About Us:

If you are passionate about the ability of American business to improve lives, solve problems, and strengthen society, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the place for you. As the world’s largest business organization, we believe in building a future that gives everyone the opportunity to pursue a better tomorrow. We make it our job today–and every day–to build the strongest relationships possible among the American people, business leaders, and elected officials in Washington, D.C., state capitals, and countries around the globe. For them and the businesses we represent, the U.S. Chamber is a trusted advocate and partner.

We are driven by the pursuit of innovation and partnership and hold ourselves to the highest standards. Our commitment to our members is matched only by our commitment to our employees. As part of our team, we will support your long-term career development while delivering relevant learning opportunities. We will empower you to lead, develop deep expertise, and find new approaches to solving the toughest challenges.

Position Overview:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is looking for an inspirational leader to drive innovation and hands-on operational excellence across a portfolio of flagship events and support the Chamber’s advocacy on behalf of our membership. Reporting to and working with the vice president of Events, the Executive Director will set and implement strategy and operational direction for the planning and execution of U.S. Chamber events while building a scalable team. Chamber events are can’t-miss experiences at the intersection of business, politics, diplomacy, and innovation. This role will have an outsize impact on shaping our events for the future.

Responsibilities:

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and mentor a team of event planning, operations, and hospitality professionals, establishing clear performance metrics and accountability frameworks.
• Architect and implement a comprehensive talent development strategy, including career pathing, succession planning, and professional growth opportunities in partnership with the vice president of Events and the human resources business partners.
• Cultivate an organizational culture centered on creativity, innovation, and operational excellence, aligned with the Chamber’s mission and values.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration and communication across the Chamber, serving as a strategic partner to colleagues across the organization.
• Refine and implement internal business processes to ensure that knowledge management systems are widely adopted and used.
• Continually evaluate team structure, roles, and responsibilities to ensure optimal utilization of the team’s capacity.

Venue and Event Operations Management

• Oversee all headquarters event venue operations, ensuring the Chamber’s ability to host world-class events with an emphasis on white-glove service and operational efficiency.
• Innovate processes for internal client intake procedures to balance venue utilization against operational team’s capacity and Chamber priorities.
• Manage vendor relationships, contract negotiations, and service-level agreements for event and catering operations.
• Lead the delivery of defined guest experience standards through continual evaluation of systems, procedures, and protocols.
• Prepare, implement, and monitor the venue operating budget, always with an eye toward responsible stewardship of Chamber resources.

Strategic Event Planning and Execution

• Manage a portfolio of the Chamber’s highest-profile flagship events, overseeing large-scale production, sponsoring activations, and transformative audience experiences.
• Define and execute event strategy in partnership with senior leadership, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and business objectives.
• Drive innovation and consistency across the Chamber’s events portfolio, establishing best practices and signature experiences.
• Work cross-functionally to support the development of sponsorship activations and audience acquisition.

Qualifications:

• 10+ years’ experience in event planning and operations in a professional services, media, or hospitality environment.
• A generous leader who inspires teams through an inquisitive nature, a creative and collaborative approach to problem solving, and thoughtful stewardship of great talent.
• A detailed and data-driven operator who shapes processes to drive efficiency and oversees multiple projects simultaneously.
• Exceptional project management, including owning and adhering to timelines and templates and accurately tracking and evaluating results on overall project goals.
• Experience with crafting, managing, and fulfilling sponsor engagement and audience experiences activation at events.
• Demonstrated ownership of event budgets, including preparation, negotiations, and accurate and timely monthly forecasts; alerting management about risks and deviations from the plan; and making recommendations for corrective action.
• Ability to travel to support the execution of major off-site Chamber events as necessary

The salary range for this position is $134,475.00 to $170,000.00. The actual salary paid for this position will vary based on market data, an applicant’s qualifications, relevant degrees, certifications, and other factors. Our full-time employees are eligible for benefits, including health care, vision, dental, retirement, and paid leave.

We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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