Senior Conference Programs Lead – Education & Growth

American Heart Association; Fort Worth (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, disability, &

Life insurance & retirement program

Employee assistance program

Telemedicine & wellness programs

Paid time off 16 days

12 paid holidays

Job summary

American Heart Association seeks a Senior Program Lead, Professional Education, Specialty Conferences to provide strategic leadership for scientific conferences and educational programs. You will drive growth, profitability, and long-term success of portfolios like EPI/Lifestyle, BCVS, VasD, HTN, and ReSS by leading a cross-functional team and collaborating with volunteers and external partners.

The role emphasizes developing innovative meeting formats, supervising program management staff, and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 5 years of relevant experience.
• Experience managing scientific conferences, association meetings, or professional education programs.
• Experience supervising professional staff and leading high-performing teams.
• Experience developing and managing budgets and financial performance.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to oversee multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.
• Experience working effectively with volunteers, committees, and multiple stakeholder groups.
• Excellent communication, relationship management, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic conference leadership for a portfolio of specialty scientific conferences and educational programs.
• Develop and implement growth strategies to increase attendance, revenue, engagement, and market relevance.
• Establish long-term portfolio plans that align with organizational goals and emerging trends in cardiovascular science and professional education.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, new meeting formats, and enhanced attendee experiences.
• Lead efforts to achieve annual attendance, revenue, and net revenue goals.
• Monitor conference performance metrics and implement improvement strategies as needed.
• Drive initiatives that improve attendee satisfaction and Net Promoter Scores (NPS).
• Analyze market trends, attendee feedback, and competitive data to inform business decisions.
• Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships that expand conference reach, value, and impact.
• Collaborate with professional societies, academic institutions, and other external organizations to strengthen meeting programs and advance business objectives.
• Support initiatives that increase global engagement and broaden participation across scientific communities.
• Serve as a staff partner to volunteer leadership, scientific committees, and planning groups.
• Facilitate effective volunteer engagement and foster productive relationships with key stakeholders.
• Guide volunteers through strategic planning, program development, and decision-making processes.
• Ensure volunteer contributions align with conference objectives and organizational priorities.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Project management

Volunteer coordination

Stakeholder management

Team leadership

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

American Heart Association seeks a Senior Program Lead, Professional Education, Specialty Conferences to provide strategic leadership for scientific conferences and educational programs. You will drive growth, profitability, and long-term success of portfolios like EPI/Lifestyle, BCVS, VasD, HTN, and ReSS by leading a cross-functional team and collaborating with volunteers and external partners.

The role emphasizes developing innovative meeting formats, supervising program management staff, and