Director, Events & Experience

Mackenzie Financial Corporation•Toronto, ON

4d•CA$121,500 - CA$164,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Mackenzie Investments is seeking a strong leader with industry experience to be responsible for the development and execution of the national event strategy and annual event portfolio. This role involves partnership with key stakeholders, providing strategy oversight for event planning, financial management, roadshow delivery, and team leadership. The goal is to ensure events and client engagement initiatives effectively support business growth, advisor engagement, brand awareness, and sales objectives. Additional responsibility and accountability for the governance and compliance of the event portfolio are included. This position leads a team of event professionals responsible for delivering 50-55 internal and external facing events with a budget of approximately $5.5 million.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Hospitality Management, Event Management
Experience managing a national event portfolio exceeding $5M and delivering complex multi-city programs
Minium 10 years’ experience - event industry, leadership role and experience in the financial services industry.
Proven experience leading complex cross-functional initiatives involving various departments and and executive stakeholders.
Aggregate financial management experience, $5M+
Experience & knowledge in registration platforms, hybrid events, & technical experience
CRM experience /integration
Experience leading risk management; contingency planning, crisis response and duty of care, Operational management.
Minium BA, CMP, and preferred CMP and CMM (Certified Meeting Manager)

Nice To Haves

Bilingual is an asset
Leadership & strong communication skills
Stakeholder/ executive management – influence without authority
Change leadership
Executive presence
Enterprise leadership
Strong presentation & facilitation skills
Critical thinking & problem solving
Proven leadership, including coaching and mentoring
Strong Decision making
Financial management
Strategic thinker – long term planning, enterprise
Event production experience
Innovative and problem-solving mindset
Strong technical skills, analytical skills and process oriented

Responsibilities

Partner with Retail Distribution leadership to develop and manage the annual event strategy, ensuring alignment with business priorities & sales objectives.
Responsible for stakeholder management, while leading the annual planning & calendarization process, considering market opportunities, geographic coverage, business priorities, resources requirements & financial implications.
Lead the team through coordination of event plans across various strategic partners and stakeholders to ensure alignment.
Conduct post event review for future opportunities to leverage past event data and ROI analysis to frame the go forward strategy for event optimization.
Work with the broader IGM events team to source appropriate locations to meet program objectives and lead the team through development of all logistical elements delivering excellence in execution while ensuring adherence to compliance protocols and timelines.
Lead the development of the annual events budget in consultation with Retail leadership, Finance and key business stakeholders.
Provide strategic recommendations regarding budget allocation to maximize national coverage, support business priorities and optimize return on investment.
Maintain oversight of all event budgets, ensure controls in place, consistent templates and ensure team members effectively manage individual program budgets while maintaining accountability to overall financial targets and compliance requirements.
Monitor expenditures, forecasts and risks through the year from an aggregate perspective and implement corrective actions where required.
Provide quarterly updates and investment recommendations.
Lead the development and execution of the national roadshow strategy for approximately 30-35 Due Diligence meetings in partnership with stakeholder from MI & IG.
Balance the priorities of multiple business requirements to create an integrated approach that leverages scale, improves consistency and delivers measurable cost efficiencies & synergies while supporting sales growth, brand awareness and product confidence.
Lead the content development process for IG with product and National sales guiding the content management process through development, production and program readiness / execution.
Establish standards, processes and best practices for roadshow planning and execution while ensuring consistent client experience across all programs.
Partner with Institutional Sales leadership to develop and deliver the annual preferred partner a roadshow strategy providing sourcing & operational oversight for the planning and execution of 13 roadshows delivered in a concentrated 3-week time frame.
Ensure excellence in execution through balancing resource allocation with operational requirements supporting the focus on growth in Institutional business.
Provide leadership, coaching and mentorship to the team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation and continuous improvement.
Establish clear goals, KPI’s, priorities and performance expectations while supporting employee development and creating a collaborative and motivated culture.
Manage resource allocation within the portfolio ensuring proper coverage and effective use of team capabilities.
Partner with broader events leadership to identify opportunities for resource sharing and collaboration and cross functional opportunities.