Sr. Event Manager

Rafay Systems; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Benefits

Competitive salary

Job summary

Rafay Systems is seeking a Sr. Event Manager to shape our global presence with strategic, hands-on execution. You will lead pre-, during-, and post-event planning, drive executive meetings, and craft engaging experiences across demos, partner activations, and conferences.

A demanding, visible role with international travel and close collaboration with executives and partners. You will own end-to-end event programs, manage budgets and vendors, and deliver measurable pipeline impact through

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive B2B event marketing experience.
• Global event experience across regions and vendors.
• Ownership of company-owned events for 500+ attendees.
• Meticulous organization and attention to detail.
• Strong budget management and vendor negotiation.
• Hands-on with HubSpot and Salesforce.
• Clear, proactive cross-functional communication.

Responsibilities

• Own comprehensive pre-, during-, and post-event plans with objectives, budgets, milestones, and success measures.
• Build detailed project plans, schedules, run-of-show docs, and contingency plans; manage dependencies and risks.
• Produce Rafay-owned events and manage third-party participation (registration, exhibits, staffing, hospitality, on-site delivery).
• Develop distinctive activations and executive meetings that attract priority audiences and generate qualified demos.
• Coordinate pre-event campaigns, on-site content capture, and post-event amplification with marketing teams.

Skills

B2B event marketing

Global event management

Budget management

Vendor negotiation

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Tools

HubSpot

Salesforce

Event management platforms

Registration platforms

Job description

Location: Remote
Reports to: Sr. Director, Global Field & Partner Marketing
Travel: Approximately 30%, including international travel

ABOUT THE ROLE

Rafay has a robust, global event calendar, and we are looking for a Sr. Event Manager to shape our presence and deliver exceptional experiences around the world. This role combines creative event strategy, meticulous planning, and hands‑on execution to strengthen relationships and drive measurable business impact.

Our events go beyond the booth. We bring together compelling demos, executive meetings, speaking opportunities, partner activations, and memorable customer experiences, supported by coordinated promotion and follow‑through before, during, and after every event. You will bring the foresight to start early, the creativity to make Rafay stand out, and the thoughtful touches that make customers, prospects, and partners feel genuinely welcomed and valued.

Rafay moves quickly, works hard, and holds a high standard for execution. This is a demanding, highly visible role with substantial opportunity to shape our global event presence, work closely with executives and strategic partners, and make a measurable contribution to company growth.

Your event portfolio will include: NVIDIA GTC across the U.S., EMEA, APAC, and Washington, D.C., along with other partner‑owned events; industry conferences such as RAISE Summit and AI Infrastructure Summit; Rafay‑owned conferences and customer summits; and targeted field marketing events.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

Integrated Event Planning & Execution

• Own comprehensive pre-, during-, and post-event plans, with clear objectives, target audiences, budgets, milestones, and success measures. Drive execution across participating teams and vendors, with defined workstream owners, deadlines, and deliverables.
• Begin planning early. Build and maintain detailed project plans, production schedules, run‑of‑show documents, and contingency plans. Anticipate dependencies, track commitments, and escalates risks before they affect execution.
• Produce Rafay‑owned events and manage third-party event participation, overseeing registration, exhibits, production, staffing, hospitality, and on‑site delivery.

Customer Experiences & Beyond-the-Booth Programs

• Develop distinctive activations, ancillary events, executive dinners, and joint partner experiences that attract priority audiences and generate substantive conversations and qualified demos.
• Incorporate thoughtful hospitality and personalized touches throughout the attendee experience, including tailored communications, seamless check‑in, attentive on‑site support, and meaningful follow‑up.
• Lead executive meeting programs with sales and partner teams, coordinating outreach, scheduling, briefing materials, logistics, and documented next steps.
• Manage speaking opportunities from submissions and speaker coordination through presentation deadlines, rehearsals, session delivery, and promotion.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration & Amplification

• Collaborate across integrated marketing, product marketing, digital, communications, revenue operations, and partner marketing, as well as sales, technical teams, and executive leadership.
• Work closely with partner marketing to engage partners in joint experiences, demos, meetings, and co‑promotion.
• Coordinate pre‑event campaigns, on‑site content capture, and post‑event amplification with the relevant marketing teams.
• Communicate event plans across the organization, ensuring participating teams understand the objectives, priorities, responsibilities, and follow‑up expectations. Lead readiness briefings so everyone arrives prepared.

Event Operations & Performance

• Manage relationships with event organizers, ERC teams, Freeman and other exhibit and production vendors, agencies, and hotel venues. Oversee vendor commitments, service orders, shipping, room blocks, and on‑site readiness.
• Maintain the global event calendar, evaluate new opportunities against audience fit and business priorities, and manage budgets from initial estimates and vendor negotiations through final reconciliation.
• Align with sales, SDRs, and revenue operations on lead qualification, routing, and timely follow‑up. Measure qualified demos, completed meetings with priority accounts, sales‑accepted leads, and opportunity progression.
• Deliver recaps for every event covering business results, attendee feedback, sourced and influenced pipeline, budget performance, and recommendations for future investment.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 8+ years of progressive B2B event marketing experience, preferably in SaaS, cloud, AI infrastructure, or enterprise technology, with demonstrated ownership of complex programs from strategy through execution and measurement.
• Proven global event experience, including execution across multiple regions and coordination with international teams, vendors, and venues.
• Demonstrated ownership of company‑owned events for 500+ attendees, alongside major industry conferences, partner‑owned events, and smaller executive or field programs.
• Meticulous organization and exceptional attention to detail, with the ability to manage concurrent programs, complex timelines, and numerous stakeholders while maintaining reliable follow‑through.
• Strong budget management, vendor negotiation, and project management skills.
• Hands‑on experience with HubSpot, Salesforce, project management tools, along with event management and registration platforms.
• Practical experience using AI tools to streamline research, planning, communications, and reporting, with careful attention to accuracy and quality.
• Clear, proactive communication and sound judgment. You build effective relationships across functions and partners, anticipate needs, and remain composed and accountable as priorities shift.

SUCCESS IN THIS ROLE LOOKS LIKE

• Events generate meaningful pipeline, qualified demos, productive meetings with priority accounts, and sales‑accepted leads. Rafay shows up everywhere at our events!
• Customers, prospects, and partners feel recognized, valued, and well cared for through thoughtful, consistently executed experiences.
• Planning begins early, stakeholders understand their responsibilities, and programs are delivered on schedule and within budget, with coordinated amplification, timely follow‑up, and actionable lessons from every event.

WHY JOIN RAFAY?

Rafay is at the forefront of GPU PaaS and Kubernetes, building foundational technology for cloud providers and AI/ML‑driven enterprises. We offer the opportunity to join a high‑performing team shaping next‑generation platforms in a collaborative environment that values innovation and accelerates career growth. On top of this, we offer a fun and dynamic work environment, a competitive salary, robust benefits and attractive stock options. As the first of our kind, we are truly in a class of our own.