Sr. Manager, WEF Events

Water Environment Federation•Alexandria, VA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, WEF Events provides centralized leadership, coordination, and accountability for assigned events across WEF’s event portfolio, excluding WEFTEC. The role integrates work across WEF Events, Educational Programming, Marketing and Communications, Sales/Business Development, Community Engagement, Culture and Belonging, and other internal stakeholders. The position leads event planning from initial concept and business planning through execution and post-event evaluation, and has delegated authority to make cross-functional decisions needed to deliver the approved event strategy and budget. The Sr. Manager establishes milestones, deadlines, ownership, and accountability; facilitates decisions and resolves competing priorities, unclear ownership, missed handoffs, and emerging risks. The role coordinates event objectives, audience strategy, theme, location, timing, programming, sales, marketing, promotion, pro forma budgets, and projections. It also leads post-event reviews and ensures lessons learned inform future events. Functional leaders retain subject-matter authority for their areas, while significant changes to approved strategy or budget, legal or contractual commitments, and matters outside the role’s authority are escalated through the Senior Leadership Team. The role is hybrid, with office work in Alexandria, Virginia, two days every other week. Travel for meetings and events is required up to 20% of the year. The position works primarily in an office environment using standard office equipment and requires the ability to lift at least 25 pounds.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
At least 7 years of experience managing complex, cross-functional programs.
At least 2 years of people leadership experience.
Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams without direct supervisory authority.
Strong judgment and ability to make timely decisions involving competing priorities, multiple stakeholders, and incomplete information.
Experience managing integrated work plans, budgets, timelines, dependencies, risks, and performance measures.
Exceptional facilitation, communication, negotiation, conflict-resolution, and stakeholder-management skills.
Demonstrated commitment to inclusive collaboration and incorporating relevant perspectives into planning and decision-making.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and remain effective in a dynamic, deadline-driven environment.
Ability to lift at least 25 pounds.

Nice To Haves

Experience with event planning, associations, or comparable multi-stakeholder initiatives.
PMP, CMP, CEM, or comparable professional certification.

Responsibilities

Lead planning and coordination across functional areas from initial concept and business planning through event execution and post-event evaluation.
Establish decision points, facilitate discussion, resolve competing priorities, and make cross-functional decisions when alignment cannot be achieved.
Set clear roles, deliverables, deadlines, and dependencies; monitor progress and hold functional leads accountable for agreed responsibilities.
Coordinate stakeholders across Events, Programming, Marketing, Sales, Community Engagement, Culture and Belonging, and other internal teams.
Ensure affected teams, volunteer communities, committees, and other stakeholders have meaningful opportunities to contribute.
Identify and resolve unclear ownership, missed handoffs, conflicting priorities, and emerging risks.
Coordinate event objectives, audience strategy, theme, location, timing, programming, sales, marketing, promotion, pro forma budget, and management of projections.
Surface operational, financial, participant-experience, and organizational risks early, and communicate decisions, ownership, progress, and unresolved issues.
Lead post-event reviews, document lessons learned, and incorporate improvements into subsequent events.
Escalate significant changes to approved strategy or budget, contractual or legal commitments, and issues outside delegated authority through the Senior Leadership Team.
Perform other duties as assigned within scope.