Strategic Conference Lead, Professional Education

American Heart Association, Inc.; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision, disability, &

Job summary

The American Heart Association seeks a Senior Program Lead for Professional Education and Specialty Conferences to drive strategic leadership across a portfolio of flagship meetings including EPI/Lifestyle, BCVS, VasD, HTN and ReSS. Build growth, profitability, and global engagement while aligning with organizational goals and scientific excellence.

You will steer cross-functional teams, guide volunteers and committees, and collaborate with internal stakeholders to deliver high-impact

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 5 years of relevant experience in conferences or professional education.
• Experience managing scientific conferences or association meetings.
• Experience supervising staff and leading teams.
• Strong budgeting, financial forecasting, and project management 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

Project management

Communication

Relationship management

Volunteer engagement

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

The American Heart Association seeks a Senior Program Lead for Professional Education and Specialty Conferences to drive strategic leadership across a portfolio of flagship meetings including EPI/Lifestyle, BCVS, VasD, HTN and ReSS. Build growth, profitability, and global engagement while aligning with organizational goals and scientific excellence.

You will steer cross-functional teams, guide volunteers and committees, and collaborate with internal stakeholders to deliver high-impact