Dreamforce Senior Manager

Salesforce•San Francisco, CA

3d•$143,400 - $236,700

About The Position

Salesforce Strategic Events is seeking a Strategic Events Senior Manager for the Dreamforce team. Reporting to the Strategic Events Director, Dreamforce, this dual-mode role shifts between strategic support and hands-on event leadership over the event lifecycle. Early in the year, the role supports the Director by driving enablement, staffing strategy, executive narrative, and data and reporting rigor across the program. As planning progresses into execution, the Senior Manager leads multiple workstreams and their leads while directly owning selected areas through onsite delivery. The successful candidate will bring sound judgment and structure, move comfortably between whole-event strategy and workstream execution, and build trust with internal and external partners in a fast-moving, matrixed environment. Onsite travel is required. Dreamforce is the primary focus, but the role may also support other Paid Events programs, parties, and event experiences as portfolio priorities change.

Requirements

8–10+ years of progressive Event Operations and/or Marketing experience.
Bachelor’s degree.
Ability to travel domestically and internationally.
Experience operating across the full event lifecycle, from strategic planning through hands-on execution.
Experience with staffing strategy, enablement planning, or team structure for large-scale programs.
Experience leading cross-functionally in a complex, matrixed organization.
Experience leading, coaching, or developing leaders or workstream owners.
Experience managing agency and vendor partners, including partnering with experiential or creative agencies from concept through onsite delivery.
Experience negotiating favorable vendor terms and managing budgets with financial discipline.
Strong narrative and executive communication skills.
Working knowledge of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Slackbot.
Proactive, self-directed approach to critical assignments with limited guidance, and ability to thrive amid ambiguity, competing priorities, and last-minute changes.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a corporate events environment.
Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent).
Experience with Amazon-style narrative writing or similar structured executive communication.
Familiarity with Salesforce, Slack, Google Suite, and RainFocus.
Direct experience using AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Slackbot to support event operations, automation, or reporting.
Experience in large-scale B2B high-tech environments.

Responsibilities

Partner with the Strategic Events Director to shape Dreamforce strategy and launch annual planning.
Enable workstream leads, agencies, and partners; develop staffing strategy and team design; support the executive narrative; and quality-check data and reporting before it reaches leadership.
Lead and coach workstream leads as planning moves into execution, providing guidance, removing blockers, and coordinating across areas to identify risks and dependencies early.
Directly own one or more event areas from pre-event planning through onsite logistics and post-event wrap-up, ensuring messaging, brand representation, and space allocation align with Salesforce brand and product positioning.
Coordinate across strategic experiences, creative, demand generation, event technology, social, and sponsorship teams.
Manage agency and vendor relationships, obtain leadership approvals, and escalate blockers, budget variances, and risks early.
Manage area budgets and multiple timelines, support Director-level budget oversight, and pursue cost-saving and efficiency opportunities.
Own event-wide metrics and reporting cadence, including post-event surveys, ROI analysis, and wrap-up reporting.
Maintain Area Debriefs and Event Playbooks each cycle to build repeatable, scalable processes.
Flex into other Paid Events programs and support parties and other event experiences as portfolio priorities shift.
Travel onsite, domestically and internationally, as needed for event delivery.