Strategic Conference Lead, Education & Growth

American Heart Association; Dallas, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Heart U / professional development

Tuition assistance

Paid time off

Health benefits

Work-life harmonization

Job summary

The American Heart Association is seeking a Senior Program Lead, Professional Education, Specialty Conferences in Dallas to drive the strategy and growth of major scientific meetings including EPI/Lifestyle, BCVS, VasD, HTN, and ReSS.

You will lead a team of program managers, partner with volunteers and external organizations, manage budgets, measure performance, and ensure programs advance the mission while delivering financial and operational success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• 5 years of relevant experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing scientific conferences, association meetings, or professional education programs.
• Experience supervising professional staff and leading high-performing teams.
• Experience developing and managing budgets and financial performance.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to oversee multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.
• Experience working effectively with volunteers, committees, and multiple stakeholder groups.
• Excellent communication, relationship management, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for a portfolio of specialty scientific conferences and educational programs.
• Develop and implement growth strategies to increase attendance, revenue, engagement, and market relevance.
• Establish long-term portfolio plans that align with organizational goals and emerging trends in cardiovascular science and professional education.
• Identify opportunities for innovation, new meeting formats, and enhanced attendee experiences.
• Lead efforts to achieve annual attendance, revenue, and net revenue goals.
• Monitor conference performance metrics and implement improvement strategies as needed.
• Drive initiatives that improve attendee satisfaction and Net Promoter Scores (NPS).
• Analyze market trends, attendee feedback, and competitive data to inform business decisions.
• Identify and cultivate strategic partnerships that expand conference reach, value, and impact.
• Collaborate with professional societies, academic institutions, and other external organizations to strengthen meeting programs and advance business objectives.
• Support initiatives that increase global engagement and broaden participation across scientific communities.
• Serve as a staff partner to volunteer leadership, scientific committees, and planning groups.
• Facilitate effective volunteer engagement and foster productive relationships with key stakeholders.
• Guide volunteers through strategic planning, program development, and decision-making processes.
• Ensure volunteer contributions align with conference objectives and organizational priorities.
• Directly supervise program management staff members.
• Provide coaching, mentorship, performance management, and professional development opportunities.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing team culture focused on accountability and continuous improvement.
• Establish priorities and allocate resources to ensure successful execution of conference objectives.
• Develop and manage conference budgets and financial forecasts.
• Monitor expenses, revenue, and overall conference profitability.
• Collaborate with finance, sponsorship, and meeting operations teams to maximize financial performance.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency while maintaining program quality.
• Oversee the planning, execution, monitoring, and evaluation of assigned conferences and educational initiatives.
• Ensure projects are completed on schedule, within budget, and according to established quality standards.
• Coordinate activities across multiple internal departments and external vendors.
• Communicate project status, risks, and outcomes to leadership and stakeholders.

Skills

Bachelor's degree

5 years of relevant experience

Conference management

Staff supervision

Budget management

Project management

Volunteer coordination

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Budgets & forecasting

Job description

The American Heart Association is seeking a Senior Program Lead, Professional Education, Specialty Conferences in Dallas to drive the strategy and growth of major scientific meetings including EPI/Lifestyle, BCVS, VasD, HTN, and ReSS.

You will lead a team of program managers, partner with volunteers and external organizations, manage budgets, measure performance, and ensure programs advance the mission while delivering financial and operational success.