VIP & Strategic Relationships Lead, US

Founders Forum Group is an event-powered community and family of businesses supporting innovative entrepreneurs at every stage of their journeys. Founded in 2005, our invite-only forums unite founders, investors, corporate and government leaders to tackle era-defining questions in iconic locations across the globe.

Founders Forum Events is now hiring a high-agency, relationship-obsessed operator to lead and grow our presence across the US as a pivotal member of the team. Working as a trusted extension of the events team, you'll be embedded within the Founders Forum ecosystem, operating closely with Carolyn Dawson (our Group CEO) and collaborating hand-in-glove with our Head of Forums & Ecosystems, Content, and Event Production teams, as well as collaborating with Brent Hoberman (our Executive Chairman & Co-Founder).

We've hosted many of the world's most influential leaders at our events, founders like Elon Musk, Daniel Ek, Sir Demis Hassabis, Sir Richard Branson, Dylan Field and Evan Spiegel; global CEOs and investors including Eric Schmidt, Jamie Dimon, Sheryl Sandberg, Sir Michael Moritz, Rene Haas, and Ben Horowitz; and leaders and cultural icons such as President Emmanuel Macron, HRH The Prince of Wales, Queen Rania of Jordan, Sir David Attenborough, Sir Jony Ive, Emma Watson, Sacha Baron Cohen, James Corden, Lando Norris, and Sir Mo Farah, earning us nicknames like "Super Bowl for Tech" and "Digital Davos."

This is a newly created, US-based role at a pivotal moment for FF in the region. We already have a real US footprint, including our flagship yearly FF North America event in NYC and our recent AI retreat in San Francisco alongside HumanX, and we're looking for someone to build on that foundation, deepen our roots in the US tech and investor ecosystem, and turn one-off US moments into an always-on network. As our first US hire on the ground, you'll also be central to growing FF commercially in the region and to shaping what a broader US events portfolio looks like.

Critically, this isn't a US-only mandate. The US is one of the world's leading tech and innovation markets, and this role exists to make sure the relationships built here don't stay siloed to US events. You'll be the connective thread that brings the best of US tech, founders, operators, investors, and policymakers, into FF's global stage, especially FF Global in London, giving our flagship events a genuinely global lens and giving US principals a reason to engage with FF well beyond a single US touchpoint.

You'll drive speaker strategy for our flagship events and engage in high-profile relationship-building. This role is uniquely positioned at the heart of the group's US operations, ensuring a gold standard for keynotes, world-class speakers, and VIP engagement, from global tech founders and Fortune 100 CEOs to cultural icons and heads of state.

This is a highly entrepreneurial role for someone with a love of tech, exceptional hustle, and a track record of building senior relationships in the US market. You'll combine creative outreach planning and dealmaking with white-glove stewardship, and a force-multiplier across the Founders Forum ecosystem, on both sides of the Atlantic.

What You'll Do

• US Pipeline Ownership: Lead the pipeline of top-tier US speakers and VIPs across FF's priority events, including FF North America and the SF/HumanX-style retreats and beyond, mapping power networks and unlocking paths to "yes" through FFG's ecosystem, including Carolyn's and Brent's personal networks.

• Global Plug-In: Identify which US relationships have the strongest fit for FF's global stage, particularly FF Global in London, and build the pathways, outreach, and stewardship needed to bring key US principals into our international events, not just our US ones.

• Commercial & Sponsorship Development: Drive commercial discussions with potential sponsors and partners for our US events, working with the wider commercial team to convert relationships into revenue and long-term partnerships.

• New Event Development: Help identify, shape, and launch new FF events in the US market. As our first US hire on the ground, for smaller-scale events this may mean end-to-end delivery, from concept and commercial development through to on-site execution.

• Creative Dealmaking: Tailor a compelling outreach strategy, value propositions, and bespoke outreach for world-class US prospects, working directly with Carolyn Dawson and our Head of Forums & Ecosystems, and looping in Brent Hoberman for specific high-value relationships where his insight is needed.

• Multi-Channel Outreach: Leverage warm intros from across FFG, including Carolyn's and Brent's networks, our Head of Forums & Ecosystems, the partnership team, LPs, founders, elite agents, and more, delivering senior, outcome-focused, high-conversion communication tailored to the US market.

• VIP Experience: Deliver white-glove, end-to-end handling of principals and their teams across US and international events, marshalling tight security, logistics, briefings, and on-site management, anticipating needs and acting as a problem-solver for our most important guests.

• Content & Agenda Alignment: Partner closely with our Head of Forums & Ecosystems and the Content & Program teams to align US speakers to meaningful themes across both US and global events, developing innovative formats and crafting moments with high impact, resonance, and editorial integrity.

• Partnerships and Ecosystem Leverage: Activate relationships with US tech leaders, funds, corporates, government, and cultural institutions to unlock speaker access, and build the bridge between the US ecosystem and FFG's global network.

• Research and Intelligence: Maintain a dynamic map of relevant US networks, including EAs, comms teams, policy staff, and key gatekeepers, spotting timely opportunities, tracking moves, and building lasting rapport across the region.

Requirements

Required

• 3–5 years in a relationship-driven role with senior stakeholder exposure in the US market, e.g. event/conference production, journalist, VIP relations, chief of staff, executive engagement, investor relations, strategic partnerships, head of comms, or government relations.

• Demonstrable success securing senior speakers, talent, or strategic meetings within the US tech and investor ecosystem; strong references for judgment, discretion, and delivery under pressure.

• A genuine love of tech and startups; you track the US ecosystem closely and can speak credibly to frontier themes (e.g. AI, climate tech, biotech, fintech, defence tech, policy).

• Elite relationship-building skills and an existing personal network within US tech, VC, and founder circles; you earn trust quickly with principals and gatekeepers; you're respectful, persistent, and outcome-oriented.

• Creative dealmaking instinct: inventive hooks, tailored pitches, and smart sequencing of intros to unlock hard-to-reach people.

• Operational excellence: meticulous logistics, clear comms, accurate reporting, fast follow-through, and on-site calm when the stakes are highest, across time zones and geographies.

• Outcome-driven and comfortable working to ambitious KPIs.

• Excellent written communication: concise, senior, and on-brand.

• Low-ego: you bring a "no task is too small or big" mindset.

Preferred

• Experience working with high-profile principals, founders, VCs, family offices, agents, or government leaders in the US.

• Familiarity with the global tech and investor landscape, ideally with existing relationships or context spanning the US, UK, and Europe, given this role's part in connecting US relationships to FFG's global events.

• Comfortable using CRM tools and light research tooling; strong reporting discipline and pipeline hygiene.

• Willingness and ability to travel internationally, including to FF Global (London) and other flagship FFG events.

FF DNA We Value

• Community first

• Entrepreneurial to our core

• Founding the future

• Excellence without ego

Benefits

To be discussed