Program Manager, Events & Hospitality

Program Manager, Events & Hospitality

The Program Manager, Events & Hospitality is a key operational leader within the IVMF Entrepreneurship Team's Shared Services vertical, responsible for end-to-end planning and execution of in-person, hybrid, and hospitality-intensive events across the entrepreneurship portfolio. The position serves as a central operational partner to program leads, Shared Services staff, and institute partners to ensure events are well planned, cost effective, participant-centered, and aligned with university and institute policies. This role supports entrepreneurship programming that serves veterans, military spouses, military-connected entrepreneurs, and their supporters across start-up, growth-stage, executive, and community-based experiences. The position requires strategic planning capability and hands-on execution across venue sourcing, hotel and rooming management, catering and banquet planning, vendor coordination, onsite logistics, transportation, and participant hospitality operations. The role demands strong judgment, exceptional organizational ability, polished stakeholder communication, and the ability to manage multiple event workstreams simultaneously while maintaining a high standard of service and mission alignment. Preference will be given to candidates with substantial hospitality-industry experience, particularly in hotel sales, conference services, catering, convention services, or venue-based event management. This position may be filled on a fully remote basis if the identified candidate is not currently located in Syracuse, NY (within 50 miles). Not all geographical areas within the United States are eligible.

Education and Experience: Bachelor's degree required, preferably in Event Management, Hospitality, Communications, Business Administration, or a related field; Master's preferred. Equivalent professional experience may be considered in lieu of a directly aligned degree. Minimum 5 years of professional experience in event planning, hospitality operations, conference services, venue management, or large-scale program logistics required; 7 years preferred. Demonstrated experience planning and executing small- to large-scale events, including multi-day convenings, executive-level gatherings, and participant-facing experiences requiring high attention to service, detail, and logistics. Strong preference for candidates with direct hotel, resort, conference center, catering, or venue-based experience, including room blocks, banquet event orders, catering packages, and client-facing event coordination. Experience managing multiple concurrent projects with competing deadlines while maintaining high standards for communication, accuracy, and participant experience. Experience with procurement, vendor coordination, contract management, invoicing, and event budget tracking preferred. Preference given to candidates with experience serving veteran, military-connected, university, nonprofit, or mission-driven communities; familiarity with the military-connected ecosystem is a plus. Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) or similar certification preferred.

Skills and Knowledge: Demonstrated ability to manage venue relationships, rooming lists, food and beverage planning, audio-visual coordination, transportation, vendor logistics, and onsite event operations. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple complex timelines simultaneously. Strong written and verbal communication skills, including vendor-facing and stakeholder-facing communication. Experience with budgeting, procurement, contract coordination, and financial tracking for events preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, spreadsheets, event management systems, registration tools, and shared planning/project management platforms such as Monday.com. Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain composure in high-pressure event environments, and proactively solve problems in real time.

Responsibilities: Event Strategy, Planning & Execution: Lead end-to-end planning and execution of entrepreneurship portfolio events ranging from small meetings and convenings to large multi-day programs, summits, and hospitality-intensive experiences. Develop and manage detailed event plans, timelines, production schedules, run-of-show documents, planning checklists, and execution frameworks. Partner with program leads to translate program objectives into operational event plans that support participant engagement, learning outcomes, stakeholder experience, and smooth onsite delivery. Travel to events as required to provide onsite coordination and support, conduct post-event debriefs, and document lessons learned and recommendations for continuous improvement. This role is expected to manage multiple event workstreams simultaneously and shift comfortably between strategic planning and real-time execution. The position may support programs with distinct formats, locations, and audiences across the entrepreneurship portfolio, including start-up training experiences, growth-stage peer forums, networking events, executive gatherings, and special convenings. Hospitality, Hotel & Catering Management: Lead hotel sourcing, venue research, request for proposals (RFPs), contract coordination, room block management, banquet event order coordination, catering planning, food and beverage execution, meeting space setup, guest arrival experience, and lodging-related communications. Collect and track dietary restrictions and accommodation requests; manage rooming lists, pickup, attrition, and special requests; and ensure participant-facing hospitality details are accurate, timely, inclusive, and aligned with budget and program expectations. Serve as the primary point of coordination with hotels, conference venues, caterers, and related hospitality vendors. The Program Manager, Events & Hospitality will work closely with Program Managers, the Associate Director of Shared Services, the Program Coordinator, Logistics, MarComms, Budget Team, Data Solutions, and other institute partners to ensure seamless delivery and a professional, mission-aligned participant experience. The incumbent will represent IVMF values in all vendor, venue, and stakeholder interactions and will embed accessibility, inclusion, and cultural sensitivity into planning decisions and participant communications. Vendor, Budget & Procurement Coordination: Coordinate event-related procurement, quotes, purchase requests, contracts, invoices, transportation vendors, audio-visual vendors, and other external service providers in alignment with IVMF and university policies. Track event budgets, reconcile projected versus actual expenses, maintain vendor and venue records, flag variances, and identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising participant experience or program quality. Support final invoice review, post-event reconciliation, and documentation needed for budget review and grant-related reporting. Shared Services Coordination & Operational Standards: Build and maintain repeatable systems, templates, SOPs, trackers, and hospitality planning tools that improve consistency and quality across the entrepreneurship portfolio. Collaborate with Shared Services and program staff to create standardized workflows for venue selection, registration coordination, lodging logistics, catering approvals, shipping and supply management, onsite staffing, post-event follow-up, and shared documentation practices. Maintain organized, accessible files in team systems such as Monday.com and contribute to continuous improvement across entrepreneurship operations. Perform additional duties in support of the Entrepreneurship Team, Shared Services vertical, and institute-wide priorities as assigned.