External Events Manager

Who We Are

Cross River builds the infrastructure behind the world’s most innovative financial products. Our technology and capital solutions power payments, cards, lending, and digital asset capabilities that move money safely, instantly, and inclusively — trusted by leading fintechs, enterprises, and disruptors across the globe.

Our mission is simple: to build the financial infrastructure that expands access and opportunity for all. Guided by a culture of collaboration, curiosity, and purpose, Cross River has been named one of American Banker’s Best Places to Work in Fintech year after year. Whether you’re designing code, solving regulatory puzzles, or developing strategy, you’ll join a team where innovation and integrity drive everything we do — and where your work helps shape the future of finance.

What We're Looking For

As Cross River continues to scale, the volume, complexity, and strategic importance of external events is increasing significantly. Cross River is hiring an External Events Manager (Official title: AVP, External Events) to own the planning, execution, and logistics of high-stakes corporate events, including executive-facing engagements, industry conferences, proprietary thought leadership programming, and partner events. 

This role is responsible for managing external events end-to-end, ensuring flawless execution across a growing portfolio of corporate events at scale. The Events Manager will work closely with Communications, the Office of the CEO, and cross-functional business teams to ensure every external event reflects Cross River's brand and institutional-grade standards. 

This is a content-driven, execution-intensive, high-judgment role. The Events Manager will be expected to partner with Marketing and Communications on speakership proposals and speaker submissions, develop proprietary event programming that drives conversation and content, capture and amplify event output, and manage senior stakeholders with minimal oversight in high-pressure, high-visibility environments. 

Key Responsibilities:

Corporate Events

• Own end-to-end planning and execution of major corporate events, including leadership forums, executive briefings, and company milestone moments 
• Manage multi-city event logistics, including venue sourcing, scheduling, and on-site support 
• Ensure all corporate events meet institutional-grade standards in production quality, branding, and attendee experience 

Industry Conferences & Executive Visibility

• Manage Cross River's presence at key industry conferences, including sponsorship activation, speaking slot logistics, booth/branding, and executive scheduling 
• Partner with Marketing and Communications to operationalize speakership proposals, session abstracts, and speaker submissions supporting the development and submission process while ensuring messaging and positioning are led by Marketing/Comms 
• Partner with Communications and Marketing to develop executive talking points, presentation content, and supporting materials for conference appearances 
• Coordinate with Communications and PR to align conference presence with executive visibility strategy (keynotes, panels, fireside chats, media interviews on-site) 
• Manage on-site content capture during events – including photography, video, executive quotes, key takeaways, and social media content – to maximize post-event follow-up, amplification, and ROI 
• Identify and recommend new conference and event opportunities that align with Cross River's market positioning and target audiences 

Thought Leadership & Proprietary Events

• Develop and produce proprietary thought leadership and networking events (hosted dinners, roundtables, executive salons, industry forums) that position Cross River as a convener and category leader 
• Partner with business units to design event programming that drives meaningful conversation, generates original content, and deepens relationships with target audiences 
• Collaborate with Communications and Marketing to translate event content into post-event assets including recaps, blog posts, social content, and follow-up campaigns extending the value of each event beyond the day-of 

Partner & Client Events

• Plan and execute partner summits, client events, and branded hosted events at scale 
• Coordinate with business teams to ensure events support commercial and relationship objectives 

Post-Event Feedback & Reporting

• Own the post-event feedback process including sending surveys, collecting insights, and synthesizing findings into structured recaps for the Marketing team and relevant stakeholders 
• Use post-event insights to inform future event strategy, improve execution, and demonstrate ROI 

Operations & Vendor Management

• Manage event budgets, vendor relationships, contracts, and negotiations 
• Build repeatable playbooks and processes for recurring corporate events to ensure consistency and scalability 
• Define and track event success metrics including attendance, engagement, content output, lead generation, executive placement wins, and post-event follow-through and report ROI to leadership on a regular cadence 
• Own and manage the centralized external events calendar — ensuring all approved events are tracked, updated, and maintained in coordination with the Head of Events, Communications, and the Executive Office

Qualifications:

• 6+ years of experience in corporate events, with meaningful experience managing executive-level conferences or financial services/fintech industry events 
• Proven ability to support and operationalize compelling speakership proposals, session abstracts, and executive positioning content in partnership with Marketing and Communications 
• Experience developing and producing proprietary thought leadership events (roundtables, hosted dinners, executive forums), not just third-party conference logistics 
• Proven track record of managing complex, multi-stakeholder events end-to-end with minimal oversight 
• Strong writing and content skills – this role requires someone who can shape narratives, not just manage logistics 
• Strong vendor management, budgeting, and contract negotiation skills 
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple concurrent events on tight timelines 
• High degree of professionalism and comfort working directly with C-suite executives, board members, and external partners 
• Experience in financial services, fintech, banking, or regulated industries preferred 
• Willingness to travel as needed for event logistics 

 

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Salary Range: $100,000.00 - $125,000.00