Vice President, Event Content & Programming

Government Executive Media Group LLC•Washington, DC

8h•$150,000 - $175,000•Hybrid

About The Position

GovExec is seeking an accomplished and visionary Vice President, Event Content & Programming to lead the content strategy, programming vision, and audience engagement framework across the company's enterprise events portfolio, including GovExec, ATARC, and the Federal Business Council (FBC). This executive leader will be responsible for shaping the intellectual capital that powers GovExec's events business, ensuring our conferences, summits, working groups, executive roundtables, leadership programs, and custom events deliver unparalleled value to government and industry audiences. Reporting to the COO, the VP will oversee a team of content and programming professionals and serve as the primary architect of GovExec's event content strategy. This leader will work closely with Editorial, Research, Membership, Marketing, Audience Development, and Revenue teams to create integrated experiences that extend beyond individual events and foster year-round engagement across our communities. The ideal candidate combines conference programming expertise, editorial instincts, audience understanding, executive relationship-building skills, and a deep understanding of how content, events, memberships, and communities work together to drive growth.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in conference programming, media, journalism, event content, public affairs, research, or related fields.
5+ years of experience leading content, conference production, editorial, or programming teams.
Demonstrated success building content strategies for large-scale event portfolios, media organizations, membership communities, or thought leadership platforms.
Strong understanding of government, public sector technology, defense, policy, workforce, acquisition, or related markets preferred.
Exceptional communication, presentation, and executive stakeholder management skills.
Proven ability to build relationships with senior government officials, industry leaders, and high-profile speakers.
Strong strategic, analytical, and audience-focused mindset.
Experience working across editorial, commercial, membership, marketing, and operational functions.
Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.

Nice To Haves

Creates a unified content vision across GovExec, ATARC, and FBC.
Develops market-leading event programming that drives audience growth and engagement.
Establishes stronger alignment between editorial, events, research, membership, and community initiatives.
Builds and develops a high-performing content team capable of supporting a growing portfolio.
Launches new content franchises, event concepts, and community engagement models that support long-term growth.
Positions GovExec as the premier destination for public sector thought leadership, networking, and professional engagement.

Responsibilities

Develop and own the content vision and programming strategy across GovExec's enterprise events portfolio.
Establish annual and multi-year content themes aligned with market trends, audience priorities, and business objectives.
Identify emerging opportunities, white-space markets, and new event concepts that support portfolio growth.
Create scalable frameworks for programming across conferences, summits, working groups, executive forums, training programs, and custom client events.
Ensure content strategy supports audience growth, engagement, membership development, sponsorship value, and revenue objectives.
Serve as the executive owner of content quality, consistency, and audience relevance across all events.
Partner closely with Editorial leadership to align event programming with newsroom priorities, reporting themes, and audience interests.
Collaborate with Research & Intelligence teams to incorporate proprietary data, benchmarking, surveys, and market insights into event experiences.
Develop integrated content strategies that connect events, editorial products, research, memberships, training, and digital communities.
Help establish GovExec as the leading convenor and thought leadership platform for the public sector market.
Lead, mentor, and develop a team of event content and programming professionals.
Establish content standards, speaker quality benchmarks, and programming best practices across the organization.
Build team capabilities that support growth across GovExec, ATARC, and FBC.
Foster a culture focused on audience value, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
Build and maintain relationships with senior government officials, policymakers, military leaders, industry executives, academics, and influential subject matter experts.
Guide speaker strategy for flagship events and marquee programs across the portfolio.
Represent GovExec externally at industry events, conferences, and stakeholder meetings.
Serve as a senior advisor to leadership on audience trends, industry developments, and emerging market opportunities.
Partner with Revenue, Marketing, and Business Unit leaders to develop event products and sponsorship opportunities that align with audience needs.
Provide strategic content support for major client engagements and enterprise partnerships.
Help evaluate new business opportunities, event launches, and portfolio investments.
Use audience intelligence and market insights to inform product development and growth initiatives.
Establish KPIs and success metrics related to audience engagement, speaker quality, attendance growth, community participation, and event performance.
Evaluate portfolio performance and identify opportunities to improve impact, scalability, and audience value.
Monitor competitive activity, market trends, and emerging event formats to ensure GovExec maintains a leadership position within the industry.