Employee Experience Events & Programs Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Employee Experience (Em-Ex) Events & Programs Manager plays a key role in planning and executing Liftoff's most prominent employee-facing events as directed by the Senior Manager, Employee Experience. This role is also responsible for both sustaining and enhancing existing employee experience programs to ensure they consistently reflect and embody Liftoff’s culture and evolving business needs.

With a focus on optimizing the overall employee experience, the Em-Ex Events & Programs Manager also supports cross-regional initiatives as needed, including partnering with regional Em-Ex Specialists to help ensure local events and workplace environments reflect and reinforce Liftoff’s culture and values.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Drive the execution and strategy for Liftoff Lives, Friends & Family Events, End of Year Gatherings, Employee Resource Community (ERC) events that align with the company’s employee experience objectives in coordination with the Senior Manager, Employee Experience.
• Develop detailed proposals, project plans, and timelines for Liftoff Live events to set them up for success and ensure their positive execution.
• Complete assigned tasks related to events and programs, including but not limited to venue research, proposals, budgeting, attendance tracking, vision boards, swag selection, run of shows, vendor management, employee inquiries, onsite set-up/execution, and more.
• Serve as a consistently positive, prominent, employee-facing presence throughout both planning and execution of events and program initiatives.
• Develop clear, timely communications that build excitement and ensure alignment around event and program details.
• Cultivate and manage event vendor relationships with excellence, negotiate pricing aggressively, communicate regularly, and ensure high-quality delivery.
• Ensure all events and programs comply with local laws and regulations while reflecting both local and global Liftoff culture.
• After each Liftoff Live, assist in creating a detailed post-event summary including budget reconciliation, survey analysis, and key takeaways to share with stakeholders/consider for future events.
• Collaborate regularly with the broader Em-Ex team to support global initiatives as directed by the Senior Manager, Employee Experience, such as company swag, anniversary program, Liftoff Gives, Em-Ex perks/programs, and ERC coordination/event planning and execution.
• Lead the planning and execution of the annual End of Year Gift program, including timeline development, approvals, communication, and fulfillment, with oversight from the Senior Manager, Employee Experience and other key stakeholders. 
• Partner with regional Employee Experience Specialists to support larger team gathering events in each region as applicable, ensuring requests are fulfilled in alignment with established support levels.
• In collaboration with People Team leadership, support the planning and execution of the annual People Team Offsite.
• Keep Em-Ex pages on the company intranet up to date in partnership with the Comms team and other key stakeholders, ensuring accurate information for all programs and events under team scope.
• Continuously assess feedback on employee experience initiatives to identify areas for improvement.

SKILLS

• 8-10 years of global corporate event planning experience (ideally with some/all related to internal employee events), with a proven track record of executing events from small team meetings to large-scale offsites.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Experience collaborating across regions and business units to deliver a consistent, high-quality employee experience.
• Skilled in budget tracking and reporting using Google Sheets and Docs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; adept at stakeholder management and crafting engaging communications.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail; thrives in fast-paced environments.
• Proven ability to think strategically and creatively to solve problems under pressure.
• Executive presence with the ability to effectively influence and drive decision-making across key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated creative skills, including building mood boards, proposing innovative event concepts, and developing thoughtful swag selection and distribution strategies.
• Comfortable actively partnering with and managing the successful performance of external vendors and service providers.
• Deep understanding of employee experience and engagement through an employee lens, taking into account different backgrounds and interests.
• Comfortable lifting up to 40 pounds as needed (i.e. for event set-ups).
• Willingness and flexibility to travel both domestically and internationally.

Location:
This is a hybrid role with one to two days per week required in our Redwood City office.

Travel Expectations:
Travel is required 3 to 5 times a year.
We offer several opportunities for in-person team gatherings, including but not limited to project meetings, regional meetups, and company-wide events. We expect our employees to attend these gatherings at least once per quarter. These gatherings provide essential opportunities for collaboration, communication, and team building.

Compensation:
Liftoff offers all employees a full compensation package that includes equity and health/vision/dental benefits associated with your country of residence. Base compensation will vary based on candidate's location and experience.

The following are our base salary ranges for this role: 

SF Bay Area:  $125,000 - $140,000 plus bonus

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