Event Planning Director - American Heart Association

Overview

As we celebrate our Centennial year, we invite you to join us in shaping the next century of impact. Be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives as we remain devoted to a future of health and hope for everyone, everywhere. At the American Heart Association, your contribution matters, and so does your career.

This position reports to the Senior Director, Business Operations of the Eastern States (ES) Region. This key position has a focus on coordinating event logistics with vendors and staff in Philadelphia and Baltimore to implement flawless fund-raising special events in multi-million-dollar markets.   Key responsibilities include heavy contract review and negotiations, supervising an administrative team, managing risk, compliance with organizational policies and ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of event operations throughout the immediate market and beyond. Responsible for ensuring teams have the training, resources and operational support required to achieve strategic, fiscal and operational goals.

The Association offers many resources to help you maintain work-life harmonization through your changing needs and life situations. To help you be successful, you will have access to Heart U, our award-winning corporate university, as well as additional training and support, locally.

#TheAHALife is our company culture, our way of life, reflecting our diversity, equity & inclusion, our focus on work-life harmonization and our Guiding Values. Discover why you will Be Seen. Be Heard. Be Valued™ at the American Heart Association by following us on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and at heart.jobs.

Responsibilities

Event Support

The Event Planning Director is responsible for helping to plan and execute events in the market  and may assist with other markets in the region as needed. Will meet with local teams to discuss specific requirements of events, challenges faced in the past and work with Association partners to develop solutions applicable to the situation. 

Primary responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Planning event logistics including sourcing vendors and negotiating contract terms. 
• Regular interaction with the Association legal team to assist with red-lining contract terms and resolving contractual and insurance risk issues.
• Working with various ES markets to review and consult upon special event risk assessment plans and ensure all is properly documented and maintained in designated places on Sharepoint.
• Attending in-person events to help with set up, execution and tear down.

Supervision and Training

• Supervise and train a team of four administrative staff that handle a variety of responsibilities including office management, Board of Directors support, event coordination and execution, event auction execution, event systems set-up and maintenance, CRM/DMS system input and data analysis, and event mass email design.
• Ensure emails are in compliance with internal branding guidelines, gaming laws and American Disabilities Act (ADA) for the visually impaired.

Financial and Campaign Proficiency

• Strong experience with financial and donor management systems, financial reporting and a tenacity to research and resolve detailed transactional discrepancies.
• Understanding that accurate donor transactions, written commitments, revenue contracts and timely payments are of the utmost importance and priority and a key function of this position.
• Ability to analyze and summarize campaign data and present to staff in a way that is easy to understand and actionable for next steps (i.e., sponsors that are up for renewal, pipeline donor asks that are past due, event or Board leadership that haven’t yet donated etc.)

General Position Expectations

• Maintaining a high level of service by responding to customer inquiries both internally and externally in a knowledgeable and timely manner
• Attention to detail required for formatting, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Performing other duties as the need arises to support services provided by the Business Operations department
• Preparing presentations, instructions, correspondence, and documentation in a timely manner
• Working independently and within a team on special nonrecurring and ongoing projects

Qualifications

Want to help get your resume to the top?   Take a look at the experience we require:  

• College degree in a business-related area preferred.
• A minimum of three years of experience with vendor negotiations and contract review and revisions.
• Experience in event planning, organizing, consultation and event management.
• Outstanding ability to train, coach and lead an administrative team with the expectation of being hands-on and directly involved in day-to-day tasks as needed.
• Strong written and oral communication skills.  A natural tendency to document written notes, decisions and next steps in all key meetings and conversations and share with all that need to know.
• Ability to work with assertive and demanding teams.
• Exceptional skills in PowerPoint, Word, and Excel (These skills are subject to testing.)

• Proven track record of responding quickly to changing ideas, responsibilities, expectations, strategies and other processes at work.

Required Skills:

• Proficient in using web conferencing software (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.)
• Technical and problem-solving skill
• Excellent verbal and written communication
• Training and presentation skills
• Strong collaboration skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to objectively evaluate, make effective decisions and develop alternative solutions.
• Ability to support cross-functional teams
• Strong time management skills
• Excellent attention to detail
• Able to lift and/or move large objects with the expectation that heavier items would be broken down into smaller components or additional assistance is required before lifting and/or moving.
• Able to travel up to 25% in your local market.

Preferred Skills & Experience:

• Nonprofit experience
• Design skills, preferably in Canva or similar design tools
• Proficient in Microsoft SharePoint system

Compensation & Benefits

The American Heart Association invests in its people. Here are the main components of our total rewards package.  Visit Rewards & Benefits to see more details.

• Compensation – Our goal is to ensure you have a competitive base salary.  That’s why we regularly review the market value of jobs and make adjustments, as needed.
• Performance and Recognition – You are rewarded for achieving success by merit increases and incentive programs, based on the type of position.
• Benefits – We offer a wide array of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance, along with a robust retirement program that includes an employer match and automatic contribution.  As a mark of our commitment to employee well-being, we also offer an employee assistance program, employee wellness program and telemedicine, and medical consultation.
• Professional Development – You can join one of our many Employee Resource Groups (ERG) or be a mentor/mentee in our professional mentoring program.  HeartU is the Association’s national online university, with more than 100,000 resources designed to meet your needs and busy schedule.
• Work-Life Harmonization – The Association offers Paid Time Off (PTO) at a minimum of 16 days per year for new employees.  The number of days will increase based on seniority level.  You will also have a total of 12 paid holidays off each year, which includes several days off at the end of the year.
• Tuition Assistance - We support the career development of all employees.  This program provides financial assistance to employees who wish to further their education and career in relation to their current duties and responsibilities, or for potential future positions in the organization.

The American Heart Association’s 2028 Goal: Building on over 100 years of trusted leadership in cardiovascular and brain health, by 2028 the AHA will drive breakthroughs and implement proven solutions in science, policy, and care for healthier people and communities. The greatest discoveries in health must reach everyone where they are.

At American Heart Association | American Stroke Association, our mission is to be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, religion, age, language, sexual orientation, national origin and physical or cognitive abilities. We're committed to ensuring our workforce, workplace culture and mission have a shared impact across a diverse set of backgrounds.This position not a match with your skills?  Click here to see other opportunities.

EOE/Protected Veterans/Persons with Disabilities