Program Director Jobs in Kitchener, ON (NOW HIRING)

We are looking for an experienced and strategic Director, Events to lead our corporate event strategy, execution, and team management. This role will own and manage Varicent's events program across company-hosted events, including in-person and virtual events, third-party conferences, trade shows, and regional events.

This role is responsible for the full event lifecycle, from building the events roadmap and planning each event through execution, follow-up, and reporting.

This role leads the event function by providing clear direction, coaching, and hands-on support to ensure the team delivers high-quality events on time and within budget.

Success in this position means delivering well-organized, brand-aligned events that support business goals such as awareness, engagement, meetings, pipeline impact, customer loyalty, and partner engagement.

• Own and manage the full events strategy roadmap across company-hosted events including in-person and virtual, third-party conferences, trade shows, and regional events.

• Build and maintain the annual and quarterly events calendar, including recommending which events the company should host, attend, sponsor, expand, change, or discontinue.

• Set clear goals for each event, including goals related to brand awareness, audience engagement, sales meetings, pipeline impact, customer retention, partner engagement, and attendee experience.

• Own the end-to-end event lifecycle across the full events portfolio, from strategy, planning, budgeting, and logistics through execution, follow-up, reporting, and continuous improvement.

• Create and manage event project plans, timelines, workback schedules, task lists, deadlines, budgets, stakeholder updates, and post-event reports.

• Manage all event logistics depending on the event, including registration, communications, agendas, speakers, presentations, signage, booth materials, giveaways, shipping, staffing, travel, venues, food and beverage, audio/visual needs, production, lead capture, and follow-up.

• Manage trade show participation, including booth planning, booth setup, staff schedules, meeting space, sponsorship deliverables, attendee engagement, shipping, and lead capture.

• Partner with Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, Product Marketing, Field Marketing, Partner Marketing, Creative, Communications, Finance, Legal, and leadership teams to align event goals, messaging, audience strategy, responsibilities, timelines, and follow-up.

• Ensure each event is professional, well-organized, accessible, and aligned with company brand standards.

• Build, manage, and track event budgets across assigned events and the broader events portfolio, including forecasts, estimates, invoices, purchase orders, payment status, budget changes, and final expenses.

• Identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve value, and increase event impact without reducing event quality.

• Find, evaluate, negotiate with, and manage event vendors and partners, including venues, audio/visual providers, production companies, event agencies, registration platforms, webinar platforms, speakers, shipping providers, and other event partners.

• Negotiate and manage major Statements of Work, Service Level Agreements, contracts, and vendor change requests, including changes to scope, timelines, costs, deliverables, approvals, and documentation.

• Work with Legal and Finance to support contract review, vendor onboarding, purchase orders, invoices, payment timelines, and compliance requirements.

• Establish event operating models, standards, playbooks, templates, checklists, budget trackers, reporting formats, and measurement frameworks that make events easier to plan, execute, compare, and improve.

• Define, track, and report on event success metrics, including registrations, attendance, engagement, meetings booked, leads generated, customer meetings, pipeline impact, attendee feedback, event costs, and return on investment.

• Prepare post-event reports that summarize results, costs, attendance, engagement, leads, pipeline impact, feedback, key learnings, and recommendations for future events.

• Manage, support direct reports, contractors, agencies, and temporary event staff.

• Set priorities, assign work, review deliverables, remove blockers, and ensure team members understand goals, responsibilities, deadlines, and success measures.

• Coach team members and provide feedback, performance input, onboarding support, training, and development guidance as needed.

• Lead regular team meetings to review event status, upcoming deadlines, risks, staffing needs, resource gaps, and post-event learnings.

• Identify event risks early and create backup plans for issues related to vendors, travel, technology, staffing, accessibility, safety, compliance, or attendee experience.

• Travel to events as needed and lead or support on-site execution, including occasional evenings and weekends.

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business, Hospitality, Event Management, or a related field is preferred, or equivalent practical experience.

• 6+ years of experience in events, field marketing, experiential marketing, integrated marketing, or B2B marketing.

• Experience managing multiple types of events, such as company-hosted events, third-party conferences, trade shows, customer events, executive programs, regional events, webinars, virtual events, or hybrid events.

• Experience managing events from planning through execution, follow-up, and reporting.

• Experience building event calendars, project plans, timelines, budgets, vendor plans, and post-event reports.

• Experience managing event budgets, vendor estimates, invoices, purchase orders, and final expenses.

• Experience negotiating with vendors and managing Statements of Work, Service Level Agreements, contracts, and change requests.

• Experience working with cross-functional teams such as Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, Product Marketing, Field Marketing, Partner Marketing, Creative, Communications, Finance, Legal, and leadership.

• Experience using event and marketing technology such as Cvent, Swoogo, Zuddl, ON24, Salesforce, HubSpot, Monday.com, Asana, or similar platforms.

• Experience in B2B SaaS, technology, or a high-growth company is preferred.

• Experience building or improving event processes, templates, playbooks, reporting systems, or measurement frameworks is preferred.

• Project management certification, event certification, or related professional training is a plus.

• Understands how events support business goals, including brand awareness, customer engagement, sales meetings, pipeline impact, customer loyalty, partner engagement, and return on investment.

• Demonstrates strong project management skills and the ability to manage several events, timelines, budgets, vendors, and stakeholders at the same time.

• Communicates clearly and professionally with internal teams, external vendors, attendees, speakers, and leaders.

• Builds strong working relationships across teams and keeps stakeholders aligned on goals, timelines, responsibilities, risks, and results.

• Thinks strategically about which events matter while also managing the day-to-day details needed to deliver successful events.

• Negotiates effectively with vendors and manages changes to scope, timeline, cost, or deliverables.

• Tracks budgets carefully and manages expenses with accuracy and accountability.

• Uses data and feedback to measure event performance and improve future events.

• Creates clear, repeatable processes, templates, and standards that improve event planning and execution.

• Solves problems quickly and calmly during live events or when priorities change.

• Maintains strong attention to detail across event planning, communications, contracts, budgets, logistics, and reporting.

• Understands event branding, attendee experience, accessibility, safety, compliance, and risk management.

• Uses event platforms, marketing tools, project management systems, CRM systems, and reporting tools effectively.

• Prioritizes work effectively in a fast-paced environment with tight deadlines and shifting needs.

• Demonstrates sound judgment, ownership, adaptability, and follow-through.

• Remains calm, organized, and professional during live events, travel, and high-pressure situations.

The expected base salary range for this role is CAD $138,200 – $181,400. In addition to base salary, successful candidates may be eligible to participate in Varicent's variable compensation program.

Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and market conditions.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

As part of our hiring process, Varicent uses artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist with candidate screening and assessment. These tools are designed to support—not replace—human decision-making throughout the recruitment process.