Corporate Events Manager

Overview

Locations:
Washington DC, Ashburn, Virginia, Auburn Hills MI, Bristol RI, Cranston RI, East Syracuse NY, East Syracuse NY, Grayling MI, Orlando FL, Quincy, Massachusetts, San Diego CA or West Lafayette IN

Saab, Inc., a leading defense and security company, is currently seeking an experienced Corporate Events Manager
. The Corporate Events Manager is responsible for planning and executing high-impact corporate and customer-facing events that support business development, brand visibility, and employee engagement for Saab, Inc., a U.S. aerospace and defense company. This role leads all U.S. trade show strategy and execution and oversees a portfolio of corporate events including facility grand openings, leadership forums, and customer user group meetings.

Reporting directly to the Senior Vice President – Corporate Affairs (U.S), this elevated role has been created to enhance Saab’s position as the company delivers on robust growth plans in the U.S. market. The position is located in Saab’s Washington, D.C. Navy Yard office with 2 days/week work from home option.

• Trade Shows & Exhibitions
  • Own end-to-end planning and execution of U.S. trade shows, conferences, and exhibitions
  • Develop annual trade show strategy to drive business outcomes in partnership with Business Development and program leadership
  • Manage booth design, logistics, shipping, installation/dismantle, and on-site execution
  • Coordinate with internal global stakeholders on messaging, demos, staffing, and customer engagement
  • Coordinate closely with external exhibit house
  • Manage trade show budgets, timelines, vendors, and post-event reporting
  • Implement best practices for digital content management and storage. Vet and catalog video, photo, audio and/or other digital media content.
  • Provide detailed and clear ROI reports on events and activities associated with executed programs.
• Corporate & Customer Events
  • Plan and execute corporate events including facility grand openings, leadership forums, customer user groups, and internal meetings
  • Ensure events align with brand standards, security requirements, and business objectives
  • Lead site selection, contracts, vendor management, and on-site logistics
  • Partner with executive leadership to support agenda development, speaker coordination, and VIP experiences
  • Hire, onboard, and manage a Corporate Events Professional supporting corporate events
  • Build and manage a network of external vendors
  • Establish scalable processes, templates, and best practices for event planning
  • Develop and manage annual event budgets, track expenses and ROI
  • Ensure compliance with company policies, government regulations, security protocols, and export control considerations
  • Conduct post-event evaluations and drive continuous improvement
• Compensation & Legal
  • Compensation Range: $180,600 - $234,700
  • The compensation range provided is a general guideline. When extending an offer, Saab, Inc. considers factors including (but not limited to) the role and associated responsibilities, location, and market and business considerations, as well as the candidate's work experience, key skills, and education/training.

Required

Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Hospitality, or a related field
• 10+ years of experience planning and executing corporate events and trade shows, preferably in the defense industry
• Proven experience managing complex, multi-day trade shows and executive-level events
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple events simultaneously
• Experience managing vendors, contracts, and budgets
• Excellent communication, organization, and attention to detail
• Confidence to lead cross organizational matrixed team
• Domestic travel up to 40%, can be shared with Event Coordinator; travel to Sweden 1x/year
• Experience working with the U.S. Department of War highly preferred
• Prior people management experience or demonstrated readiness to lead staff
• Must be a U.S. citizen. Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Saab is a federal government…