Associate Director, Conferences Operations & Data Management

Socket.dev; Dolphin Cove (CT); Hybrid; USD 93,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Gartner is seeking a strategic leader to manage the project portfolio for the global event calendar, capacity planning, and attendee projections across 100+ annual events. You will guide data-driven decisions, coordinate senior stakeholders, and drive process improvements in a fast-paced environment.

The role emphasizes executive presence, collaboration across divisions, and the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights that align with business goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred
• 10+ years of project management experience; event management experience preferred
• Experience managing complex programs with multiple variables and dependencies
• Strong interpersonal skills, especially with senior-level professionals
• Creative, strategic thinker with keen attention to detail
• Demonstrated ability to drive continuous improvement and manage change
• Willingness to travel up to six times per year (domestically and potentially internationally)

Responsibilities

• Oversee end-to-end process of identifying and confirming dates for future Gartner C-Level Communities events with stakeholders
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive event calendar aligned with P&L goals and revenue opportunities
• Partner with internal teams to select dates and venues based on requirements, growth, and other calendars
• Manage calendar approvals, criteria, and change-management processes for leadership visibility
• Lead calendar communications, providing status updates, reporting, and publication control
• Analyze venue capacity and attendee projections to align with business needs and growth
• Build tools and reports for scalable attendee and sponsorship capacity across 100+ annual events
• Assess sponsorship growth proposals for alignment to demand, program experience, and profitability
• Prepare agendas and presentations for key initiatives using data to inform leadership decisions

Skills

Exceptional problem-solving

Data-driven

Drive / Self-sufficiency

Intellectual curiosity

Communication

Collaboration

Executive presence

Core values

Adaptability

Education

Bachelor’s degree (preferred)

Job description

This position leads the project management of multiple cross-functional workstreams related to the global event calendar, capacity, and attendee projections for the Gartner C-Level Communities (GCC) portfolio. We seek a strategic leader passionate about process creation, operational excellence, and managing complex projects.

A successful candidate is a natural problem solver and can effectively leverage data to identify risks and opportunities that will drive strategic decisions and organization change. This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a fast-paced environment and is eager to make a significant impact across the Gartner Conferences business.

What you will do:

• Oversee the end-to-end process of identifying and confirming dates for future Gartner C-Level Communities events, collaborating with internal stakeholders to validate options.
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive event calendar that aligns with P&L goals – maximizing revenue opportunities, delivering exceptional on-site experiences, and minimizing costs.
• Partner with internal teams to make informed date and venue selections based on event requirements, overall scheduling strategy, projected event growth, global/regional holidays, other Gartner Conferences portfolio calendars, and competitive events.
• Manage all calendar scheduling approvals in accordance with business strategy; establish approval and change management criteria and processes; ensure escalations are presented effectively to leadership as required.
• Lead official calendar communications, providing timely status updates, reporting, and controlling the publication of future events.
• Understand & analyze venue capacity and attendee projections data to ensure calendar and venue option align with business needs, as well as drive awareness for organic growth restrictions.
• Take a data driven approach to build new tools and reports to enable scalable attendee and sponsorship capacity analysis across 100+ annual events.
• Analyze the opportunity and impact of sponsorship growth proposals, including alignment to demand, program experience, and profitability assessment.
• Manage agendas and presentations for key initiatives meetings, using data to guide leadership discussions and decisions.

Key competencies, knowledge, skills, & abilities

• Exceptional problem-solving: Proven ability to solve complex problems, think creatively, and use data to inform decisions.
• Data-driven: Skilled in leveraging data analytics to uncover insights, inform strategy, and drive effective decision-making. Confidently work with large/dispersed data sets and streamline into actionable insights.
• Drive / Self-sufficiency: Demonstrated ownership from problem statement to solution, working independently in a matrixed environment.
• Intellectual curiosity: Proactively identifies opportunities to drive business impact.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communicator, skilled in presentations and stakeholder engagement.
• Collaboration: Strong partnership and relationship building skills across business lines.
• Executive presence: Able to engage, influence, and leader senior leaders (VPs and above).
• Core values: Demonstrates integrity, collaboration, growth-mindset, objectivity, and consistent results.
• Adaptability: Operates with urgency and can manage change in a dynamic environment.

