Director of Brand Events

In the creative process, new ideas and elements come together to produce unique and inspiring solutions. Every day, for more than 20 years, we have taken the same approach to recruiting – creating brilliant combinations between top talent and leading organizations throughout the country. Our unique perspective comes from real-world experience in the marketing, creative, communications and digital fields.

Paladin is on the hunt for a Director of Brand Events for our client, a higher education organization based in Schaumburg. This is a newly-created leadership role on the brand marketing. This role has one full-time direct report, an events manager.

* Assume full lifecycle ownership of university events including 4 quarterly doctoral symposia, annual commencement ceremony for 6,000+ attendees, and 8 virtual graduation events per year * Create multi-faceted project plans for event logistics, communications, branding, and staffing * Develop SOP documents to drive repeatable and scalable execution of successful event practices * Serve as chief point of contact at all live events * Forge mutually-beneficial partnerships with hospitality vendors; define and negotiate contracts * Lead guest speaker research and selection, handle negotiations, and oversee delivery of services * Forecast meal needs for attendees and staff in accordance with budget, plan meals * Oversee production of creative materials with internal teams or agency – signage, branding, etc. * Implement innovative social media engagement opportunities and visualization at all events * Oversee the design and distribution of invitations; manage eligibility and registration processes Manage all event-related websites and social tools * Generate external publicity for fundraising/goodwill events and guest speakers * Coach and develop full-time events manager; provide on-site supervision at all events * Effectively manage event and marketing budgets for all events; continually re-evaluate and refine expense for fiscal efficiency – e.g. make smart investments in regularly rented equipment

The ideal candidate has 10-12+ years of experience in events management and is enthusiastic about working in a fast-paced environment and thrives on constant improvement. The marketing team is highly entrepreneurial, so a self-directed subject matter expert who can add rigor to, and expand, the company’s event practices is a must. * Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, or related field * 15+ years of professional marketing experience with at least 10-12 years in event management with significant roles managing multiple, complex events in various locations per year * Track record of successful hands-on execution of an array of events types within limited budgets * Recent work experience in an established company or brand with large-scale event operations