Head of Events

Cognition•San Francisco, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

As Head of Events (Global) at Cognition, you will build and lead the internal events function that brings the team together across offices and time zones. You will own the event experience end to end within Employee Experience, from strategy and concept through onsite execution. The role covers company-wide offsites, all-hands, launch celebrations, team gatherings, holiday and milestone celebrations, and office programming. Events should strengthen culture, connect a fast-growing global team, and make employees feel part of one company while meeting Cognition’s quality standards. This is a hands-on builder role: you will set the vision, personally run events, and develop the playbooks, partners, and team needed to scale the function. You will lead flagship events, deliver a consistent experience across regions while accounting for local needs, and partner across the company on event programming and decisions. You will also own budgets and vendor relationships, communicate with attendees, measure outcomes, and lead producers and coordinators as the function grows. You should be comfortable working five days a week in the office, traveling up to 40% (including internationally), and being present in person at major events.

Requirements

At least 8 years of experience in events, including at least 3 years leading internal or corporate events at a global, high-growth tech company or premium experiential agency.
Proven ability to run end-to-end events, including strategy, planning, logistics, vendor management, run-of-show creation, and onsite execution under pressure.
Experience producing events for 10 to 1,000+ attendees, including multi-day international offsites.
Track record of owning large budgets and managing vendors across multiple regions.
Experience partnering with executives and senior leadership on company-wide events.
Strong organizational rigor, attention to detail, and a high personal bar for quality and taste.
Comfort working five days a week in the office.
Willingness to travel up to 40%, including internationally.

Nice To Haves

Experience building an events function from scratch at a high-growth startup.
A strong network of venues, destination management companies (DMCs), and production partners across North America, Europe, and APAC.
Impeccable taste and an ability to create memorable event experiences through details such as venues, lighting, music, and attendee communications.
Ability to thrive while traveling, hosting, problem-solving, and adapting in real time.
Creative and operationally minded, with an owner’s perspective on employee experience and culture.

Responsibilities

Define and own Cognition's global events strategy and annual calendar, including company offsites, all-hands, holiday and milestone celebrations, and office programming.
Lead flagship company events end to end, including venue sourcing, travel, programming, production, run-of-show, and onsite execution.
Deliver a consistent, high-quality event experience across Cognition offices and regions while adapting to local culture and needs.
Build self-serve toolkits, budgets, and guidelines for managers to run team offsites and socials.
Own the global events budget, negotiate with vendors, manage contracts, and track spending against plan.
Partner with People, Workplace, Finance, Legal, Security, and leadership on programming, content, and decision-making.
Create pre- and post-event communications, including attendee guides and follow-ups.
Measure attendance, engagement, and employee feedback to refine event programs.
Lead a team of producers and coordinators as the function grows.
Attend major events in person and lead execution directly.