Manager, Event Sourcing & Contracting

The Institutes • Malvern, PA

7d • Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Event Sourcing and Contracting leads hotel and venue sourcing, RFPs, contract negotiations, and related financial and contract management activities for the Enterprise Events team. As part of these responsibilities, this role partners with meeting managers and business units to understand event requirements, identify and evaluate venues and vendors, negotiate favorable terms, and manage key contractual obligations. This position also manages hotel commissions and rebates, event insurance, preferred vendor relationships, and event inventory while serving as a sourcing resource to the broader Enterprise Events team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in event management, hospitality, business, supply chain, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 3–5 years of experience in meetings and events, hospitality, hotel/venue sourcing, strategic sourcing, or a related field, including demonstrated experience with hotel or venue sourcing, RFPs, and contract negotiation.
• Experience managing vendor relationships and negotiating financial and contractual terms.
• Strong knowledge of hotel and venue sourcing, RFP development, and contract negotiation.
• Understanding of hotel contract terms, including attrition, cancellation, force majeure, liability, concessions, commissions, and rebates.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills with internal stakeholders, legal, hotels, venues, and vendors.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with a team.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to identify financial and contractual risks and opportunities.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with hotel commissions, rebates, attrition, room blocks, or post-event reconciliation preferred.
• Experience with event insurance or contractual risk management preferred.
• Association, nonprofit, or corporate events experience preferred.
• CMP, CMM, or similar certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Partner with meeting managers and business units to understand event requirements and develop sourcing strategies.
• Lead the RFP and sourcing process for event-related services, including venue selection, lodging, and key vendors, to ensure cost efficiency and alignment with event objectives.
• Develop and maintain sourcing templates, tools, and processes that promote consistency and efficiency.
• Negotiate, review, and manage contracts with hotels, venues, and vendors, securing favorable terms, while partnering with legal and other key stakeholders to identify and mitigate legal and financial risk.
• Negotiate key contractual terms, including rates, concessions, room blocks, food and beverage commitments, cancellation, attrition, force majeure, liability, commissions, and rebates.
• Monitor hotel room blocks, including pickup and reconciliation, and intervene as needed.
• Support meeting managers with the development of detailed event specifications, including room configurations, food and beverage, audiovisual, and signage requirements.
• Re-engage with hotel and venue partners during planning and event execution when changes to contracted terms, dates, meeting space, room blocks, or other commitments are required.
• Lead the post-event contract closeout process, including final bill review, reconciliation of commissions and rebates, resolution of billing discrepancies, and negotiation of credits, discounts, or other adjustments as needed.
• Manage the calculation, tracking, and reconciliation of airline, hotel, and venue commissions, rebates, and other negotiated financial benefits.
• Coordinate event insurance requirements, working with key stakeholders to ensure required coverage is in place.
• Identify opportunities to optimize negotiated financial terms, commissions, rebates, and other contractual benefits.
• Establish and maintain a centralized list of preferred and approved vendors, including production, registration, audiovisual, transportation, and other event service providers.
• Maintain effective relationships with key vendors to support favorable pricing, service levels, and consistency.
• Leverage preferred vendors and purchasing volume to support competitive pricing, service levels, and consistency across events.
• Monitor vendor performance and address issues to ensure service-level expectations are met.
• Maintain systems and processes for event-related inventory management in partnership with warehouse and operational staff, ensuring appropriate tracking, storage, and availability.

Benefits

• 401(k) plan with company contribution up to 16%
• Generous time off package that includes paid vacation, personal, sick, and holidays
• Paid maternity and parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement
• Medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage
• On our Malvern campus: Free lunch every day when working on campus, onsite fitness center, and a beautiful 1.25-mile walking path!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Associate degree