Director of Events & Community

The Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies•Chicago, IL

8d•$140,000 - $160,000•Remote

About The Position

This is not an event logistics job. It's a build-the-vision, create-the-program, drive-the-industry role. A prominent association in the consumer-packaged goods space is for a senior, high-visibility leader to own the vision, content, and community strategy for our conferences and small events business, with a flagship event multiple new formats to launch in the years ahead. If you can spot where an industry is headed, craft a must-attend program around it, recruit speakers that make people sit up and listen, and rally internal teams around a clear plan - this role was built for you. If you mainly thrive in venue negotiations, timelines, and vendor coordination... this is not that job. You will be the "conductor of the orchestra," shaping the strategic direction and program that makes our events essential to the consumer packaged goods community - and ensuring they grow.

Requirements

can read an industry like a strategist and turn it into a program people pay attention to
knows what great speakers and stories look like - and can recruit them
can synthesize complex trends into compelling narratives
is comfortable with high visibility and high accountability
can work shoulder-to-shoulder with sales, marketing, editorial, and ops teams
enjoys being "out in the ecosystem" and building real relationships

Nice To Haves

Experience in the packaging ecosystem is a plus - brand owner, CPG, private label, contract manufacturing, OEM, supplier, or adjacent industries.
Experience building membership communities, councils, or professional networks is a big plus.

Responsibilities

Event Strategy & Vision: Build a deep understanding of what's happening in packaging right now - trends, challenges, opportunities, and what senior industry leaders care about. Define (and refine) the positioning, themes, and overall "why attend" narrative. Identify and experiment with new formats: summits, VIP dinners, trade show add-ons, councils, awards programs, webinars, and more. Set and drive multi-year goals for growth, profitability, and brand impact.
Content & Program Development: Architect event programs that feel world-class, urgent, and valuable - not generic or "me too". Build tracks, themes, and session formats that deliver tangible outcomes and high engagement. Ensure events are built around what attendees actually need, not what's easiest to produce.
Speaker Strategy & Curation: Own the end-to-end speaker strategy: targeting, outreach, vetting, and building a roster that makes people register. Attract speakers with real credibility - seniority, influence, strong storytelling ability, industry presence, and reach. Source experts and support speaker preparation so sessions land.
Community & Industry Leadership: Be a visible thought leader and trusted voice in the packaging ecosystem. Engage regularly with senior brand-owner professionals to validate needs and concepts. Collect and translate audience insight into event decisions and potential community-based products (councils, paid communities, virtual series, awards, etc.).