Associate Director, Conference Management Operations

Reports to: VP, Conference Management Operations

Location: Remote, Preference for ET or CT time zones

Job Type: Regular, Full-time/Exempt

Summary of Position:

The Associate Director, Conference Management Operations is responsible for strengthening the operational excellence, consistency, and scalability of the Conference Management unit.

This role combines direct conference ownership with a strong focus on team development, training, quality assurance, and process improvement. The Associate Director plays a critical role in ensuring that team members are equipped with the tools, knowledge, and systems needed to deliver high-quality conferences consistently.

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced conference management professional with a passion for developing others, improving systems, and driving operational consistency across a distributed team.

Performance Evaluation:

Formal evaluations will be conducted in six-month intervals by the VP, Conference Management Operations to assess job performance.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Conference & Portfolio Leadership

• Maintain ownership of a limited portfolio of complex conferences to stay connected to execution and evolving client needs,ensuring successful execution from planning through post-event evaluation.
• Oversee all aspects of conference delivery including logistics, timelines, budgets, vendor coordination, and onsite operations.
• Serve as the team's senior escalation point for conference-related challenges and client needs.

Training & Team Development

• Lead the development, implementation, and ongoing refinement of training programs for the Conference Management unit.
• Oversee onboarding and continuous development of staff to ensure consistent skill progression across the unit.
• Identify skill gaps and proactively implement training solutions to address them.
• Partner with leadership to reinforce development plans and coaching strategies.

Team Leadership & Support

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of Conference Management professionals.
• Cultivate a team-first environment that fosters cohesion and belonging, encourages peer support, and drives shared ownership to reduce siloed execution across the conference portfolio.
• Foster professional development through regular coaching, feedback, and career guidance.
• Conduct performance management responsibilities including goal setting, performance evaluations, and development planning.
• Promote a culture of accountability, responsiveness, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure team members adhere to company policies, operational standards, and communication expectations.

Quality Assurance (Unit-Level)

• Conduct final reviews of key deliverables including RFPs, contracts, budgets, and publications.
• Perform periodic audits across unit-wide portfolios to ensure adherence to standards and processes.
• Identify trends in quality gaps and implement corrective strategies at the unit level.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Own and maintain operational systems and documentation (e.g., ClickUp, Google Workspace workflows).
• Identify inefficiencies and implement scalable process improvements across the unit.
• Ensure documentation is accurate, accessible, and consistently used by team members.
• Partner with leadership to implement tools, automation, and workflow enhancements.

Operational Consistency & Standards

• Establish and reinforce best practices across all conference management activities.
• Support standardization of processes to improve efficiency and reduce variability in execution.
• Serve as a central resource for process-related questions and guidance.

Collaboration & Communication

• Partner closely with the VP and Senior Managers to align on team performance, operational priorities, and improvement initiatives.
• Communicate updates related to training, systems, and process changes across the unit.

Required Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Event Management, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing full life-cycle professional conferences or events, or comparable experience.
• Prior experience successfully leading a team and supporting staff development.
• Advanced experience working with conference management platforms such as Cvent, ConfTool, or similar systems.
• Exceptional project management skills with the ability to oversee multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Proficient operating independently while maintaining alignment with leadership priorities.
• Exceptional organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to quality execution.

Desired Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience managing complex conferences with large attendance, international components, and multi-day programming.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to broader operational leadership efforts through mentorship, process improvement, staff development, or team support initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to implement department-wide operational improvements or process enhancements.
• Familiarity with servicing technical or professional associations, including experience with volunteer leadership structures and association-driven conferences.
• Experience utilizing AI tools.

Travel Requirements:

• Travel for this position will be around 4-6 times per year, for a length of 4-7 days each time.
• Estimated travel between 8-12%.
• Domestic and international travel is required. Must have, or have the ability to acquire, a passport.
  
  

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Must be capable of traveling on long-haul flights.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Compensation is commensurate with skills, education, and experience starting at $85,700/year.
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance (Full employee premiums covered by Conference Catalysts).
• Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for eligible health & wellness expenses.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan following the 90-day onboarding period (Conference Catalysts matches dollar for dollar, up to 5% of employee deferrals).
• Uncapped flex time off following the 90-day onboarding period.
• 14 paid company holidays.
• Voluntary Life and AD&D insurance.
• Individual professional development budget.
• Annual office discretionary budget.
• Annual swag store budget.
• Monthly gym membership reimbursement.