Vice President, Operations

EES Agency•Nashville, TN

About The Position

EES Agency is seeking a Vice President of Operations to define how a world-class event agency runs at scale. Reporting directly to the CEO, this role is the connective tissue between bold creative ambition and disciplined, scalable delivery across live, virtual, and hybrid experiences globally. The VP of Operations owns the agency's business operations and logistics infrastructure end-to-end — building the systems, teams, and vendor relationships that let EES deliver flawlessly as it grows. The role also champions AI adoption across operational teams, helping the agency work smarter and stay ahead of what's possible in experiential. This is a senior leadership position with agency-wide operational authority and direct partnership with the CEO.

Requirements

10+ years of senior operations leadership in events, experiential marketing, live entertainment, or production — with demonstrated P&L ownership
AI Fluency: Working knowledge of AI tools and genuine enthusiasm for applying them operationally; comfortable pushing a team to adopt new tools quickly, without needing to own company-wide AI strategy
Scale: Proven track record building and scaling operations across multiple geographies, teams, and event types
Network: Established relationships with top-tier vendors, logistics partners, and venue operators globally
Leadership: A calm, decisive leader who commands trust under pressure — and inspires operational teams to do their best work
Mindset: A systems thinker who sees complexity as a design problem — and builds elegant, human-centered solutions
Communication: Exceptional communicator who translates operational realities into language that resonates with creative, commercial, and executive audiences

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end operational execution for all live, virtual, and hybrid events globally
Establish and uphold delivery standards, quality control frameworks, and client satisfaction benchmarks
Develop repeatable-yet-flexible operational playbooks that protect creative integrity without creating chaos
Oversee logistics timelines, staffing, and on-site operational execution at the highest level
Own end-to-end leadership of the logistics team, including FTE and Contractor/Project Staff, across all event formats
Oversee all event logistics, transportation, and venue coordination
Build and steward a high-performance global vendor, supplier, and venue partner network
Negotiate complex contracts balancing cost efficiency, quality, reliability, and long-term relationship value
Ensure robust contingency planning, risk management protocols, and issue escalation frameworks are embedded across the organization
Implement AI-driven workflow automation to reduce manual overhead, increase throughput, and free creative teams to focus on high-value work
Leverage machine learning and predictive analytics to improve budget forecasting, resource allocation, and event performance modeling
Champion the use of AI-powered project management, scheduling optimization, and real-time operations dashboards
Partner with the Innovation function and AI Task Force to pilot and scale tools that enhance — not replace — human expertise
Drive AI adoption within the operations org and identify where existing systems and workflows should be revamped
Design the operational infrastructure to support expansion into new markets and regions
Standardize tools, systems, and workflows globally — while preserving regional flexibility where it matters
Lead operational readiness for new location launches from inception through stabilization
Own all operational budgets, margin targets, and cost controls across the events portfolio
Partner with Finance on forecasting, pricing models, and per-event profitability analysis
Define and track KPIs for delivery performance, resource utilization, operational efficiency, and AI ROI
Drive a culture of continuous improvement through post-event retrospectives, data analysis, and structured learning loops
Own vendor management and contract management end-to-end, with both clients and vendors
Serve as a core member of the Management Team, contributing to agency strategy, culture, and long-term direction
Champion Events as a Business Strategy (EBS), ensuring operational decisions are made through the lens of driving measurable client business outcomes — not just flawless delivery
Use EBS thinking to identify and convert project-based clients into retained, recurring house accounts, partnering with the Client Relationships team on the transition
Partner closely with the Relationships team to ensure client commitments are operationally deliverable and profitably scoped
Collaborate with Marketing + Creative to align visionary concepts with operational and logistical feasibility
Partner with the Creative Director on production planning to ensure logistics, budget, and timelines support the creative vision
Act as the agency's internal voice of execution and operational intelligence in all strategic decision-making forums
Build, mentor, and retain a high-performing operations organization