Senior Director, Event Operations

American Clean Power Association (ACP)•Washington, DC

11d•$145,000 - $185,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The American Clean Power Association (ACP) is seeking a Senior Director, Event Operations to lead portfolio-wide operations for its growing conference and events program. ACP’s portfolio includes eight in-person events, including CLEANPOWER, which has more than 8,000 attendees and 500 exhibitors. Reporting to the Vice President, Conferences & Events, this role leads three direct reports and partners with colleagues across operations, sales, education, business development, and marketing to translate event strategy into scalable operational infrastructure and coordinated execution. The Senior Director will establish consistent planning processes, standards, procedures, tools, workflows, and governance across the portfolio; improve coordination and visibility into progress; oversee financial management and vendor relationships; and evaluate and implement event technology. The role also leads selected portfolio-wide initiatives to strengthen attendee engagement and community-building, supports awards programs, and establishes health, safety, security, accessibility, and risk-management practices. The position combines strategic leadership with hands-on operational support, including onsite leadership and serving as lead planner for selected events or launches. The role is based in a hybrid work environment, with three days each week at ACP’s Washington, DC headquarters and two days remote. Regular travel across the country for meetings or events may be required. The budgeted salary range is $145,000–$185,000.

Requirements

At least 10 years of experience leading conference, tradeshow, convention, or event operations within a trade association, membership organization, or comparable environment.
Experience leading complex operational initiatives across an event portfolio and translating event strategy into successful execution across multiple teams and stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience establishing operational standards, processes, and systems across multiple events or programs, rather than managing individual events in isolation.
Experience managing event budgets of $5 million or more, forecasting expenses, negotiating vendor agreements, and maintaining financial controls for large-scale events or event portfolios.
Experience leading and developing teams through change, building trust, and establishing clear expectations and accountability.

Responsibilities

Translate ACP’s event portfolio strategy into operational standards, processes, SOPs, tools, templates, and governance frameworks that support consistent execution and scalable delivery.
Partner with Business Development and Marketing to develop revenue-generating event experiences and coordinate their timely execution across the portfolio.
Monitor operational performance and adherence to standards, identify gaps, and lead improvements to efficiency, accountability, and cross-functional coordination.
Develop event staffing models and operational support plans for staff, consultants, and other resources across the portfolio.
Provide onsite operational leadership, logistical and troubleshooting support, and lead planning for selected events, pilot programs, or new event launches.
Provide senior counsel on site sourcing and selection and lead coordination of team travel and site-visit logistics.
Lead logistics budgeting, forecasting, expense management, reconciliation, and weekly financial reporting across the event portfolio.
Establish financial controls, purchasing procedures, budget management practices, and reporting standards.
Ensure invoices, commitments, accruals, contracts, and event expenses are accurately tracked and reconciled in a timely manner.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, optimize spending, mitigate financial risk, and maximize returns on operational investments.
Negotiate and manage venue and vendor contracts in alignment with ACP’s operational and financial priorities.
Manage relationships with consultants, venues, and vendors, establishing portfolio-wide service standards.
Execute ACP’s event technology strategy, including evaluation, implementation, optimization, and governance of event technology platforms.
Oversee use and adoption of project management platforms, mobile applications, attendee engagement tools, AI tools, and other event technologies.
Use automation, systems integration, data, and analytics to improve workflows, operational performance, decision-making, and attendee experience.
Partner with internal stakeholders and technology providers to drive technology adoption, address operational needs, and maximize the value of technology investments.
Use attendee feedback, engagement data, and industry trends to guide program development and experience improvements.
Develop and support community-building programs for affinity groups, micro communities, students, and other attendee segments.
Lead ACP’s awards programs and awardee experiences with the Marketing & Communications team, including project management, recipient engagement, and event presentations.
Develop and ensure adherence to event health, safety, security, accessibility, and risk-management standards.
Establish emergency preparedness, incident-response, and crisis-management practices across the event portfolio.
Lead and develop a long-tenured team through change, build trust, establish performance expectations and accountability, and identify professional-development opportunities.