Job Details

One of The Sage Group's clients is looking for an Event Operations Manager. Client is an AI research and deployment company focused on building safe, reliable, and steerable AI systems, particularly large language models.

Duration: 6 months to start, plus extension and contractto hire potential

Location: Hybrid to San Francisco CA 2x week

Compensation: $125/hr

Portfolio required to show relevant samples (playbooks, SOPs, or registration environment examples)

Position Overview

We're seeking an experienced Event Operations Contractor to support the day-to-day execution of our tier 1 event programs, including policy and developer conferences, solution launches, and third-party sponsorships. This role will manage end-to-end operational workflows while building and maintaining process documentation, templates, and playbooks to scale across our broader event portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Registration & Communications Management

• Build and configure registration environments across platforms (Swoogo, Cvent) for marquee conferences, event series, and third-party sponsorship activations
• Develop and maintain registration reporting and analytics dashboards
• Manage attendee approval workflows and VIP registration processes
• Execute transactional and customer service email communications (confirmations, reminders, updates, waitlist management)
• Handle inbound attendee inquiries and escalations in support inbox
• Coordinate onsite registration operations and logistics, staff onsite as needed

Onsite Meeting Coordination

• Coordinate and schedule onsite meeting requests between attendees, executives, and partners
• Manage meeting booking logistics and calendar coordination across multi-day events
• Identify and recommend tools or process improvements to streamline scheduling workflows

Swag & Merchandise Operations

• Plan and manage event swag strategy, inventory, and ordering
• Coordinate shipping logistics for domestic and international events
• Track merchandise budgets and manage vendor relationships for fulfillment
• Ensure on-time delivery and quality control for event-branded materials

Process Documentation & Playbook Development

• Create and maintain playbooks, templates, and SOPs for repeatable event processes
• Document best practices to enable consistency and scalability across the event portfolio
• Identify automation opportunities and recommend operational improvements
• Build training materials for cross-functional teams interfacing with events operations

Required Qualifications

Technical Skills

• 5+ years experience in B2B SaaS event marketing and marketing operations
• Proficiency with event registration platforms (Swoogo, Cvent, or similar)
• Working knowledge of Salesforce and HubSpot for campaign tracking and reporting
• Experience with procurement tools (Zip, Ironclad, or similar)
• Background in SaaS or technology company event operations
• Experience supporting SaaS conferences and field marketing events
• Experience coordinating international event logistics (shipping, vendors, multi-timezone coordination)
• Familiarity with swag/merchandise vendor management and fulfillment at scale

Operations Experience

• Proven track record supporting large-scale events (500+ attendees) through multi-thousand attendee conferences
• Experience managing multiple concurrent programs with competing deadlines
• Strong vendor coordination and logistics management skills
• Background in swag/merchandise planning and fulfillment

Process & Project Management

• Excellent attention to detail and quality control
• Strong documentation and process development skills
• Ability to work independently and proactively identify improvements
• Clear communication skills for cross-functional coordination

Scope & Expectations

• Volume: Support 10+ tier 1 events annually plus third-party sponsorship activations
• Scale: Events ranging from 500 to several thousand attendees
• Event Types: Policy and developer conferences, solution launches, sponsored events, executive programs
• Focus: Operational execution and process documentation that scales across the event portfolio

Working Relationship

• Report to: Sr. Event Marketing Manager
• Collaborate with: Events team, Marketing Operations, Finance/Procurement, external vendors
• Communication: Slack-based coordination with responsiveness during business hours and live event periods