Senior Manager, Event Operations & Sourcing

About The Institutes

Located in beautiful Malvern Pennsylvania The Institutes are a not-for-profit comprised of diverse affiliates that educate elevate and connect people in the essential disciplines of risk management and insurance. Through products and services offered by our nearly 20 affiliated business units people and organizations are empowered to help those in need with a focus on understanding predicting and preventing losses to create a more resilient world.

Additionally we understand the importance of work-life balancein 2026 named us a Top Workplace for the eleventh year and USA Today named us a USA Top Workplace for the fourth year. We provide excellent benefits and a friendly team-focused work environment to drive employee engagement.

Senior Manager Event Operations and Sourcing

The Senior Event Operations and Sourcing Manager is responsible for the strategic and operational execution of high-value high-exposure events. This role leads all aspects of event operations and sourcing including RFP development contract negotiation vendor management travel programs budget governance and risk management. The role partners closely with internal stakeholders and external vendors to ensure events are delivered efficiently compliantly and within budget while maintaining exceptional quality and attendee experience.

What Youll Do:

Event Operations RFPs and Contracting

1. Lead and oversee the RFP and sourcing process for all event-related services including venue selection lodging and key vendors to ensure cost efficiency and alignment with event objectives.
2. Negotiate review and manage contracts with hotels venues and vendors ensuring favorable terms and mitigation of legal and financial risk.
3. Conduct site visits to evaluate potential venues for meetings and conferences.
4. Develop and refine detailed event specification documents including room configurations food and beverage audiovisual signage staffing and ancillary services.

Vendor Management and Sourcing Strategy

1. Establish and maintain effective relationships with external partners including production registration audiovisual transportation and other event service providers.
2. Research and evaluate internal and external outsourcing opportunities to improve efficiency scalability and cost effectiveness.
3. Oversee vendor performance pre- during and post-event to ensure service level expectations are met.

Travel Commissions and Hotel Programs

1. Manage the organizations American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) program and the American Express Intelligent Online Marketplace (NEO) booking tool.
2. Oversee all hotel room blocks for meetings and events including pickup monitoring and reconciliation.
3. Manage airline and hotel points and commissions both pre- and post-contract ensuring value optimization and accurate tracking.

Budget Governance and Financial Oversight

1. Develop departmental budgets and provide regular forecasting including quarterly updates.
2. Track and manage income and expenses across all meetings and events ensuring strict adherence to approved budgets.
3. Reconcile itemized budgets and manage audit processes related to event finances.

Risk Management and Event Insurance

1. Assess and manage operational contractual and financial risks associated with meetings and events.
2. Ensure appropriate event insurance coverage is in place and compliant with organizational and contractual requirements.
3. Review contracts and supporting documentation to identify and mitigate exposure to legal financial and reputational risk.

What Were Looking For:

1. Undergraduate degree in event management or a related field or equivalent demonstrated experience.
2. 1015 years of event management or planning experience (association or not-for-profit preferred) including high-value high-visibility events.
3. Demonstrated expertise in creating and managing detailed budgets reviewing contracts for risk and maintaining strong relationships with executives volunteers and members.
4. Experience with itemized budgeting reconciliation and audits.
5. Expert-level hotel and venue contract negotiation experience with a strong understanding of terms and conditions.
6. Demonstrated vendor management experience including production and registration vendors.
7. CMP or similar professional certification preferred.

Key Competencies

1. Strategic mindset with the ability to translate organizational goals into effective event operations.
2. Deep technical knowledge of event management sourcing and industry best practices.
3. Experience with webinars.
4. Proven expertise in contract negotiation and risk mitigation.
5. Strong project management and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple concurrent events.
6. Financial acumen including budget development forecasting and expense control.
7. Excellent communication skills and attention to detail; self-motivated with the ability to meet tight deadlines.

The Best Part The Benefits!

To enforce the importance of work-life balance employees enjoy excellent benefits including:

• 401(k) plan with company contribution up to 16%
• Generous time off package that includes paid vacation personal sick and holidays
• Paid maternity and parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement
• Medical dental vision and prescription coverage
• On our Malvern campus: Free lunch every day when working on campus onsite fitness center and a beautiful 1.25-mile walking path!

Required Experience:

Senior Manager