Head of Events

Black & White Zebra•San Diego, CA

15d•$200,000 - $250,000•Remote

About The Position

About the Role: BWZ operates 15+ professional development publications attracting 500k+ unique monthly visitors. We’ve perfected the playbook for launching, scaling, and monetizing digital publications — and now we’re building a world-class events business to match. We’re hiring a founding Head of Events & Experiences to create, launch, and scale a new events division from scratch. You’ll define the vision, design the event portfolio, execute the first marquee events, and build the systems and team that scale it. Events will span in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats. You will determine the right mix of formats across C-suite summits, executive roundtables, interviews, meetups, and content-driven virtual experiences — all designed to drive audience growth, editorial output, and commercial performance. This is not a scrappy, underfunded startup role. You’ll have the capital, resources, and cross-functional support of a profitable media company — including brand, editorial, marketing, sales, and production teams — while owning the freedom and responsibility to build a business line from zero. If you’ve built events from scratch, brought them to profitability, and want the rare opportunity to build an events business with real backing — this is the role.

Requirements

A hybrid GM + operator with extensive experience leading event strategy, operations, programming, and commercialization — ideally in media, SaaS, B2B information, or professional communities.
Ability to turn events into content engines that produce interviews, insights, editorial assets, and video.
Proven experience building and scaling year one events and expanding them into an events business
Experience owning P&L, designing revenue models and improving margins.
A portfolio spanning conferences, summits, retreats, leadership dinners, meetups — ideally tradeshows or festivals.
Experience designing for both small (<50) and large-scale (>1,000) audiences.
Strong programming instincts for senior executive audiences , including experience securing high-calibre speakers.
Experience hiring, coaching, and scaling high-performing teams with strong standards.
Skilled collaborator across marketing, sales, editorial, brand, and production.
Commercially sharp, brand-driven, deeply organized — obsessed with delivering must-attend, high-NPS experiences.

Nice To Haves

Media or B2B publishing experience
Strong speaker / sponsor network
Global event operations
Membership community experience

Responsibilities

Build the business Define the event strategy, portfolio, calendar, and revenue model.
Define the role of in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats within the event strategy and portfolio.
Own P&L, pricing, budgeting, forecasting, and revenue targets.
Develop concepts aligned with editorial and brand priorities.
Identify high-ROI opportunities across formats, verticals, and geographies.
Ensure events amplify publications and strengthen brand authority.
Build the long-term vision for a scalable, profitable event business.
Run the show Lead end-to-end execution of marquee and secondary events.
Build repeatable workflows and technical infrastructure that support in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats at scale.
Shape programming that delivers insight, authority, and must-attend value.
Oversee logistics: run-of-show, AV, production, venues, vendors, staffing.
Deliver commercial outcomes: ticket sales, sponsorship revenue, audience growth.
Implement QA processes and elevate execution with finishing touches.
Drive attendee advocacy, referrals, repeat attendance, and organic buzz.
Ensure events generate high-value content assets.
Manage cross-functional alignment: Marketing → demand; Sales → sponsorship; Editorial → content.
Scale the system Hire, build, and lead a high-performing events team.
Build SOPs, frameworks, templates, and planning rhythms.
Implement tools for coordination, PM, communication, accuracy, and reporting.
Improve throughput without sacrificing quality or profitability.
Build a culture of performance, experimentation, ownership, and improvement.
Ensure events become a predictable, scalable engine for content, audience, and revenue.