Role Overview
The Event Program Manager / Meeting Lead (Advisor) is a seasoned event and project management professional responsible for leading large-scale, complex, and highly visible events from initial concept through post-event evaluation. The individual will drive complex, high-profile events from concept to completion, applying expert project management skills to align cross-functional teams, manage timelines and budgets, mitigate risk, and deliver seamless, high-impact experiences that exceed stakeholder expectations. This role requires expertise in strategic planning, program management, stakeholder engagement, and event execution. The successful candidate will develop integrated project plans, establish governance structures, manage interdependencies, facilitate planning activities, and ensure accountability across multiple workstreams. The Event Program Manager / Meeting Lead must operate independently and effectively in a highly matrixed global organization, collaborating across multiple departments and levels of leadership. The role requires the ability to manage several large-scale initiatives simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail and execution excellence. This leader will also play an active role in shaping the future of enterprise event strategy by identifying opportunities to improve processes, modernize practices, drive efficiencies, and enhance the overall attendee and stakeholder experience.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the strategic design, development, project management, and execution of assigned events and programs, both virtual and in-person, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and stakeholder expectations.
- Develop and manage comprehensive project plans, including workstreams, timelines, milestones, dependencies, stakeholder communications, risk management strategies, and delivery schedules.
- Drive complex, high-profile enterprise and executive events from concept through completion, ensuring seamless coordination across all phases of planning and execution.
- Support the development and execution of strategy for flagship enterprise events, executive leadership meetings, incentive programs, and unique experiences in partnership with Communications and the CEO's Office.
- Serve as a trusted advisor to executive and senior leaders, facilitating strategic discussions around event objectives, attendee engagement, content development, and experience design.
- Establish governance structures and facilitate planning meetings to ensure alignment, accountability, issue resolution, and successful delivery across multiple cross-functional teams.
- Develop integrated plans across Communications, Business Marketing, Branding, Human Resources, Production, Operations, and other business partners to ensure coordinated execution and achievement of business outcomes.
- Manage event budgets, forecasting, vendor relationships, contracts, and resource allocation while maintaining fiscal responsibility and maximizing return on investment.
- Identify risks, develop mitigation plans, anticipate challenges, and proactively resolve issues that could impact project success.
- Recommend innovative solutions, process improvements, and best practices to continually enhance event effectiveness, efficiency, and attendee experience.
- Measure event effectiveness through attendee feedback, business outcomes, ROI/ROO metrics, and executive reporting; develop actionable insights and recommendations for future events.
- Develop tools, templates, processes, and operational standards that elevate event planning and project management capabilities across the organization.
- Represent The Cigna Group with exceptional executive presence, professionalism, and credibility when engaging senior leadership, external stakeholders, agencies, vendors, and partners.
- Remain calm, adaptable, and solution-oriented in fast-paced environments, effectively managing shifting priorities and compressed timelines.
Ideal candidates will offer
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
- Minimum 5+ years of experience in corporate event management, program management, project management, or a related field.
- Demonstrated success managing complex, high-visibility events, executive meetings, leadership forums, and enterprise programs from concept through execution.
- Strong expertise in project management disciplines, including project planning, timeline management, risk mitigation, stakeholder management, governance, and cross-functional coordination.
- Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent projects while balancing competing priorities and meeting critical deadlines.
- Strong financial acumen and experience developing, managing, and forecasting event and program budgets.
- Exceptional executive presence, communication, facilitation, and relationship-building skills.
- Experience influencing and collaborating with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders in a matrixed organization.
- Strong critical thinking, decision-making, and problem-solving capabilities.
- Demonstrated ability to operate independently and drive results with limited direction.
- Experience supporting CEO, executive, and senior leadership events.
- Healthcare industry experience.
- Knowledge of event production, destination management, hotel operations, registration platforms, virtual event technologies, and innovative event delivery methodologies.
- Familiarity with event measurement frameworks, attendee engagement strategies, and ROI/ROO evaluation methodologies.
- Ability to travel approximately 35% annually, including occasional nights and weekends.
- Ability to work from a The Cigna Group office at least three days per week or travel to other company locations based on business and event needs.
- Preferred home office location: Bloomfield, CT.
If you will be working at home occasionally or permanently, the internet connection must be obtained through a cable broadband or fiber optic internet service provider with speeds of at least 10Mbps download/5Mbps upload.
For this position, we anticipate offering an annual salary of 90,800 - 151,400 USD / yearly, depending on relevant factors, including experience and geographic location.
This role is also anticipated to be eligible to participate in an annual bonus plan.
At The Cigna Group, youll enjoy a comprehensive range of benefits, with a focus on supporting your whole health. Starting on day one of your employment, youll be offered several health-related benefits including medical, vision, dental, and well-being and behavioral health programs. We also offer 401(k), company paid life insurance, tuition reimbursement, a minimum of 18 days of paid time off per year, paid holidays, and leaves of absence. For more details on our employee benefits programs, .
