Senior Manager, Professional Engagement & Conferences

Xeris Pharmaceuticals•Chicago, IL

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr Manager, Conferences and HCP & Patient Engagement is a key member of the Marketing team responsible for leading the strategy, governance, execution, and optimization of Xeris' external commercial congress and conference portfolio and HCP and Patient Engagement programs. The role has primary accountability for HCP and patient speaker programs, including the operating model, compliant execution, participant experience, budget stewardship, and performance measurement. This role partners closely with Brand Marketing, Sales, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Legal, Regulatory, Compliance, Commercial Operations, Finance, Corporate Administration/Enterprise Events, and external agencies. The Sr Manager directly manages the Associate Manager, HCP & Patient Engagement and provides leadership, prioritization, coaching, and development across the function. The role owns external congresses/conferences and related customer engagement activities. Enterprise-wide internal meetings and corporate events - including National Sales Meetings, Regional Execution Meetings, leadership meetings, onboarding events, and other company-sponsored internal events - remain within the Enterprise Events function.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required; advanced degree (MBA or similar) a plus.
Minimum 5-7 years of relevant experience in pharmaceutical marketing, professional engagement, speaker programs, congresses/conferences, or related commercial roles; pharmaceutical industry experience required.
Demonstrated experience leading HCP speaker programs and/or patient speaker/ambassador programs in a regulated pharmaceutical environment.
Demonstrated experience developing and executing national congress/conference strategies, including exhibits, sponsorships, product theaters, booth operations, and cross-functional field activation.
Strong working knowledge of FDA/OPDP promotional requirements, Medical/Legal/Regulatory/Compliance review processes, and pharmaceutical industry standards governing HCP and patient engagement.
Experience managing significant budgets, external agencies, vendors, contracts, and multiple complex workstreams simultaneously.
Strong people leadership, project management, strategic thinking, stakeholder management, negotiation, communication, and executive presence.
Experience with Veeva PromoMats and event management platforms such as Cvent preferred; familiarity with CRM and speaker program management systems strongly preferred.
Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment with a high degree of accountability and sound business judgment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (MBA or similar) a plus.
Experience with Veeva PromoMats and event management platforms such as Cvent preferred; familiarity with CRM and speaker program management systems strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the annual Xeris congress and conference strategy aligned with enterprise priorities, brand strategies, customer needs, and approved budgets.
Lead congress/conference identification, prioritization, objectives, sponsorship and exhibit package selection, product theater strategy, booth presence, staffing, onsite execution, and post-congress measurement.
Establish clear objectives and success measures for each priority congress, including audience strategy, engagement goals, field activation, and post-program follow-up.
Lead cross-functional congress planning with Brand Marketing, Sales, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Compliance, and other stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment and coordinated execution.
Lead booth staff selection, training, scheduling, conference strategy, approved talking points, and required compliance preparation.
Manage congress agencies, exhibit houses, production partners, and other vendors; oversee scope, timelines, quality, contracts, and budget performance.
Lead the strategy, governance, execution, and continuous improvement of HCP and patient speaker programs across Xeris commercial brands.
Oversee end-to-end speaker program operations, including speaker identification and onboarding, contracting, training, program planning, approved content, logistics, execution, monitoring, reconciliation, and performance measurement.
Partner with Brand Marketing to ensure HCP and patient speaker programs support brand strategy, customer needs, and commercial objectives while maintaining appropriate program governance.
Provide leadership for related HCP and patient engagement initiatives, including product theaters, advisory boards, educational programs, webinars, and patient engagement activities as assigned.
Drive development, review, and approval of promotional and educational materials through Medical, Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance review processes.
Ensure all HCP and patient engagement activities comply with applicable laws, regulations, industry codes, company policies, approved procedures, and transparency/reporting requirements.
Define and monitor KPIs for congresses, conferences, speaker programs, and other engagement initiatives; translate results into actionable recommendations for Marketing leadership.
Develop and manage annual budgets and forecasts for conferences and HCP & Patient Engagement; monitor spend, reconcile invoices, identify efficiencies, and ensure fiscal accountability.
Establish scalable processes, governance, templates, timelines, and operating standards that improve execution quality, compliance, customer experience, and organizational efficiency.
Leverage data and insights to optimize conference participation, speaker program deployment, vendor performance, resource allocation, and overall program impact.
Serve as the central Marketing point of coordination for conferences and HCP & Patient Engagement, ensuring timely communication and alignment across internal stakeholders.
Directly manage the Associate Manager, HCP & Patient Engagement, including objective setting, workload prioritization, coaching, development, performance management, and career development.
Provide day-to-day leadership to agencies, vendors, and cross-functional project teams and escalate risks or decisions appropriately.
Partner with Enterprise Events to maintain clear ownership boundaries, coordinated planning calendars, and efficient use of shared vendors and enterprise capabilities where appropriate.