Director, Global Strategic Events & Industry Engagement

We are seeking a Director, Global Strategic Events & Industry Engagement to own the company's worldwide events portfolio-from strategic selection and business case to executive participation, partner negotiation, flawless execution and performance reporting. This leader will partner with Global Communications, Business Development, Sales, Capture, regional leaders and subject-matter experts to focus resources on the events, engagements and thought-leadership opportunities most likely to advance priority customers and qualified pursuits. The role is both strategic and hands-on, with accountability for event effectiveness, financial stewardship and consistent execution across markets.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Global events strategy: Build and govern a prioritized annual portfolio of trade shows, defense and space exhibitions, industry conferences, executive forums, association engagements and targeted customer events. Recommend where to invest, scale back or decline.
• Business-development alignment: Partner with BD, Sales and Capture teams to map priority accounts, regions, opportunities and pursuit milestones to the right events; define the objective, audience and target meetings before committing spend.
• Executive visibility and thought leadership: Identify, secure and prepare high-value keynote, panel, briefing and sponsorship opportunities; align executives and technical experts with corporate narratives, mission relevance and customer priorities.
• Commercial leadership and delivery: Own budgets, forecasts, procurement coordination, RFPs, supplier selection, contract negotiation, agency performance, exhibit design, registration, travel, logistics, on-site delivery and post-event reconciliation.
• Integrated communications: Coordinate messaging, content, creative, product demonstrations, media/analyst opportunities, partner engagements and follow-up campaigns with communications, product marketing and regional teams.
• Performance and governance: Develop a consistent event scorecard covering investment, target-account engagement, executive meetings, qualified follow-up, opportunity progression and pipeline influence; provide actionable executive reporting.
• Compliance and risk: Partner with Legal, Security and relevant teams to ensure appropriate approvals, government engagement protocols, international requirements, safety and brand standards.

Your skills and qualifications:
Essential education and experience:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in global B2B events, field marketing, experiential marketing or industry engagement, including meaningful leadership of complex programs.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with sales, government-focused BD or capture teams; familiarity with defense, aerospace, space, intelligence or adjacent enterprise/government markets strongly preferred.
• Experience managing significant event budgets, negotiating complex sponsorship/venue/vendor agreements and directing external agencies or cross-functional teams across multiple regions.
• Ability to translate executive strategy and commercial priorities into event decisions; strong stakeholder management, judgment, written communication and operational rigor.
• Comfortable with CRM-informed reporting, attribution limitations and continuous improvement; willingness to travel internationally and work across time zones.