Sr. Manager, WEF Events

Water Environment Federation; Alexandria (VA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

The Senior Manager, WEF Events, will lead planning and execution across WEF’s event portfolio, excluding WEFTEC, coordinating Educational Programming, Marketing, and Sales.

This role requires hybrid work in Alexandria, VA, with two in-office days every other week and travel up to 20% for meetings and events.

We seek a results-oriented leader who can align diverse teams, manage budgets, and deliver exceptional events that further WEF’s mission.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• 7+ years of experience managing complex, cross-functional programs; experience with event planning, associations, or comparable multi-stakeholder initiatives preferred.
• 2+ years of People Leadership experience
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams without direct supervisory authority.
• Strong judgment and demonstrated ability to make timely decisions involving competing priorities, multiple stakeholders, and incomplete information.
• Experience managing integrated work plans, budgets, timelines, dependencies, risks, and performance measures.
• Exceptional facilitation, communication, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive collaboration and ensuring relevant perspectives are incorporated into planning and decision-making.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and remain effective in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment.
• PMP, CMP, CEM, or comparable professional certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Own the integrated event program: Lead planning and coordination across all functional areas from initial concept and business planning through execution and post-event evaluation.
• Drive decisions: Establish decision points, facilitate productive discussion, resolve competing priorities, and make final cross-functional decisions when alignment cannot be achieved.
• Create accountability: Establish clear roles, deliverables, deadlines, and dependencies; monitor progress; and hold functional leads accountable for agreed-upon responsibilities.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration: Convene the right stakeholders at the right time and ensure work across Events, Programming, Marketing, Sales, Community Engagement, Culture and Belonging or other internal stakeholders is coordinated rather than developed in silos.
• Ensure inclusive participation: Proactively identify who needs to be included and/or involved in a decision and ensure affected teams, volunteer communities, committees, and other key stakeholders have meaningful opportunities to contribute.
• Resolve gaps and conflicts: Identify and/or resolve unclear ownership, missed handoffs, conflicting priorities, and emerging risks; facilitate resolution and make decisions necessary to keep the program moving.
• Integrate strategy and business planning: Coordinate development of event objectives, audience strategy, theme, location, timing, programming, sales, marketing, promotion, pro forma budget, and management of projections.
• Manage risk and communication: Surface operational, financial, participant-experience, and organizational risks early and maintain clear communication of decisions, ownership, progress, and unresolved issues.
• Drive continuous improvement: Lead post-event reviews, document lessons learned, and ensure improvements are incorporated into subsequent events.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder management

Facilitation

Negotiation

Communication

Conflict resolution

Decision making

Budgeting and planning

Education

Bachelor's degree

PMP certification

CMP certification

CEM certification

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

How This Position Contributes to the Team

The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a global leader in water, with over 30,000 members and 75 affiliated Member Associations. Our mission is bold: a world free of water challenges. Through our Strategic Plan, we’re driving transformation across three pillars – Workforce Development, Community Engagement, and the Circular Water Economy – with cross-cutting priorities in Global Engagement and Artificial Intelligence.

Position Summary

The Senior Manager (Sr.Mgr), WEF Events, provides centralized leadership, coordination, and accountability for assigned events across WEF’s event portfolio. The position serves as the primary integrator across WEF Events (excluding WEFTEC), Educational Programming, Marketing and Communications, Sales/Business Development, Community Engagement, Culture and Belonging and other internal stakeholders.

The Sr. Mgr. WEF Events must thrive on initiative, problem solving, agility, operate inclusively and demonstrate teamwork. An ideal candidate will have experience working across WEF’s mission and industry to best serve the Water Community.

NOTE: This role is hybrid and requires working in the office (Alexandria, VA) 2 days every other week. Travel is required (up to 20% of the year) for meetings and events.

• Own the integrated event program: Lead planning and coordination across all functional areas from initial concept and business planning through execution and post-event evaluation.
• Drive decisions: Establish decision points, facilitate productive discussion, resolve competing priorities, and make final cross-functional decisions when alignment cannot be achieved.
• Create accountability: Establish clear roles, deliverables, deadlines, and dependencies; monitor progress; and hold functional leads accountable for agreed-upon responsibilities.
• Lead cross-functional collaboration: Convene the right stakeholders at the right time and ensure work across Events, Programming, Marketing, Sales, Community Engagement, Culture and Belonging or other internal stakeholders is coordinated rather than developed in silos.
• Ensure inclusive participation: Proactively identify who needs to be included and/or involved in a decision and ensure affected teams, volunteer communities, committees, and other key stakeholders have meaningful opportunities to contribute.
• Resolve gaps and conflicts: Identify and/or resolve unclear ownership, missed handoffs, conflicting priorities, and emerging risks; facilitate resolution and make decisions necessary to keep the program moving.
• Integrate strategy and business planning: Coordinate development of event objectives, audience strategy, theme, location, timing, programming, sales, marketing, promotion, pro forma budget, and management of projections.
• Manage risk and communication: Surface operational, financial, participant-experience, and organizational risks early and maintain clear communication of decisions, ownership, progress, and unresolved issues.
• Drive continuous improvement: Lead post-event reviews, document lessons learned, and ensure improvements are incorporated into subsequent events.

Other duties as assigned within scope

Decision Authority & Accountability

• The Sr. Mgr. WEF Events has delegated authority to make cross-functional decisions necessary to deliver the approved event strategy and budget; establish program milestones and deadlines; clarify ownership and accountability; and resolve issues involving priorities, responsibilities, and dependencies.
• Functional leaders retain responsibility and subject-matter authority for the quality and execution of work within their respective areas.
• The Sr. Mgr. WEF Events is accountable for integrating stakeholders into a cohesive event program and for ensuring that decisions are made and, commitments are met successfully.
• Matters involving significant changes to approved strategy or budget, contractual or legal commitments, or issues outside the position’s delegated authority are escalated through the Senior Leadership Team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• 7+ years of experience managing complex, cross-functional programs; experience with event planning, associations, or comparable multi-stakeholder initiatives preferred.
• 2+ years of People Leadership experience
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams without direct supervisory authority.
• Strong judgment and demonstrated ability to make timely decisions involving competing priorities, multiple stakeholders, and incomplete information.
• Experience managing integrated work plans, budgets, timelines, dependencies, risks, and performance measures.
• Exceptional facilitation, communication, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusive collaboration and ensuring relevant perspectives are incorporated into planning and decision-making.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and remain effective in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment.
• PMP, CMP, CEM, or comparable professional certification preferred.

This person will work primarily in an office environment using standard office equipment. Must be able to lift at least 25 lbs.

WEF is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.