Associate Director – Event Planning, Congress & Symposia

Talent Groups; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Talent Groups is seeking an Associate Director of Commercial Events & Engagement to lead planning and execution of commercial meetings, congresses, and related HCP engagement activities in a fast-paced life-sciences environment.

This role partners with Sales, Marketing, Field Training, Marketing Operations, and external vendors to deliver high-quality events, drive process improvements, and ensure compliance, including Sunshine Act requirements.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in life-sciences, pharma, biotech, or related industry.
• 3+ years managing commercial events, meetings, congresses, or HCP engagements.
• End-to-end event logistics and commercial event execution.
• Experience leading cross-functional teams and external vendors.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, and vendor management.
• CMP certification preferred/required based on client requirements.
• Ability to travel up to 40%.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end planning and execution of commercial meetings and events.
• Manage venue sourcing, attendee tracking, accommodations, F&B, and logistics.
• Coordinate national, regional, and local congresses with registrations.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to develop agendas and timelines.
• Oversee external production, logistics, and event vendors.
• Maintain master project schedules and mitigate risks.
• Support annual event forecasting, budgeting, and spend tracking.
• Develop SOPs, processes, and dashboards for event metrics.
• Ensure U.S. Sunshine Act compliance for events.

Skills

Budgeting & forecasting

Vendor management

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Project coordination

Education

Bachelors degree

CMP certification

Tools

Cvent

Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint)

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Associate Director of Commercial Events & Engagement to lead the planning and execution of commercial meetings, congresses, symposiums, and related HCP engagement activities within a fast-paced life-sciences environment.

This role will partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Field Training, Marketing Operations, and external vendors to deliver high-quality events while driving process improvements, operational efficiency, and compliance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end planning and execution of commercial meetings and events.
• Manage venue sourcing, attendee tracking, accommodations, F&B, event materials, and overall meeting logistics.
• Coordinate national, regional, and local congresses, including attendee registration and hotel accommodations.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to develop agendas, timelines, and event strategies.
• Manage external production, logistics, and event vendors.
• Own master project schedules, identify risks, and ensure on-time execution.
• Support annual event forecasting, budgeting, spend tracking, and vendor contracts.
• Develop and optimize SOPs, planning frameworks, processes, and tracking mechanisms.
• Develop metrics and dashboards to evaluate event performance and engagement.
• Establish and train field teams on local congress participation processes.
• Analyze post-event feedback and data to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Ensure events follow applicable U.S. compliance requirements, including Sunshine Act requirements.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of life-sciences, pharmaceutical, biotech, or relevant industry experience.
• 3+ years of experience managing commercial events, meetings, congresses, or HCP engagements.
• Proven experience with end-to-end event logistics and commercial event execution.
• Experience managing cross-functional teams and external vendors.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, procurement, and vendor management experience.
• Experience with Cvent and Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strong understanding of U.S. HCP/event compliance requirements.
• Experience developing SOPs, processes, timelines, and reporting dashboards.
• Experience supporting a pre-launch or commercial launch organization is strongly preferred.
• Experience with national sales meetings and life-sciences congresses is highly valued.
• Bachelor's degree required.
• CMP certification preferred/required based on client requirements.
• Strong communication, organizational, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to travel up to 40%, including overnight travel.