Manager, Event Production & Hospitality

The Rockefeller Foundation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 135,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Rockefeller Foundation seeks a Manager, Event Production & Hospitality to plan and execute assigned events, overseeing production and hospitality workstreams across convenings.

You will coordinate with program teams, vendors, and internal partners to ensure seamless on-site experiences, manage budgets, and drive post-event learnings. This on-site role requires travel and occasional weekend work.

Qualifications

• At least 7+ years of experience in event production/management.
• Experience delivering major events from planning to closeout.
• Experience with production plans, budgets, timelines, staffing, and runs of show.
• Ability to manage event risks, develop contingency plans, and make decisions under pressure during live events.
• Hands-on proficiency with registration systems and vendor coordination for large events.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end planning and execution for assigned events, translating objectives into production plans, schedules, budgets, staffing plans, and decision points.
• Lead production and hospitality workstreams across larger convenings and event series, coordinating with program teams and event leads.
• Build and maintain detailed event workplans, runs of show, venue plans, production schedules, and readiness trackers.
• Identify risks and develop contingency and escalation plans; lead real-time problem-solving during events.
• Direct on-site execution from setup through breakdown, including registration, guest flow, hospitality, and VIP logistics.
• Source and evaluate venues and vendors, define scopes of work, and monitor performance and service quality.
• Oversee registration and attendee operations in event systems, including invitations, RSVP tracking, and communications.
• Maintain financial controls for events, including PO management, invoices, expense reconciliation, budget tracking.
• Conduct post-event debriefs and improve tools, templates, and standards to strengthen delivery across convenings.

Skills

Event management

Budget planning

Vendor management

Registration systems

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Tools

Bizzabo

Salesforce

Monday.com

Job description

Position Overview

The Connected Leaders team advances the Foundation's priorities through convenings, partnerships, and sustained engagement with grantees, partners, and global leaders. Its convenings strengthen networks, support collaboration, and deepen relationships beyond individual events.

Position Overview

The Connected Leaders team advances the Foundation's priorities through convenings, partnerships, and sustained engagement with grantees, partners, and global leaders. Its convenings strengthen networks, support collaboration, and deepen relationships beyond individual events. The Manager, Event Production & Hospitality, is responsible for planning and executing assigned events and managing production and hospitality workstreams across larger convenings and event series. The role ensures seamless event execution and high-quality participant experience through effective production planning, logistical coordination, and operational problem-solving. Reporting to the Director of Production, the Manager collaborates with internal teams, external partners, and vendors to deliver successful events and strengthen the consistency and effectiveness of event operations.

Work Schedule: This role is fully on-site and isrequiredto be in the office Monday through Friday with flexibility based on event demands. Approximately 15% travel and occasional weekend work are required.

Hiring Range: $135,000- $150,000. This represents the present low and high ends of the Foundation’s hiring range for this position. Actual pay will vary based on various factors, including but not limited to experience.

Principal Duties And Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end planning and execution for assigned events, translating event objectives into integrated production plans, schedules, budgets, staffing plans, and decision points.
• Lead defined production and hospitality workstreams across larger convenings and event series, coordinating dependencies with program teams, internal partners, and event leads.
• Build and maintain detailed event workplans, runs of show, venue plans, production schedules, and readiness trackers; surface decisions and dependencies early and keep delivery on schedule.
• Identify event, safety, accessibility, travel, and participant-experience risks; develop contingency and escalation plans and lead real-time problem-solving during events.
• Direct on-site execution from setup through breakdown, including registration, guest flow, hospitality, and speaker and VIP logistics; coordinate associates, temporary staff, and vendors and uphold event standards.
• Source and evaluate venues and vendors, define scopes of work, coordinate contracts and approvals, and monitor performance, deliverables, and service quality.
• Oversee registration and participant operations in Bizzabo, including event sites and forms, attendee data, invitations, RSVP tracking, confirmations, communications, reporting, travel, accommodations, and ground transportation.
• Maintain financial and administrative controls for assigned events, including purchase orders, invoices, expense reconciliation, budget tracking, and accurate documentation.
• Conduct post-event debriefs, analyze feedback and operational results, and improve tools, templates, and standards to strengthen delivery across convenings and event series.

Education, Experience, And Skills

• Generally expected to have at least 7+ years of relevant experience in event production, event management, hospitality, or a related field, with demonstrated responsibility for independently delivering events or major event workstreams from planning through closeout.
• Demonstrated success developing production plans, budgets, timelines, staffing models, and runs of show for complex, high-touch events involving multiple stakeholders.
• Experience identifying event risks, developing contingency plans, and making sound decisions under pressure during live execution.
• Proven ability to select and direct venues, vendors, and temporary staff; manage scopes, contracts, budgets, and service standards; and hold partners accountable for results.
• Hands-on proficiency with Bizzabo, Salesforce, and Monday.com for registration, participant information, reporting, and planning workflows.
• Strong organizational skills, follow-through, attention to detail, and deadline management, with the ability to coordinate multiple events and priorities independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
• Clear written and verbal communication, sound judgment, and a service-oriented approach to participant, speaker, VIP, and partner needs; willingness to travel and work occasional weekends as event schedules require.

Competencies

• Action Oriented: Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
• Collaborates: Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Manages Complexity: Makes sense of complex, high-quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems.
• Nimble Learning: Learns through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
• Strategic Mindset: Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies.

About The Rockefeller Foundation

The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation that enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We make big bets to promote the well-being of humanity in food, health, energy, and finance, including through our public charity, RF Catalytic Capital (RFCC). For more information, sign up for our newsletter at www.rockefellerfoundation.org/subscribe and follow us on X @RockefellerFdn and LinkedIn @the-rockefeller-foundation .
The Rockefeller Foundation offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package that includes health insurance programs, tuition reimbursement and student loan repayment, a generous 401K, parental leave, and various forms of paid time off, all to help our employees feel energized, cared for, and engaged.
As an organization, we focus on six values to advance our culture and continue our success. We are dedicated to being Transparent, Optimistic, Accountable, Collaborative, Trusted, and Equitable. We expect all employees at the Foundation to contribute by developing their unique perspectives and talent, challenging conventional wisdom through evidence and reason, and amplifying marginalized voices.
The Rockefeller Foundation is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity and compliance with all federal, state, and local laws concerning employment discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act. To this end, the Foundation ensures equal opportunity to all employees and applicants regardless of race, color, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, lawful alien status, physical, mental, and medical disability, veteran status, liability for service in the United States Armed Forces, or any other protected status.
The Rockefeller Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.