individual will manage programs from initial planning through delivery and reporting, working closely with editorial, sales, marketing, events, research and senior leadership to grow their impact, participation and revenue. This is a senior-level individual-contributor role that combines strategic thinking with detailed execution. The ideal candidate will be equally comfortable recommending how a program should evolve and personally managing the platforms, communications, judging logistics, fulfillment and RSVP workflows required to deliver it. These are not side programs: the person in this role will build community and engagement infrastructure that Automotive News is investing in as core to its future. Direct awards experience is welcome but not essential; relevant backgrounds may include program or project management, professional recognition, association programming, events or executive engagement.
Responsibilities
- Awards Strategy & Portfolio Development: Own the performance, growth and ongoing evolution of Automotive News’ global awards programs in partnership with senior leadership. Develop annual program roadmaps encompassing schedules, growth priorities, revenue opportunities and cross-functional requirements, while maintaining consistent standards across programs and markets. Analyze program performance, industry trends and competitive offerings to recommend improvements, new categories, market extensions and potential new programs.
- Awards Program Management & Execution: Lead the complete lifecycle of each awards program, from planning and launch through entries, judging, recognition, event execution and post-program reporting. Develop and manage detailed timelines and workflows, serving as the central point of coordination across editorial, sales, marketing, events, research and other participating teams. Directly administer the award entry and judging platform, including program setup, categories, deadlines, content, user access and data. Manage entries, participant questions, program correspondence and historical records, ensuring information remains complete and accurate throughout each program. Develop and safeguard credible, editorially independent judging processes in partnership with editorial — the integrity of our judging is what makes Automotive News recognition worth winning — including recruiting judges and coordinating assignments, materials, meetings, deliberations, communications, follow-up and travel. Maintain accurate, consistently structured award entry and participant data using definitions agreed with the research and data team, supporting approved research and benchmarking uses while respecting confidentiality and data-use restrictions. Manage program vendors, invoices and expenses; identify execution risks, resolve day-to-day issues and escalate larger strategic or resource decisions when necessary.
- Commercial Growth, Recognition & Event Integration: Partner with sales and marketing to develop strategies that increase award entries, sponsorship revenue and overall industry participation. Translate awards programs into clear commercial and promotional opportunities, providing the materials, insights and timelines needed to bring each program to market while monitoring entry pipelines, participation and revenue performance. Serve as a primary day-to-day contact for award sponsors, ensuring that commitments are documented and fulfilled while supporting strong renewal opportunities. Manage the entrant, finalist and winner experience, including communications, information collection, notifications, trophies, certificates, LinkedIn badges, licensing materials and fulfillment. Partner with the events team to integrate awards into Automotive News events, coordinating winner participation, scripts, presentation materials, award assets, sponsor deliverables and onsite execution. Partner with marketing and research to identify relevant opportunities for award participants, judges and event guests to engage with other Automotive News programs, and coordinate appropriate follow-up consistent with communication preferences and confidentiality requirements.
- Executive Gatherings & Convening: Own the program-management process for private sponsored dinners and other invitation-only executive gatherings, from initial planning through execution and follow-up. Develop and proactively maintain targeted lists of industry leaders, customers, prospects and other priority guests in partnership with sales, editorial and leadership. Directly manage high-touch invitation and RSVP workflows, including personalized outreach, response tracking, follow-up, guest information and last-minute changes. Lead day-to-day sponsor relationships and partner with the events team on planning, guest experience, logistics, sponsorship fulfillment and onsite delivery, ensuring the event supports both Automotive News’ and the sponsor’s objectives. Support the development of new executive engagement formats — councils, roundtables and peer forums — as Automotive News expands its convening role in the industry.
- Reporting & Continuous Improvement: Track participation, revenue, audience composition, sponsor fulfillment and the growth of qualified executive relationships — including repeat participation across programs — and produce internal and sponsor-facing reports and post-program reviews that inform future improvements. Build repeatable templates, checklists and workflows, and implement practical uses of AI and automation to reduce manual work, improve consistency and support program growth.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience in program management, awards or recognition programs, association programming, high-end events or executive engagement — with a track record of owning complex, deadline-driven programs end to end.
- Exceptional organization and project management skills — you can run multiple overlapping program timelines, workflows and vendors without letting details slip.
- Executive presence and polish — comfortable corresponding with C-level executives, sponsors and judges, and representing Automotive News in high-touch settings.
- Experience administering program platforms — awards or submission systems, judging tools, RSVP or event platforms, CRM — and managing structured participant data with accuracy and discretion.
- Commercial instincts — experience supporting sponsorship fulfillment, revenue tracking, renewals or business development.
- Demonstrated comfort using AI tools (large language models, workflow automation or similar) to reduce manual work and improve program quality and consistency.
- Strong writing and communication skills, from executive-level invitations to sponsor-facing reports.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
Qualifications
- Direct experience running awards or recognition programs, including judging operations.
- Experience with invitation-only executive events, councils or