What you’ll need:

• Bachelor’s degree (preferred)
• 10+ years of project management experience; event management experience strongly preferred
• Experience managing complex programs with multiple variables and dependencies
• Strong interpersonal skills, especially with senior-level professionals
• Creative, strategic thinker with keen attention to detail
• Financial management experience (preferred)
• Motivated team player with a growth mindset
• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills
• Demonstrated ability to drive continuous improvement and manage change
• Ability to thrive under pressure and make confident decisions
• Ability to travel up to six times per year, domestically and potentially internationally

#conferences

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Who are we?

At Gartner, Inc. (NYSE:IT), we guide the leaders who shape the world.

Our mission relies on expert analysis and bold ideas to deliver actionable, objective business and technology insights, helping enterprise leaders and their teams succeed with their mission-critical priorities.

Since our founding in 1979, we’ve grown to 20,000 associates globally who support over 13,000 client enterprises in ~90 countries and territories. We do important, interesting and substantive work that matters. That’s why we hire associates with the intellectual curiosity, energy and drive to want to make a difference. The bar is unapologetically high. So is the impact you can have here.

What makes Gartner a great place to work?

Our vast, virtually untapped market potential offers limitless opportunities – opportunities that may not even exist right now – for you to grow professionally and flourish personally. How far you go is driven by your passion and performance.

We hire remarkable people who collaborate and win as a team. Together, our singular, unifying goal is to deliver results for our clients.

Our teams are inclusive and composed of individuals from different geographies, cultures, religions, ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and generations.

We invest in great leaders who bring out the best in you and the company, enabling us to multiply our impact and results. This is why, year after year, we are recognized worldwide as a great place to work.

Gartner is the world authority on AI

At Gartner, you’ll join a company at the very center of the AI revolution. Gartner has proactive, objective guidance throughout clients’ AI journeys. We set the standard for how organizations leverage artificial intelligence to drive meaningful impact. You’ll have access to unmatched resources, expertise, and technology, and play a key role in helping Gartner and our clients innovate and grow as we leverage AI to transform business and technology landscapes.

It’s an exciting time to be at Gartner, with limitless opportunities to make a real impact, grow your skills, and build a lasting, meaningful career in a field that’s reshaping the way we operate. If you’re passionate about AI and want to be part of a team that’s guiding the leaders who shape the world, Gartner is the place for you.

What do we offer?

Gartner offers world-class benefits, highly competitive compensation and disproportionate rewards for top performers.

In our hybrid work environment, we provide the flexibility and support for you to thrive — working virtually when it's productive to do so and getting together with colleagues in a vibrant community that is purposeful, engaging and inspiring.

Ready to grow your career with Gartner? Join us.

Gartner believes in fair and equitable pay. A reasonable estimate of the base salary range for this role is 93,000 USD - 140,000 USD. Please note that actual salaries may vary within the range, or be above or below the range, based on factors including, but not limited to, education, training, experience, professional achievement, business need, and location. In addition to base salary, employees will participate in either an annual bonus plan based on company and individual performance, or a role-based, uncapped sales incentive plan. Our talent acquisition team will provide the specific opportunity on our bonus or incentive programs to eligible candidates. We also offer market leading benefit programs including generous PTO, a 401k match up to $7,200 per year, the opportunity to purchase company stock at a discount, and more.

The policy of Gartner is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, citizenship status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status and to seek to advance the principles of equal employment opportunity.

Gartner is committed to being an Equal Opportunity Employer and offers opportunities to all job seekers, including job seekers with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access the Company’s career webpage as a result of your disability. You may request reasonable accommodations by calling Human Resources at [phone] or by sending an email to [e-mail].