Event Operations Manager

Description
Department: Finance, Operations & Administration
Reports to: Director, Event Operations
Location: Houston, TX
Employment Type: Full-Time, Exempt
Work Location
:
Hybrid (2 days in office, 3 days WFH), with significantly more in-office and on-site time during event periods.
Salary:
64,000/year
Position Overview

The Manager, Event Operationsexecutes EMERGE's centralized event portfolio and Summer Trip Experience (STE)- a multi-day scholar college visit program. Reporting to the Director of Event Operations, this role translates event strategy, standards, budgets, and production plans into reliable execution across scholar, family, partner, and development events.

The Manager owns the operational details that make events run well, including logistics, registration, materials, staffing, vendor coordination, event-day execution, and post-event follow-up. This role works closely with internal event owners to understand the intended audience experience and ensures that the operational plan delivers against it.

This is a highly execution-oriented role for someone who is organized, resourceful, detail-oriented, comfortable managing multiple projects simultaneously, and able to remain calm and decisive when plans change.

• Planning and execution of assigned events in accordance with EMERGE's established event planning process and lead times.
• Maintain event workplans, timelines, task trackers, meeting notes, and other planning documents for assigned events using established templates and standards.
• Manage logistics across internal teams and external partners.
• Prepares event budgets and track spending against approved budgets.
• Escalate changes to scope, budget, timeline, or significant operational risks to the Director.

• Execute operational logistics for assigned events (set-up, execution, breakdown, and post-event), including but not limited to venues, catering, transportation, rentals, technology, supplies, signage, registration, setup, and teardown.
• Serve as the primary or secondary on-site operational leads for assigned events.
• Manage event-level spending within approved budgets and established purchasing procedures and flag potential budget risks or changes to the Director of Event Ops.
• Coordinate and execute post-event closeout, including materials, vendor follow-up, expense documentation, and debrief preparation.
• Coordinate invoices, receipts, purchase requests, and other financial documentation required for event reconciliation.
• Develop and maintain a centralized vendor bench by researching and documenting reliable vendors, service offerings, pricing, and standard contract terms across key event needs to promote consistency, efficiency, and cost effectiveness across the event portfolio.

• Maintain standardized event templates, including workplans, run-of-show documents, staffing plans, checklists, and debrief tools.
• Track actual event hours and operational inputs to help EMERGE understand the true cost and capacity required to deliver its portfolio.
• Co-lead post-event debriefs and document lessons learned, issues, and opportunities for improvement.

• Build strong working relationships across Program, Development, Finance, Operations & Administration, and Organizational Effectiveness.
• Provide a high level of customer service while maintaining Event Operations' standards, processes, and capacity constraints.
• Communicate proactively about timelines, decisions, risks, budget considerations, and changes in scope.
• Partner with Finance and the Director to ensure event expenses are accurately recorded and reconciled.
• Preparedata to event cost reporting, including cost per attendee and other operational measures established by the team.

• Own the operational planning and execution of EMERGE's Summer Trip Experience (STE), including multi-day scholar travel experiences and related trip logistics.
• Plan and managetrip logistics including transportation, lodging, meals, activities, itineraries, staffing, supplies, and…