Senior Team Lead, Conference Management

About Conference Catalysts:

What started almost 20 years ago as a company with a simple goal to become a respected conference management company has grown and evolved to become something with a much greater reach and impact. At Conference Catalysts we have an exceptional team of professionals who are dedicated to making our clients' lives easier, optimizing the way our organizations operate, and creating life-long relationships through exceptional customer service and innovative software solutions. Come see what it's like to be a ConfCat!

Reports to: VP, Conference Management Operations

Location: Remote, Preference for ET or CT time zones

Job Type: Regular, Full-time/Exempt

Summary of Position:

The Senior Team Lead, Conference Management provides leadership and operational oversight for a designated team within the Conference Management unit, with primary accountability for the successful execution of the team's conference portfolio.

This role balances direct conference ownership with team leadership responsibilities, ensuring conferences are delivered on time, within scope, and aligned with Conference Catalysts' quality standards. The Senior Team Lead serves as a key resource for team members, offering guidance on project execution, client needs, and operational decision-making.

The ideal candidate is a highly experienced conference professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, can independently manage complex conferences, and effectively lead others through executional challenges while maintaining consistency and quality across multiple projects.

Performance Evaluation:

Formal evaluations will be conducted in six-month intervals by the VP, Conference Management Operations to assess job performance.

Responsibilities and Duties:

Conference & Portfolio Leadership

• Maintain ownership of a limited portfolio of complex conferences, including higher-tier events, ensuring successful execution from planning through post-event evaluation.
• Oversee all aspects of conference delivery including logistics, timelines, budgets, vendor coordination, and onsite operations.
• Serve as the team's senior escalation point for conference-related challenges and client needs.
• Ensure alignment of conference execution with company standards, processes, and client expectations.

Team Leadership & Support

• Lead, mentor, and manage a team of Conference Management professionals.
• Cultivate a team-first environment that fosters cohesion and belonging, encourages peer support, and drives shared ownership to reduce siloed execution across the conference portfolio.
• Foster professional development through regular coaching, feedback, and career guidance.
• Conduct performance management responsibilities including goal setting, performance evaluations, and development planning.
• Promote a culture of accountability, responsiveness, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure team members adhere to company policies, operational standards, and communication expectations.

Operational Oversight

• Monitor conference progress across the team to ensure timelines, deliverables, and expectations are being met.
• Support workload balancing and resource allocation across the team's portfolio.
• Identify risks or gaps in execution and partner with team members to course-correct.

Quality Assurance (Execution-Level)

• Conduct reviews of conference materials (timelines, budgets, deliverables) within the team's portfolio to ensure quality and accuracy.
• Provide feedback and guidance to team members to uphold standards.
• Partner with leadership on addressing recurring quality issues or process gaps.

Collaboration & Communication

• Maintain consistent communication with the VP and Associate Director regarding team performance, risks, and support needs.
• Collaborate with internal teams and stakeholders to support conference delivery and organizational priorities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with conference clients and serve as a trusted advisor when appropriate.
• Communicate clearly and professionally with internal and external stakeholders.

Required Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Event Management, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience managing full life-cycle professional conferences or events, or comparable experience.
• Prior experience successfully leading a team and supporting staff development.
• Advanced experience working with conference management platforms such as Cvent, ConfTool, or similar systems.
• Exceptional project management skills with the ability to oversee multiple concurrent initiatives.
• Proficient operating independently while maintaining alignment with leadership priorities.
• Exceptional organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to quality execution.

Desired Experience, Skills, and Education:

• Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience managing complex conferences with large attendance, international components, and multi-day programming.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute to broader operational leadership efforts through mentorship, process improvement, staff development, or team support initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to implement department-wide operational improvements or process enhancements.
• Familiarity with servicing technical or professional associations, including experience with volunteer leadership structures and association-driven conferences.
• Experience utilizing AI tools.

Travel Requirements:

• Travel for this position will be around 4-6 times per year, for a length of 4-7 days each time.
• Estimated travel between 8-12%.
• Domestic and international travel is required. Must have, or have the ability to acquire, a passport.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.
• Must be capable of traveling on long-haul flights.

Compensation and Benefits:

• Compensation is commensurate with skills, education, and experience starting at $81,415/year.
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance (Full employee premiums covered by Conference Catalysts).
• Health Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for eligible health & wellness expenses.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan following the 90-day onboarding period (Conference Catalysts matches dollar for dollar, up to 5% of employee deferrals).
• Uncapped flex time off following the 90-day onboarding period.
• 14 paid company holidays.
• Voluntary Life and AD&D insurance.
• Individual professional development budget.
• Annual office discretionary budget.
• Annual swag store budget.
• Monthly gym membership reimbursement.

The pay range for this role is:

81,415 - 81,415 USD per year (Remote)