Event Marketing Manager

Rozgoo; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Gusto is seeking an Event Marketing Manager to lead bold, memorable events and experiences—from trade shows to owned activations. This strategic, high-visibility role designs, produces, and optimizes event programs within a cross-functional go-to-market team to build brand affinity and pipeline.

You’ll collaborate across teams, manage budgets, and leverage data and AI to drive performance, with a focus on measurable impact and scalable programs across channels.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of experience in event marketing and production.
• Proven track record across trade shows, activations, conferences, and owned events.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to set goals, develop event strategies, execute plans, and evaluate performance to drive continuous improvement.
• Build and manage end-to-end event campaign programs including scopes of work, resource plans, budgets, contracts, and timelines—keeping everything on track and on budget.
• Leverage understanding of market positioning and target audiences to inform event decisions from format and venue selection to messaging and audience targeting.
• Design and produce a range of event types—from large-scale owned events (500+ attendees) to trade show activations, field events, and intimate customer experiences.
• Build strong relationships with external partners including industry and show organizers, agencies, and vendors, negotiating favorable terms and ensuring seamless delivery.
• Assemble the right internal and external resources for each opportunity, fostering collaboration with Gusto's creative teams, agencies, and production partners.
• Maintain accuracy and accountability of event budgets, evaluate results against goals, deliver wrap-up reports, and make recommendations to senior leadership.
• Build upon event marketing craft and vision, championing breakthrough experience design, emerging tech, and innovative production approaches.
• Leverage AI tools to enhance event marketing workflows—from audience analysis and content personalization to post-event reporting and campaign optimization.

Skills

Event marketing

Job description

About Gusto

At Gusto, we're on a mission to grow the small business economy. We handle the hard stuff — payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, and HR — so owners can focus on their craft and their customers. With teams in Denver, San Francisco, and New York, we support more than 500,000 small businesses nationwide and are building a workplace that reflects the people we serve.

All full-time employees receive competitive base pay, benefits, and equity (RSUs) — because everyone who helps build Gusto should share in its success. Offer amounts are determined by role, level, and location. Learn more about our Total Rewards philosophy.

AI is a fundamental part of how work gets done at Gusto. We expect all team members to actively engage with AI tools relevant to their role and grow their fluency as the technology evolves. AI experience requirements vary by role and will be assessed during the interview process.

About the Role:

We're looking for an Event Marketing Manager to bring Gusto to life through bold, memorable events and experiences.

This is a highly visible, strategic role responsible for designing, producing, and optimizing event marketing programs—from trade shows and industry conferences to Gusto-owned activations and experiences. You'll plan, execute, and optimize event marketing campaigns as part of a cross-functional go-to-market team, turning strategy into on-the-ground execution that builds brand affinity and builds pipeline.

About the Team:

This role is part of the go-to-market team responsible for driving pipeline and fueling growth across Gusto's channels. We combine creativity, data-driven insights, and cross-functional collaboration to design campaigns that reach, engage, and convert the right audiences at scale. Together, we've helped Gusto grow to serve hundreds of thousands of customers nationwide, and we're just getting started.

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders and leadership to set goals, develop event strategies, execute plans, and evaluate performance to drive continuous improvement over time.
• Build and manage end-to-end event campaign programs including scopes of work, resource plans, budgets, contracts, and timelines—keeping everything on track and on budget.
• Leverage a deep understanding of Gusto's internal and external market positioning and target audiences to inform event decisions, from format and venue selection to messaging and audience targeting.
• Design and produce a range of event types—from large-scale owned events (500+ attendees) to trade show activations, field events, and intimate customer experiences that strengthen brand affinity and accelerate funnel impact.
• Build strong relationships with external partners including industry and show organizers, agencies, and vendors, negotiating favorable terms and ensuring seamless delivery.
• Assemble the right internal and external resources for each opportunity, fostering collaboration and creative excellence with Gusto's creative teams, agencies, and production partners.
• Maintain accuracy and accountability of event budgets, evaluate results against goals, deliver wrap-up reports, and make recommendations to senior leadership for Event Marketing.
• Build upon and advocate for the event marketing and production craft and vision at Gusto—championing breakthrough experience design, emerging event technology, and innovative production approaches.
• Leverage AI tools and technologies to enhance event marketing workflows—from audience analysis and content personalization to post-event reporting and campaign optimization—driving efficiency and deeper insights across the event lifecycle.

Here’s what we're looking for:

• 7–10 years of experience in event marketing and production, with a proven track record of producing a wide range of events (trade shows, activations, conferences, owned events for 500+ attendees, and white‑glove experiences) across varying levels of complexity, scale, and design.
• A passion for event marketing and production with a willingness to roll up your