Senior Manager, Strategic Events

Devtooljobs; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Confluent is seeking a Senior Manager, Strategic Events in Palo Alto to lead end-to-end strategy for major event series and act as a strategic partner across marketing and sales. This onsite role focuses on building high-impact experiences and elevating the events team through coaching and process improvements.

You will manage large budgets, align touchpoints with business goals, and ensure brand consistency across physical and digital environments while mentoring staff and driving ROI.

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years in corporate event management.
• Experience leading large-scale, high-visibility events.
• Proven coaching and mentoring ability.
• Strong strategic mindset with data-driven approach.
• Excellent executive communication.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end strategy for major event series.
• Define KPIs with cross-functional teams.
• Oversee budgets and ROI.
• Mentor event staff and improve processes.
• Maintain premium brand identity across events.

Skills

Strategic events

Leadership

Budgeting

Vendor management

Data insights

Coaching

Executive presence

Job description

# Senior Manager, Strategic EventsConfluentPalo Alto, United StatesPosted 8 months agoWe’re not just building better tech. We’re rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. With Confluent, data doesn’t sit still. Our platform puts information in motion, streaming in near real-time so companies can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them.It takes a certain kind of person to join this team. Those who ask hard questions, give honest feedback, and show up for each other. No egos, no solo acts. Just smart, curious humans pushing toward something bigger, together.One Confluent. One Team. One Data Streaming Platform.## **About the Role:**The Senior Manager, Strategic Events is a high-impact leadership role responsible for the vision, design, and execution of a variety of event programs. You will not only manage the logistical complexities of these events but also serve as a strategic partner, ensuring every touchpoint aligns with overarching business goals.Beyond production, you will act as a foundational mentor, elevating the collective expertise of the events team through coaching, process improvement, and strategic oversight.## **What You Will Do:****Strategic Project Leadership*** Program Strategy: Lead the end-to-end strategy for major event series, transforming high-level business objectives into immersive and impactful experiences.* Stakeholder Management: Partner with internal leadership, marketing, and sales teams to define event KPIs and ensure cross-functional alignment.* Budget Oversight: Manage large-scale event budgets, ensuring fiscal responsibility while maximizing production value and ROI.* Vendor Ecosystem: Navigate and manage high-level vendor relationships, ranging from creative agencies to global production houses.**Team Mentorship & Growth*** Talent Development: Serve as a dedicated mentor to event staff, providing guidance on professional growth and technical skill-building.* Process Excellence: Audit and refine event workflows to improve efficiency, scalability, and team productivity.* Thought Leadership: Stay ahead of industry trends and emerging technologies to educate the broader team on modern best practices.**Creative & Brand Integration*** Ensure all events maintain a consistent, premium brand identity across all physical and digital environments.* Oversee content strategy and speaker management to ensure programs resonate with the target audience.## **What You Will Bring:*** 8–10+ years in corporate event management, with a proven track record of leading large-scale, high-visibility event programs.* Demonstrated experience in a leadership capacity; a passion for coaching and developing team members.* Ability to look beyond logistics to focus on long-term strategy, using data and feedback to evolve programs year-over-year.* Exceptional executive presence; comfortable presenting strategies and results to senior stakeholders.**Success Metrics*** Meeting or exceeding registration, attendee satisfaction, and engagement targets.* Measurable improvement in team performance, efficiency, and professional development.* Optimization of the event planning lifecycle and effective vendor cost-management.## **Ready to build what's next? Let’s get in motion.****Come As You Are**Belonging isn’t a perk here. It’s the baseline. We work across time zones and backgrounds, knowing the best ideas come from different perspectives. And we make space for everyone to lead, grow, and challenge what’s possible.We’re proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Employment decisions are based on job-related criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law.Job DetailsRole Type:Hands-on (IC)Seniority Level:M1 - Team LeadRemote:NoRemote Scope:onsite-only