Event Program Manager Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

About the Role

The Workplace Experience Program Manager is a key member of the Workplace Experience team, responsible for delivering engaging, high-impact programs that foster a connected, inclusive, and memorable workplace environment. This role manages the planning and execution of on-site events, employee engagement initiatives, and workplace experience programs, serving as the primary point of contact for Environment (ENV) events and day-to-day experience communications.

The ideal candidate brings a strong background in events, internal communications, and workplace culture initiatives, along with a proactive, service-oriented mindset.

About the Team

The Workplace Experience team is passionate about crafting an environment where work empowers a better life. We are the champions of Gusto's office environment and employee experience, dedicated to creating a dynamic, inclusive, and inspiring workplace. Our team is passionate about enhancing every aspect of the Gusto journey, from thoughtful office design to engaging programs that foster collaboration and well-being. We believe that a great workplace fuels creativity and productivity, empowering every employee to thrive. With a commitment to empathy and innovation, we actively listen to our Gusties, prioritize their needs and continuously strive to make Gusto a place where everyone feels valued, connected, and motivated to contribute their best. 

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, execute, manage and evolve office experience programs that enhance day-to-day employee interactions with the workplace; including reception and visitor experience, onboarding touchpoints, space planning coordination, swag management and other in-office services that contribute to a welcoming, efficient, and community-driven environment.
• Align experience initiatives with company values in partnership with People, Community Team, IT, and Communication teams.
• Develop activations and calendars for cultural moments, seasonal celebrations, and employee appreciation initiatives for all of office sites.
• Design, manage, and continuously improve office experience feedback programs - including pulse surveys, feedback channels, and post-event check-ins - to capture meaningful input from Gusties across all office locations. 
• Use AI tools to automate survey distribution, analyze feedback trends, and surface insights - reducing manual synthesis time and enabling faster action on Gustie input, and translate findings into actionable improvements that elevate the in-office experience.
• Build automated workflows (e.g. via Claude + MCPs) to manage swag inventory tracking, onboarding touchpoint reminders, or visitor experience logistics.

• Serve as the point of contact for all Environment (ENV) event programming at assigned sites.
• Manage all event intake requests, facilitating room booking, catering, set-up and other related event logistics.
• Coordinate all scheduled events with Site leads ensuring all parties have a clear understanding of logistics, timing and responsibilities.
• Partner in planning aspects, based on individual event type, ranging from simple to full scale planning.
• Maintain a central calendar of all site-based events and activations, ensuring visibility, resource availability, and minimal disruption to daily operations.
• Develop and maintain standardized processes and documentation, including event request forms, run-of-show templates, budget tracking tools, and post-event feedback surveys.
• Leverage AI to automate event intake triage, room booking confirmations, and run-of-show generation from standard templates - minimizing manual coordination overhead.
• Use automated workflows to track event budgets, send pre/post-event comms, and compile feedback summaries without manual assembly.

• Manage localized workplace communications, including digital signage, Slack channels, email, and experience updates.
• Collaborate with Internal Communication and Community and Inclusion (C&I) teams to amplify internal messages and programming.
• Serve as a key liaison between reception/front-of-house staff and the broader employee population, ensuring timely and consistent communication of office happenings, logistics, and resources.
• Track feedback and metrics on communications and engagement to inform continuous improvement.
• Use AI tools to monitor engagement metrics across communication channels and auto-generate performance summaries for continuous improvement.

Here's what we're looking for:

• 5+ years of experience in workplace experience, event planning, internal communications, and program development and management.
• Proven ability to manage multiple programs and priorities with strong attention to detail and follow-through.
• Experience executing events from concept to completion in fast-paced, dynamic environments.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across all levels of the organization.
• High emotional intelligence, a hospitality-first mindset, and a passion for building inclusive workplace experiences.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace and collaboration platforms such as Slack, Notion, and Claude
• AI fluency is core to how we work at Gusto, not a nice-to-have. Every team member is expected to actively move from AI-aided work toward AI-delivered, human-overseen outcomes - using tools like Claude and MCPs daily to draft communications, process requests, analyze data, and reduce manual work.
• You've rewired how you work around AI, not just layered it on top. Your workflows look meaningfully different than they did six months ago, you've built habits that automate real portions of your work, and you actively share those workflows and skills with your team.

Office and Location

This role is based in our San Francisco, CA office. Given the nature of this role, the Workplace Experience Program Manager is expected to work from the San Francisco office 2-3 days per week (or more depending on business needs).

When approved to work from a location other than a Gusto office, a secure, reliable, and consistent internet connection is required.

Compensation

Our cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $119,000/yr - $147,000/yr for San Francisco. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.