Senior Events Manager

Harvarduniversity; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Harvard University's Center for International Development (CID) in Cambridge seeks a Senior Events Manager to lead the strategy, design, and execution of CID's public-facing events globally.

This role will own annual event portfolio, advise leadership on programming priorities, and coordinate conferences, student seminars, and convenings for CID's community including staff, fellows, Harvard students, global alumni, and external practitioners.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in strategic event planning and program development.
• Strong budget management and vendor negotiation skills.
• Ability to coordinate with stakeholders across Harvard and CID.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead CID's comprehensive annual events strategy, advancing mission and engagement across Harvard and globally.
• Manage logistical aspects of conferences, speaker visits, and regional programming, including venue, travel, AV, and registration.
• Develop budgets, monitor expenditures, negotiate contracts with vendors, and ensure operational excellence for events.

Job description

The Center for International Development (CID) is Harvard University's hub for cutting-edge research on the world's most pressing international development issues. Based at Harvard Kennedy School, CID brings researchers and practitioners together across the university to collaborate, using the latest analytical tools to address pressing development challenges. CID organizes global talent worldwide by investing in people, places, and ideas to build a thriving world for all. CID has an opening for a Senior Events Manager to lead the strategy, design, and execution of CID's public-facing events in Cambridge and globally. This role is ideal for a candidate who enjoys developing innovative event strategies that advance CID's mission while also taking ownership of the operational excellence required to deliver exceptional experiences and strengthen global engagement. The Senior Events Manager will serve as the Center's lead on all CID events and convenings, shaping the overall vision and annual event portfolio, advising leadership on programming priorities and directing the development and execution of conferences, student seminars, and strategic convenings for the CID community (including staff, fellows, Harvard students, global alumni, and external practitioners and researchers). This position will report to CID's Senior Director of Communications and coordinate closely with the Associate Director, Student and Fellow Programming and broader CID team. As a small, collaborative team, CID staff are responsible for both planning and executing programming. They must have the ability to interact and collaborate closely with a variety of stakeholders including students, fellows, faculty, donors, development partners and prominent individuals and organizations with tact and diplomacy. This position requires working independently and as part of a team, and a high level of maturity and good judgment. Given the nature of this position, the candidate will be required to work mostly in-person at the CID offices during the academic year, with more flexibility over the summer. CID is a high-profile, fast-paced office with friendly and energetic staff.

Job‑Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Event Planning & Program Development (65%)

• Develop and lead a comprehensive annual events strategy that advances CID's mission, research priorities, institutional visibility, and community engagement across Harvard and globally.
• Lead financial planning and stewardship for CID's annual events portfolio, developing budgets, allocating resources strategically, monitoring expenditures, and identifying opportunities to maximize impact and efficiency.
• Lead design and delivery of CID's event portfolio, including ongoing programming and marquee events such as CID's flagship annual Global Empowerment Meeting (GEM), and working with faculty and leadership to identify priority themes, curate speakers, shape program content, and engage target audiences. Advise CID leadership on the annual events calendar, prioritizing programming opportunities and balancing institutional goals, faculty interests, budget, and organizational capacity.
• Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships that expand the reach and impact of CID programming. Advise leadership on opportunities for external speaking engagements, collaborations, and new event initiatives that strengthen CID's visibility and influence.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to faculty and leadership in developing programming that elevates CID research, responds to emerging policy issues, and strengthens relationships across Harvard and the global development community.
• Establish metrics to evaluate event success, analyze participation trends and audience feedback, and recommend improvements to programming strategy, engagement, and operational effectiveness.

Event Operations & Delivery (35%)

• Manage all logistical aspects of events, conferences, and speaker visits, including venue coordination, catering, travel, audiovisual needs, registration, and on‑site execution, as well as supporting logistics when needed for regional programming off campus.
• Anticipate, troubleshoot, and resolve operational and technical challenges during event planning and execution, exercising sound judgment under pressure.
• Develop, manage, and reallocate the budget for conferences, event series, and outreach. Negotiate contracts, as needed, and manage internal and external vendors, such as facilities, catering, media and technology services, security, and other vendors.
• In collaboration with the CID Communications team, coordinate communications and event promotion through Harvard and external channels, including drafting the CID weekly newsletter, event posters, social media posts, etc. Initiate post‑event communications including event write‑ups, posting on CID's YouTube channel, and more.
• Manage event registration and attendance tracking through Salesforce and other systems, ensuring collection of information at registration that wi