Developer Events Lead

Buildkite; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 days annual leave

Sick & carer's leave

Remote-work allowance

Retirement and health coverage

Parental leave 16 weeks

Mental health support

Learning and growth support

Flexible work location

Job summary

Buildkite, a leading CI platform, is seeking an Events Lead to shape our developer events strategy in the Bay Area and beyond. You will own the end-to-end events program, partnering with GTM, Sales, and Brand to turn opportunities into strong relationships and measurable pipeline impact.

You will manage budgets, vendors, and processes to scale a high-quality events program, experiment with new formats, and translate business goals into actionable plans while communicating outcomes across senior

Qualifications

• Led events, community, or field marketing strategy.
• Able to build scalable programs and repeatable systems.
• Comfortable working autonomously with ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Define where Buildkite shows up in field marketing and measure ROI.
• Create budgets, vendor relationships, and playbooks for the program.
• Own flagship events end-to-end from strategy to post-event analysis.
• Represent Buildkite to customers and community partners.

Skills

Events strategy

Program management

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Job description

Buildkite's CI platform is trusted by the world's leading engineering teams, helping ship software used by more than 1 billion people every day. Companies including Canva, Meta, Mistral AI, and NVIDIA rely on Buildkite to run builds, tests, and deployments on their infrastructure, ours, or both - giving them the speed, reliability, and flexibility to ship with confidence.

About the Role

As the Developer Events Lead you'll shape where and how Buildkite shows up in the developer community, from conferences and meetups to workshops, sponsorships, and the events we create ourselves. Starting in the Bay Area, you'll help decide where we invest, why we're there, and what success looks like, with the opportunity to expand the program into other regions.

This is an end-to-end role. You'll own the strategy, budget, partners, and systems behind our events program, working closely with GTM, Sales, and Brand to turn the right moments into meaningful relationships and business impact.

You'll have the autonomy to experiment, learn, and build what works. We’re looking for someone who can spot the right opportunities, make a strong case for where Buildkite should show up, and dig into the results afterward, being clear about what worked, what didn't, and what we should do differently next time.

What You'll Do

Shape our events strategy

• Define where Buildkite shows up in field marketing, why, and how we measure success (think ROI).
• Build a clear framework for measuring event impact, enabling smarter investment decisions and connecting events to pipeline, brand, and community outcomes.
• Partner closely with Marketing, Sales, and GTM teams to prioritise opportunities, balance trade-offs, and maximise impact.
• Experiment with new event formats, partnerships, and community programs to continually improve how we engage developers.

Build a scalable program

• Create the budgets, vendor relationships, and operational playbooks that enable a high-quality, repeatable events program.
• Document processes and establish systems that allow the program to grow without increasing complexity.
• Continuously improve how we plan, execute, and evaluate events.

Deliver exceptional experiences

• Own flagship events end-to-end, from strategy and planning through execution and post-event analysis.
• Represent Buildkite to customers, community leaders, partners, sponsors, and industry stakeholders.
• Ensure every event reflects the quality of the Buildkite brand and creates meaningful value for attendees.

Lead through influence

• Share insights and learnings openly, using data to refine strategy and improve future programs.
• Partner effectively across teams and support contractors or external partners to deliver great outcomes.

This Is You If...

• You've developed and led an events, community, or field marketing strategy.
• You enjoy building scalable programs and repeatable systems, not just delivering individual events.
• You're comfortable working autonomously, making decisions, and bringing clarity to ambiguity.
• You can translate business goals into a practical execution plan and bring others along with you.
• You know how to measure the success of an event beyond attendance—connecting it to business and community outcomes.
• You build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, technical audiences, and community partners.
• You're interested in developer communities and understand what creates authentic engagement.
• You've created memorable experiences, whether that's a flagship event, conference activation, or community program.

Bonus Points If...

• You've built events or community programs from the ground up.
• You already have relationships within Bay Area (or other) developer communities and technology event networks.
• You've worked in or alongside Developer Relations.
• You've used ABM, intent data, or attribution frameworks to connect events with pipeline and revenue outcomes.
• 20 days paid annual leave plus 10 days sick & carer's leave - actively encouraged, we want you to be at your best and time off is a part of that.
• An ongoing remote-work allowance to help you do your best work - we want you to have everything you need, from great wifi to wellness options that are right for you.
• Retirement and health coverage (based on your region) - build towards your future, your way.
• 16 weeks paid parental leave for primary carers (6 weeks for secondary) - becoming a parent is life changing and we're committed to supporting you and your family through it.
• Confidential EAP & mental health support - sometimes life gets hard. You should be able to access the resources and support you need.
• Support for learning and growth - with time and budget for conferences, courses, and coaching so you have the opportunity to grow, improve your craft, and build mastery.
• Flexibility to work from anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks a year - great work doesn't have to happen from one desk.

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is $170,000-$190,000 USD. Compensation is determined based on geographic location, relevant experience, and qualifications.

At Buildkite, we value diversity and celebrate all types of skills, backgrounds, and experiences. We're dedicated to fostering an inclusive environment and providing reasonable accommodations throughout our recruitment process. If you need any accommodations or support during the application or interview process, please reach out to us at: [e-mail].