Gunderson Dettmer has an opening for a Senior Events Manager in our Silicon Valley office. The Senior Events Manager sets the strategic direction for the Firm’s client, business-development, and internal events program, ensuring the Firm’s events portfolio advances client relationships, business-development priorities, brand positioning, and employee experience across all offices.
Reporting to the Chief Communications Officer, this highly visible role partners with firm leadership, practice group leaders, and marketing colleagues to shape the Firm’s events strategy and demonstrate its return on investment. The Senior Events Manager owns the events budget and vendor strategy, leads and develops events team and contracted staff, and directs — rather than personally performs — on-site delivery, stepping in on the Firm’s highest-visibility or most complex events to ensure flawless execution.
Events Strategy and Business Alignment
- Develop and own the Firm’s multi-year events strategy and annual events calendar, ensuring alignment with firm, practice-group, and business-development priorities.
- Partner with practice group leaders, attorneys, and firm leadership to prioritize investment in events that advance business-development and client-relationship goals.
- Establish firmwide standards, guidelines, and playbooks that ensure consistent, brand-aligned execution across offices.
- Monitor emerging event formats and industry trends, recommending strategic shifts — in-person, virtual, or hybrid — that improve ROI and client experience.
Business Development and Client Relationship Strategy
- Advise attorneys and practice group leaders on event strategy, guest-list and sponsorship approach, and follow-up practices that maximize business-development return.
- Shape the Firm’s sponsorship, speaking-engagement, and client-entertainment strategy in partnership with practice groups.
- Build senior-level relationships with key clients, industry organizations, and sponsors to strengthen the Firm’s market position and community presence.
Program Leadership, Budget, and Vendor Strategy
- Own and allocate the firmwide events budget, making strategic tradeoffs across offices, event types, and priorities.
- Direct the Firm’s venue and vendor partnership strategy, negotiating firmwide agreements and preferred-vendor relationships.
- Lead, develop, and delegate to event coordinators and contracted staff, ensuring execution meets the Firm’s standards without requiring day-to-day oversight.
- Establish scalable processes, technology, and templates that improve efficiency and consistency across the events program.
Brand Integration and Performance Measurement
- Partner with marketing leadership to ensure the events program reinforces the Firm’s brand positioning and messaging.
- Define and track ROI metrics and KPIs for the events portfolio, and present outcomes and recommendations to firm leadership.
- Guide the use of event photography, testimonials, and other materials in marketing, recruiting, and business-development collateral.
Execution Oversight
- Set standards for on-site delivery and directly oversee execution of the Firm’s highest-visibility or most complex events, delegating routine logistics to coordinators and vendors.
- Serve as the escalation point for attorneys, clients, and vendors on strategic or reputational issues arising during events.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Hospitality Management, Business, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
- Seven or more years of progressively responsible events or marketing experience, including experience directing strategy, budget, and vendor relationships.
- Experience building or leading an events program in a law firm, professional-services firm, or other client-service-driven organization strongly preferred.
Minimum Requirements
- Demonstrated ability to translate business priorities into an events strategy, and to measure and communicate return on investment to senior stakeholders.
- Strong executive presence, with the ability to advise and influence attorneys, practice group leaders, and senior firm leadership.
- Proven experience owning a budget and vendor portfolio at scale.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and event-registration or CRM platforms.
- Availability for occasional evening, early-morning, weekend, or travel commitments tied to high-visibility events; this is primarily a leadership and oversight role rather than a hands-on execution role.
Preferred Requirements
- Experience building or leading an events program across multiple offices or markets.
- Familiarity with legal-industry business-development practices, CLE program requirements, and client-entertainment considerations.
- Experience managing, developing, or mentoring a team of coordinators or contracted staff; CMP designation a plus.
TRAVEL
This role has an occasional travel expectation to provide on-site leadership for high-visibility events at other Firm offices or off-site venues.
Status
- Full Time, Exempt
- Hybrid - NorCal
The annualized base salary range for this position is expected to be $140,000.00 - $200,000.00. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives for which this position is eligible.
In addition to offering competitive salaries, we also offer an excellent benefits package, which includes comprehensive medical, dental and vision coverage; 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan; Flexible Spending Account, Paid Time Off and fertility and family building support.
