Senior Director, Event Finance & Economics

Salesforce•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

The Senior Director, Event Finance & Economics owns the financial planning, performance management, and governance of the Strategic Events portfolio. This role synthesizes inputs from budget owners and event leads into a portfolio-level financial view; it does not replace day-to-day budget tracking or input collection; it ensures the team leader and Strategic Events lead have a clear, accurate, and decision-ready understanding of event economics, risks, and tradeoffs — enabling disciplined investment decisions and predictable financial outcomes. This role is the single accountable owner of the Strategic Events financial engine and financial narrative, partnering closely with FP&A while retaining ownership of event-level assumptions, variance explanations, and governance standards. Executive communication and final readouts remain with the team leader and Strategic Events lead.

Requirements

12+ years of relevant experience
Financial forecasting & scenario modeling — building and owning portfolio-level financial frameworks
Workforce & OpEx economics — integrating headcount, contractor, and T&E data into financial models
Executive communication — crafting financial narratives for QBRs, MBRs, and senior leadership forums
Cross-functional partnership — collaborating with budget owners, accounting, and operational teams
Bachelor's degree

Nice To Haves

Experience in event, media, or portfolio-based businesses with variable cost structures
Familiarity with Salesforce internal financial systems and FP&A processes
Background in management consulting, corporate strategy, or investment analysis
Experience building financial operating models during a transition from decentralized to centralized financial governance

Responsibilities

Financial Planning, Forecasting & Performance
Own the forecasting framework, assumptions, and portfolio-level outlook for the Strategic Events portfolio
Partner with FP&A and budget owners on monthly and quarterly outlooks to ensure forecasts are aligned, inputs are accurately reflected, and assumptions are consistent
Own synthesis and interpretation of forecast vs. actual variance, including identification of drivers, risks, and financial implications
Run scenario modeling for portfolio shifts (event mix, cities, scale, timing, investments) as well as weigh into business planning narratives and documentations when applicable
Recommend corrective actions when financial performance deviates from plan
This role synthesizes inputs from budget owners and event leads into a portfolio-level financial view; it does not replace day-to-day budget tracking or input collection.
Outcome: Leadership understands what is happening financially, why it is happening, and what options exist to respond.
Workforce & Operating Expense Economics
Own financial oversight of headcount, contractor spend, and T&E across the Strategic Events portfolio
Partner with People Operations to align workforce plans and capacity assumptions with financial guardrails
Integrate workforce and operating expense economics into forecasting, scenario modeling, and investment decisions
Outcome: Workforce and operating expenses are managed as strategic financial inputs with clear visibility into cost, capacity, and tradeoffs.
Financial Governance & Standards
Partner with FP&A and leadership to establish and operationalize financial standards and guardrails for Strategic Events
Translate corporate financial expectations into event-level budgets and operating constraints
Own exception analysis and escalation, ensuring financial tradeoffs are explicit and intentional
Ensure deviations from financial guardrails are visible, understood, and addressed
Drive cost modeling, ROI analysis, and funding maps to support prioritization and investment decisions
Strategic tradeoffs and final escalation decisions sit with event leadership.
Outcome: Event financials are disciplined, comparable, and governed — without becoming rigid or overly centralized.
Executive Partnership & Decision Support
Serve as the primary financial strategy partner to the team leader and Strategic Events lead for executive-level planning, scenario analysis, and investment decisions
Synthesize financial inputs from Accounting, budget owners, and FP&A into portfolio-level narratives and recommendations for executive forums, QBRs, MBRs, and leadership reviews
Own the strategic financial narrative, assumptions, and forward-looking implications that the team leader and Strategic Events lead bring forward
Advise on financial risks, tradeoffs, and investment options ahead of executive discussions
Ensure leadership enters executive settings fully prepared with clear, strategy-grade financial context
Outcome: Event Leadership are never surprised, underprepared, or forced to reconstruct financial context in executive settings.
Long-Range Financial Strategy
Own long-range strategic financial planning, including LRS and annual planning cycles
Model multi-year portfolio scenarios to support FY27–FY28 and beyond
Ensure financial plans scale with portfolio complexity, growth, and changing investment priorities
Outcome: Financial strategy evolves intentionally with the Strategic Events portfolio, rather than reactively.
Overall Outcome Expected
A disciplined, transparent, and scalable financial operating model where:
Financial risks and variances are surfaced early
Investment decisions are informed and defensible
Governance is consistent but collaborative
Executive leaders are fully supported with clear financial insight

Benefits

Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program.
More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.

Stand Out From the Crowd

Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.

Upload and Match Resume