Sr Manager, Signature Experiences

Gulf States Toyota; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Gulf States Toyota is seeking a Senior Manager of Experiences to lead planning and delivery of high-impact meetings, incentive programs, and signature events for the group. You will translate the Director's vision into disciplined execution, grow the Experiences team, and ensure hospitality, brand expression, and measurable business value.

You will partner with business leaders across Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Risk, oversee budgets and vendors, and provide decisive onsite leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related field required.
• 8-10+ years in corporate events or experiential marketing.
• 3-5+ years leading people or complex teams.
• Experience with executive stakeholders and large budgets.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and development capabilities.
• Proficient in end-to-end event production and vendor management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Experience Managers and planners to deliver programs.
• Translate vision into executable program plans and priorities.
• Oversee portfolio of meetings, travel programs, and signature events.
• Establish ROI measurement and post-event evaluation.
• Manage budgets, staffing plans, and vendor contracts.
• Coordinate with Marketing, Operations, Finance, and partners.
• Provide onsite leadership and risk management.
• Mentor team in experiential storytelling and exec comms.
• Serve as senior onsite producer for major programs.

Skills

People leadership

Budgeting & forecasting

Vendor management

Executive communication

Event production

Onsite leadership

Stakeholder management

Travel planning

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management, Event Management, Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Event planning platforms

Job description

Living Our Values

All associates are guided by Our Values. Our Values are the unifying foundation of our companies. We strive to ensure that every decision we make and every action we take demonstrates Our Values. We believe that putting Our Values into practice creates lasting benefits for all of our associates, shareholders, and the communities in which we live.

Why Join Us

• Career Growth: Advance your career with opportunities for leadership and personal development.
• Culture of Excellence: Be part of a supportive team that values your input and encourages innovation.
• Competitive Benefits: Enjoy a comprehensive benefits package that looks after both your professional and personal needs.

Total Rewards

Our Total Rewards package underscores our commitment to recognizing your contributions. We offer a competitive and fair compensation structure that includes base pay and performance-based rewards. Compensation is based on skill set, experience, qualifications, and job-related requirements. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision insurance, wellness programs, retirement plans, and generous paid leave. Discover more about what we offer by visiting our Benefits page.

A Day In The Life

The Senior Manager of Experiences, under the leadership of the Director, Signature Experiences, leads the planning and delivery of high-impact meetings, events, incentive programs, and signature experiences for Gulf States Toyota, The Friedkin Group, and affiliated companies. This role translates the Director's experiential vision into disciplined execution, develops the Experiences team, and ensures programs consistently deliver exceptional hospitality, brand expression, operational rigor, and measurable business value. The Senior Manager serves as a senior partner to business leaders and as an escalation point for complex programs, budgets, vendors, and guest-experience decisions.

As a Sr Mgr, Experiences You Will

• Lead, coach, and develop Experience Managers, Consultants, Planners, Specialists, and/or contract resources, establishing clear expectations for quality, accountability, collaboration, and service.
• Partner with the Director, Signature Experiences to translate creative vision, business objectives, and brand strategy into executable program plans, production approaches, service standards, and team priorities.
• Oversee a portfolio of complex corporate meetings, incentive travel programs, executive engagements, dealer experiences, and signature events from discovery and concept development through onsite execution and post-event evaluation.
• Establish and manage an ROI measurement approach for events and experiences, evaluating program investment against business objectives, attendee engagement, relationship impact, and other defined outcomes; use insights to inform future program decisions and resource allocation.
• Guide stakeholder discovery, proposal development, experience design, budgets, timelines, staffing plans, and executive presentations for high-profile programs.
• Provide governance for venue sourcing, site inspections, vendor selection, contracting, destination management companies, production partners, transportation, food and beverage, entertainment, and other event services.
• Ensure consistent white-glove attendee and VIP experiences across registration, travel, arrivals, hospitality, gifting, program activities, departures, and issue resolution.
• Own portfolio-level financial discipline, including forecasting, event budgets, approvals, invoice reconciliation, deposits, credits, internal billing, and reporting; identify opportunities to improve value without compromising the guest experience.
• Lead cross-functional coordination with Marketing, Communications, Executive Leadership, Operations, Finance, Risk, Security, Procurement, agencies, and external partners.
• Anticipate program and operational risks, establish escalation plans, and provide decisive onsite leadership when conditions change.
• Establish and monitor operating processes, KPIs, planning tools, documentation standards, and post-event reviews that improve consistency, efficiency, and institutional knowledge.
• Mentor team members in experiential storytelling, stakeholder management, negotiation, production, hospitality, and executive communication; support succession and career development.
• Serve as senior onsite producer for major programs and as delegate for the Director when assigned.

What We Need From You

• Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management, Event Management, Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, or a related field Pref
• 8-10+ years of progressive experience in corporate events, experiential marketing, incentive travel, hospitality, or related fields, including 3-5+ years leading people or complex teams/programs or equivalent combinations of education and/or directly related experience may be considered. Required
• Demonstrated success with executive stakeholders, significant budgets, vendor/agency relationships, and concurrent high-profile programs. Required
• Strong people leadership, coaching, performance management, and team-development capability
• Expertise in end-to-end event production, incentive travel, hospitality, guest experience, and VIP service
• Strong financial acumen, budgeting, forecasting, contract negotiation, and vendor management
• Executive presence and excellent written, verbal, presentation, and relationship-building skills
• Ability to translate strategy and creative concepts into detailed, executable plans
• High judgment, composure, problem solving, and decision making in fast-paced onsite environments
• Working knowledge of event technology and planning platforms; proficiency with Microsoft Office
• DL NUMBER - Driver License, Valid and in State
• Valid US Passport required for international program travel. Required

Physical and Environmental Requirements

20% Domestic and international travel is expected; estimated travel approximately 20-30%, subject to program needs.

Join Us

The Friedkin Group and its affiliates are committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities, including providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation, please contact us at [e-mail]. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all associates.

We are seeking candidates legally authorized to work in the United States, without Sponsorship.