Senior Director, Global Events Strategy

JLL supports the Whole You, personally and professionally.
Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology to our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people in our industry; and we support them through professional growth, flexibility, and personalized benefits to manage life in and outside of work. Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades, and technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, we empower you to shape a brighter way forward so you can thrive professionally and personally.
The Opportunity
This position is ideally based in Chicago, IL or Dallas, TX with extensive time spent on-site in JLL offices and requires travel as needed.
Responsibilities
We are seeking a highly experienced and strategic-minded executive to join our team as the Senior Director of Global Events Strategy. This individual will be the top events leader within our marketing organization and will play a critical role in developing and executing a comprehensive Events Strategy that aligns with our business objectives and ensures impactful experiences for our stakeholders across the globe. In this role, the Senior Director will provide oversight of a robust Global Events Strategy that includes a diverse range of events, including internal employee engagement initiatives and large-scale conferences & tradeshows ($40M USD in spend). The position will optimize efficiency through the utilization of cutting-edge technology.
Events Strategy Development: Develop and oversee a Global Events Strategy that supports our business goals and objectives. This includes identifying key event opportunities, leveraging technology, enhancing the attendee experience, and establishing meaningful metrics to measure success for all events globally.
Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate closely with Global Events team members and internal stakeholders in all regions to understand their business needs and goals. Work in partnership to create valuable experiences for our clients and employees. Drive consistency globally.
Team Leadership: Lead a global team of event strategists, coordinators, and vendors to ensure seamless execution of events. Foster a collaborative and high-performing environment. Responsible for hiring and driving professional development for senior leaders on the team. Build community among the Global Events team members that report directly to geographical leadership.
Event Planning and Execution: Will oversee some of the marquis events; responsible for event planning and execution from concept development to post-event evaluation. Ensure events are flawlessly executed and delivered, delivering on objectives and meeting budget and timeline requirements.
Vendor Management: Identify and manage relationships with external vendors, including agencies, caterers, audio-visual suppliers, and technology providers. Negotiate contracts, oversee budgets, and ensure high quality partnerships globally.
Budget Management: Develop and manage the overall Global Events budget; ensuring funds are allocated effectively across multiple events. Make strategic recommendations to optimize the use of resources.
Risk Management: Identify and mitigate potential risks associated with events, such as security concerns, legal considerations, or logistical challenges. Establish contingency plans and protocol to handle unforeseen circumstances for events globally.
Return on Investment: Work in partnership with our analytics and revenue operations teams to set the foundation for our marketing influenced model to be able to track the return on investment of our flagship events as well as the smaller tier events happening in the geographies.
Requirements
Progressive leader with extensive experience leading a Global Events Platform for world-class organization(s).
Previous (10+ years) experience Events Executive for FORTUNE 500 company (significant experience as the top global Events Leader for the firm).
Significant experience in a “leader of leaders” role with oversight of a large globally dispersed team.
Extensive experience managing high profile meetings/events with 500+ executive participants.
Strategic thinking skills with the ability to align event content, goals, and objectives with thematic development.
Proven track record of establishing data-driven event strategies, setting KPIs, and tracking ROI.
Exceptional vendor management skills, including RFP process, budgeting, and logistics coordination.
Attributes
Exemplary executive presence – has the gravitas and sophistication to appropriately command the room both internally as a leader and more importantly externally with clients
Strategic mindset – able to see big picture and future direction of the business, then translate into achievable new business development opportunities.
Financially astute – commercial oriented, strong financial acumen
Results driven – takes corrective action quickly and decisively when performance falls short and redirection is required; highly collaborative with exceptional integrity
Transformational leadership – leads change with energy and resilience to propel the business forward; has the courage to make complex decisions and take calculated risks; adjusts style to accommodate individuals and the various phases of growth.
Operational “heft” –comfort and experience with complex, large, and heavily matrixed organizations
If this job description resonates with you, we encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all of the requirements below. We’re interested in getting to know you and what you bring to the table!
Personalized benefits that support personal well-being and growth:
JLL recognizes the impact that the workplace can have on your wellness, so we offer a supportive culture and comprehensive benefits package that prioritizes mental, physical and emotional health.
About JLL –
We’re JLL—a leading professional services and investment management firm specializing in real estate. We have operations in over 80 countries and a workforce of over 102,000 individuals around the world who help real estate owners, occupiers and investors achieve their business ambitions. As a global Fortune 500 company, we also have an inherent responsibility to drive sustainability and corporate social responsibility. That’s why we’re committed to our purpose to shape the future of real estate for a better world. We’re using the most advanced technology to create rewarding opportunities, amazing spaces and sustainable real estate solutions for our clients, our people, and our communities.
Our core values of teamwork, ethics and excellence are also fundamental to everything we do and we’re honored to be recognized with awards for our success by organizations both globally and locally.
Creating a diverse and inclusive culture where we all feel welcomed, valued and empowered to achieve our full potential is important to who we are today and where we’re headed in the future. And we know that unique backgrounds, experiences and perspectives help us think bigger, spark innovation and succeed together.