Director of Event Strategy

Director of Event Strategy

Cooley is seeking a Director of Event Strategy to join the Marketing and Business Development team.

Position summary: The Director of Event Strategy, part of the Marketing and Business Development team, is responsible for developing and driving the firm’s approach to events. This role leads the development of a framework for how marketing and business development can build brand, strengthen/deepen relationships and influence demand across a portfolio of events at the national and local market levels while delivering measurable impact and a premier client experience. Specific duties include, but are not limited to, the following:

Position responsibilities:

• Strategic Experiential Leadership: Define and lead the firm’s enterprise event strategy, ensuring all experiential touchpoints are engineered to support long-term growth and high-impact client engagement. 
• Vertical Oversight: Lead a team of event professionals driving strategic alignment to ensure local market activations and high-touch global events work in tandem to support the firm’s goals. 
• Scalable Framework Development: Architect and implement scalable "event playbooks" and data-backed frameworks that allow the firm to move from reactive logistics to proactive, repeatable, and optimized market performance. 
• Experience Design: Lead the strategy for marquee events, designing exclusive, white-glove activations (e.g., C-suite summits, bespoke hospitality, and marquee tournament experiences) that serve as key brand differentiators for top tier clients. 
• Geography Based Focus: Translate regional business objectives into tailored experiential strategies that reinforce the firm’s local market presence.  
• Lifecycle Activation: Integrate the events function into the broader client lifecycle, ensuring pre-event targeting and post-event business development follow-through are executed within a unified framework. 
• Data & Performance Analytics: Establish and monitor KPIs for the events function, leveraging attendee data, client listening, and engagement metrics to report ROI and strategic impact to executive leadership. 
• Cross-Functional Brand Stewardship: Collaborate with Marketing Leadership and other functions to ensure every event is a high-fidelity reflection of the firm’s core narrative, visual identity, and strategic positioning. 
• Strategic Partner & Agency Management: Manage high-level relationships with specialized event agencies, premium hospitality partners, and venues to ensure operational excellence and high-end execution across the global portfolio. 
• Resource & Budget Optimization: Oversee the annual event portfolio budget, strategically allocating resources across the vertical to maximize market visibility and business development opportunities. 
• Technology Ecosystem Leadership: Serve as a key stakeholder and lead business owner for the event technology stack (e.g., Cvent, TicketManager), ensuring these platforms are leveraged to capture actionable data, automate manual workflows, and deliver a seamless, high-touch experience for internal and external stakeholders. 

Other:

• Provide day-to-day supervision of direct reports.
• Ensure compliance with assigned work hours and monitor team for compliance with all firm and department policies.
• Manage staffing coverage on team.
• Review and process time logs/time off requests for direct reports. 
• Support business professional development and continued educational opportunities. 
• In collaboration with HR, participate in hiring, performance appraisals, counseling, termination and other employee lifecycle events. 
• All other duties as assigned or required. 

Skills and experience:

Required:

• After orientation at Cooley LLP, exhibit proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite, iManage and other firm applications
• Ability to work extended and/or weekend hours, as required
• Ability to travel (significant travel likely)
• Bachelor’s degree
• 10+ years of directly relevant exempt-level experience in marketing events, strategy and execution, with proven experience working across a matrixed organization, preferably in a large global professional services firm or B2B environment
• 5+ years of management experience in relevant roles and with proven track record of effective leadership and proven ability to effectively coach and motivate
• Expertise in marketing best practices, digital marketing, measurement and workflow management.
• Demonstrated success developing modern multi-channel strategies at the brand and campaign levels within tight budgetary and resource constraints.
• Strong understanding of performance metrics, analytics, and using data to inform future strategy
• Exceptional collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to influence and partner effectively with senior firm leadership and other professionals

• Proficient in the use of CRM and other marketing and business development technologies

Preferred:

• MBA or advanced degree in a related field and significant prior experience in marketing or sales
• Experience in a professional services environment
• Experience managing a large team of reports

Competencies:

• Entrepreneurial by nature 

• Proven leadership capabilities, including decisiveness, effective prioritization skills and a results-driven orientation with appropriate sensitivity and concern for people 

• Proactive, have high energy, and be creative, quick thinking, and comfortable with risk 

• Strong operational orientation and ability to drive complex, multi-stakeholder projects 

• Excellent analytical skills 

• Ability to carry and achieve marketing goals 

• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to facilitate and solve problems 

• Strong communication, both verbal and written, and presentation skills 

• Detail-oriented with advanced organization skills 

• Team player with collaborative spirit 

• Unwavering ability to handle and maintain confidentiality regarding firm information, projects, client data (if applicable) 

• High level of professionalism at all times 

Cooley offers a competitive compensation and excellent benefits package and is committed to fair and equitable employment practices. EOE.

The expected annual pay range for this position with a full-time schedule is $225,000 - $275,000. Please note that final offer amount will be dependent on geographic location, applicable experience and skillset of the candidate.

We offer a full range of elective benefits including medical, health savings account (with applicable medical plan), dental, vision, health and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts, pre-tax commuter benefits, life insurance, AD&D, long-term care coverage, backup care for children and/or adults and other parental support benefits. In addition to elective benefit options, benefited employees receive firm-paid life insurance, AD&D, LTD, short term medical benefits as well as 25 days of Paid Time Off (“PTO”) and 10 paid holidays each year. We provide generous parental leave and fertility benefits. New employees will attend a detailed benefit orientation to learn more about our many benefits and resources.