Senior Design Manager, Events

McDermott Will & Schulte; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 145,000 - 194,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Performance-based bonuses

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

McDermott Will & Schulte in Washington, D.C. seeks a Senior Manager, Event Design to create exceptional event experiences. Responsibilities include overseeing the creative vision for events and ensuring cohesive branding across experiences.

The ideal candidate will have over 10 years in event design, strong communication skills, and hands-on Adobe Suite expertise. The role offers a competitive salary range of $145,000 - $194,000, alongside a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in event design or related fields.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating spatial/environmental design.
• Hands-on expertise in design tools.

Responsibilities

• Drive the creative vision for McDermott events.
• Design immersive experiences transforming venues.
• Oversee design of digital event assets.

Skills

Event Design

Experiential Marketing

Creative Leadership

Adobe Creative Suite

Communication

Vendor Management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite

Figma

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Build your big career with the firm that does Big Law, Better. McDermott Will & Schulte is a leading global law firm that brings together more than 1,700+ lawyers and 1,400 business professionals. We celebrate excellence, collaboration, and community and have been recognized as a top workplace by USA Today, Fortune, The American Lawyer, Vault and others. We are also certified by Great Place to Work. At McDermott, we don’t just invest in your future, we accelerate your career – wherever it may lead. That includes supporting you both in and outside of the office.

With Us, You’ll Find

• A firm where everyone belongs: Our award‑winning culture prioritizes warmth and authenticity — we encourage you to be yourself!
• Enthusiasm for all perspectives: We’re smarter and stronger when everyone has a voice and a seat at the table. We welcome unique viewpoints and ideas, and we make opportunities for you and your career to thrive.
• Support to feel your best and do your best: Wellness is integral to building a successful career and a rich life. That’s why our benefits program supports your physical, emotional, mental, and financial health, with an emphasis on work‑life balance.
• Real rewards for real work: We offer generous compensation packages that recognize hard work and excellence.

Job Description

The Senior Manager, Event Design is a strategic creative leader responsible for envisioning and delivering bold, world‑class event experiences across McDermott’s portfolio – from intimate, high‑touch gatherings to large‑scale, multi‑day signature events with 2,000+ attendees. Reporting into the Creative Director, this role owns the creative vision end‑to‑end, ensuring every touchpoint – from first invitation through on‑site immersion and post‑event moments – feels cohesive, elevated, and unmistakably McDermott. Positioned at the intersection of brand, experience design, and production, the Senior Manager brings a strong point of view and big‑picture perspective, seeing the full arc of an event and understanding how each creative decision shapes audience perception and impact. This role calls for a confident creative lead who can articulate and defend strategic ideas with clarity, and balances conceptual ambition with operational rigor to turn complex, abstract ideas into bold, memorable experiences across digital, environmental, and physical channels.

Essential Functions And Responsibilities

• Partner closely with the Creative Director to push creative boundaries while ensuring consistency, clarity, and sophistication across all event executions
• Help drive the creative vision for McDermott events, developing overarching concepts and narratives that unify digital, environmental, and experiential elements into a seamless attendee journey
• Design immersive, ownable experiences that transform venues into branded environments aligned with McDermott’s brand standards, business priorities, and audience expectations
• Translate high‑level themes and messaging into scalable creative systems that work across event sizes, formats, and geographies
• Oversee the design of digital event assets, including email campaigns, event registration websites, and social graphics, ensuring cohesion across all pre‑event marketing channels
• Lead the design and execution of on‑site creative applications, including environmental branding, signage, stage graphics, wayfinding, experiential moments, and printed collateral
• Own the creative workstream for assigned events, leading creative status calls, managing timelines and workflows, and serving as the primary creative point of contact for stakeholders
• Brief, guide, and review work from internal designers and external vendors, providing clear direction and managing partners to ensure design intent is executed at the highest level, on time and on budget

Job Specifications

• Bachelor’s degree
• At least ten (10) years of experience in event design, experiential marketing, brand environments, or integrated creative roles, with leadership responsibility
• Hands on expertise in design tools (Adobe Creative Suite; Figma or similar preferred) with the judgment to know when to design personally vs. delegate
• Ability to design large scale, high profile events as well as intimate, detail driven experiences
• Strong portfolio demonstrating conceptual thinking, spatial/environmental design, and integrated digital and physical executions
• Deep understanding of how creative strategy supports business objectives and audience engagement
• Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to articulate ideas clearly and persuasively to senior stakeholders
• Ability to manage vendors, production partners, and print processes with confidence and precision
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word)

Successful candidates will be provided with outstanding career opportunities and will receive a competitive total rewards package with the opportunity to earn performance‑based bonuses. Target Hiring Range $145,000 - $194,000. Please note that quoted salary ranges are not guarantees of what final salary offers may be. Base pay is based on market location and may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and geographic location. Base pay is only one part of the Total Rewards that MWE provides to compensate and recognize our staff professionals for their work. Full time positions are eligible for a discretionary bonus and a comprehensive benefits package.

Physical Demands And Work Environment

Physical Demands

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit, use hands, reach with hands and arms, stoop, talk and hear
• Employee must occasionally lift up to twenty (20) pounds

Work Environment

Typical indoor office environment

Disclaimer

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people within this classification. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this job.