Senior Event Operations Lead — Northern California

Merkle Italia; California (MO); Hybrid; USD 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision, and dental insurance

Life insurance

Short-term and long-term disability

401k

Flexible paid time off

At least 15 paid holidays per year

Paid sick and safe leave

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Dentsu Creative in Sacramento, CA is seeking a Senior Manager, Event Management to lead all phases of event execution—from planning to on-site activation and post-event reporting. Based in Sacramento, this role oversees Northern California activity and acts as the market lead within a one-person market structure.

You will recruit and manage Brand Ambassadors and staff, oversee warehouse operations, handle client relations, budgets, and payroll, and partner with regional leadership while

Qualifications

• 6+ years of event management experience.
• Experience managing Brand Ambassadors, field teams, or event staff.
• Strong organizational, project management, and budgeting skills.
• Experience managing payroll, expenses, and administrative processes.
• Experience with sampling events, experiential marketing, and event production.
• Knowledge of the wine and spirits industry preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end event operations, ensuring successful planning, execution, and reporting.
• Serve as the primary liaison for clients, agency partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Recruit, hire, onboard, schedule, coach, and manage Brand Ambassadors and part-time event staff.
• Manage payroll, expense reporting, and other administrative processes with accuracy and timeliness.
• Oversee local budgets, vendor invoices, and financial documentation.
• Create program recaps and performance reports that provide actionable insights and support future planning.
• Lead cross-functional and cross-agency communication to ensure operational excellence.
• Manage warehouse operations, including inventory, event kits, promotional assets, and incoming shipments.
• Ensure all POS materials and event assets are organized, maintained, and activation-ready.
• Maintain a regular on-site presence in the Sacramento warehouse, located in Midtown Sacramento, to support market operations and event readiness.
• Work on-site in the warehouse approximately 3-4 days per week, managing inventory, event assets, kit preparation, and shipments.
• Follow established SOPs and proactively resolve operational challenges.

Skills

Event management

Brand Ambassador management

Budgeting

Payroll & expenses

Warehouse operations

Project coordination

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Dentsu Creative in Sacramento, CA is seeking a Senior Manager, Event Management to lead all phases of event execution—from planning to on-site activation and post-event reporting. Based in Sacramento, this role oversees Northern California activity and acts as the market lead within a one-person market structure.

You will recruit and manage Brand Ambassadors and staff, oversee warehouse operations, handle client relations, budgets, and payroll, and partner with regional leadership while