Senior Director, Strategic Events

Senior Director, Strategic Events

Common Sense Media is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the age of apps, algorithms, and AI. We rate, educate, and advocate for policies to protect and prepare kids online. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users globally, over 1.4 million educators, and more than 100,000 schools worldwide every year. Learn more at commonsense.org.


The Opportunity

The Senior Director of Strategic Events will lead the strategy and execution of Common Sense Media's highest-impact convenings and integrated campaigns. This portfolio includes flagship fundraising events, national summits, and strategic gatherings that bring together leaders across philanthropy, policy, and technology to advance meaningful, measurable change.

This role sits at the intersection of strategy, operations, and influence. It is responsible not only for delivering exceptional events, but also for ensuring those moments are designed to drive sustained engagement, deepen partnerships, and accelerate progress toward the organization's mission.

The ideal candidate is a seasoned leader with experience operating in complex, high-visibility environments-someone who brings rigor to execution, clarity to strategy, and a strong orientation toward outcomes.

Location: San Francisco, California
Reports To: Founder & CEO
Salary: $140,000-$166,250
Type: Full-time, exempt

What We're Looking For
Portfolio Strategy & Flagship Convenings

• Lead the design and execution of a portfolio of high-impact events, including major fundraising gatherings (100+ people), national summits, and policy-oriented convenings.
• Define the strategic role of events within the organization's broader engagement and fundraising approach.
• Serve as executive lead for flagship events, ensuring alignment between program content, audience, and desired outcomes.
• Partner closely with Leadership and Development to integrate fundraising strategy into event design, including donor engagement and stewardship.
• Establish clear goals and success metrics for each convening, and lead post-event evaluation to inform continual improvement.

Strategic Campaigns & Engagement

• Work with Marketing and other internal and external partners to develop the strategy and oversee integrated campaigns that extend the reach and impact of key events and organizational priorities.
• Translate complex ideas and programmatic work into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Partner with Communications and Marketing to deliver coordinated, multi-channel engagement strategies.
• Strengthen the full engagement pathway, from initial awareness through participation and long-term partnership.
• Ensure consistency and quality in how the organization's brand and voice are expressed across all external touchpoints.

Partnerships & External Engagement

• Build and steward relationships with partners, sponsors, and aligned organizations.
• Collaborate with Development to identify and secure event-based funding and strategic partnerships.
• Identify opportunities to convene partners in ways that advance shared goals and field-level impact.

Operational Excellence & Infrastructure

• Oversee all aspects of event execution, including production, logistics, vendor management, and attendee experience.
• Build and maintain systems that support repeatable, scalable, and consistent, high-quality delivery across the events portfolio.
• Lead the effective use of event and marketing technologies, including CRM integration, registration platforms, and performance tracking tools.
• Establish standard processes, templates, and benchmarks to strengthen organizational capacity and scalability.
• Ensure disciplined budget management and alignment of resources with strategic priorities.

Team Leadership

• Lead and develop a high-performing team, fostering a culture of clarity, accountability, and continual learning.
• Align internal and external resources to support a complex and evolving portfolio of work.
• Provide clear direction while empowering team members to take ownership of execution.
• Model strong cross-functional collaboration with Development, Communications, Marketing, and Program teams.

What You Have

• 10-15+ years of experience leading complex events, convenings, or campaigns, preferably within philanthropy, nonprofit, or mission-driven organizations.
• Demonstrated success managing large-scale, high-visibility events with clear strategic and revenue objectives.
• Experience partnering with fundraising teams to support donor engagement and revenue generation.
• Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to connect individual initiatives to broader organizational goals.
• Deep operational expertise, with a track record of delivering high-quality execution in complex environments.
• Experience managing budgets, vendors, and cross-functional teams with a high degree of independence.
• Familiarity with relevant technology platforms (e.g., CRM systems such as Salesforce, event registration tools, marketing automation platforms).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage senior leaders and external partners.
• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.

What We Offer

• The chance to work alongside talented, mission-driven professionals at the forefront of child advocacy and tech policy.
• Comprehensive health and welfare benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and a matching 401(k).
• A culture that values work/life balance and meaningful impact.
• The opportunity to shape philanthropic strategy at scale-securing resources that reach millions of families, influence policy at the highest levels, and fundamentally change how kids experience technology.

Common Sense Media provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected classification or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Common Sense Media will also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. However, job offers are made on the condition that the applicant subsequently passes a criminal background check. If the background check indicates a prior criminal conviction, we will conduct an individualized assessment to determine whether the conviction should result in denial of employment. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.