Strategic Events Manager

San Francisco, CA, USA|Remote

Job Overview

Employment Type

Full-time

Compensation

Salary

Range $117,400.00 - $193,700.00

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

mental health support

Paid parental leave

Life insurance

Disability insurance

401(k)

employee stock purchasing program

time off programs

Job Description

Salesforce is a global leader in customer relationship management (CRM) software, renowned for its innovation in integrating artificial intelligence into business solutions. As the number one AI CRM, Salesforce merges human expertise with advanced technology to deliver unparalleled customer success. The company embodies values such as trust, innovation, and a dynamic workforce transformation as it leads the industry into the agentic era. Salesforce is committed not only to pioneering technological advances but also to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment where employees can thrive personally and professionally.

Within this progressive environment, the role of Strategic Events Manager at Salesforce is an opportunity to be part of the future of AI and workforce innovation through the Agentforce initiative. This position specifically focuses on housing and venue operations within the Strategic Events team, managing comprehensive housing strategies and venue sourcing for high-profile events. The manager leads the operational excellence of pre-event planning, onsite execution, and post-event evaluation to ensure seamless experiences for attendees.

As a key contributor on the Housing Center of Excellence team, the Strategic Events Manager is responsible for end-to-end housing management, including researching and developing requests for proposals (RFPs), contract negotiation, hotel room block management, and post-event performance analysis. Collaboration with various cross-functional teams—ranging from legal, procurement, agency partners, to event leadership—ensures that all operational and strategic goals are achieved efficiently. The role demands a detail-oriented, data-driven leader who is comfortable working in fast-paced, complex environments and has extensive experience in city-wide, large-scale event logistics.

Importantly, this position requires frequent travel to event sites for hands-on management of housing logistics, reinforcing the manager's role in guaranteeing flawless event housing execution. Salesforce emphasizes strategic sourcing to negotiate favorable contract terms, mitigate risk, and secure value-added amenities while maintaining compliance with internal policies on data privacy and financial controls.

The ideal candidate for the Strategic Events Manager brings over five years of experience in event or hotel operations, strong interpersonal skills with the ability to influence leadership, and proficiency in event technologies such as Salesforce, Slack, Google Suite, Excel, Cvent, and RainFocus. Preferred qualifications include expertise in corporate event environments, legal and financial contracting knowledge, and certifications like CMP. Salesforce offers a comprehensive benefits package and encourages a proactive, solution-oriented mindset to contribute meaningfully to both the team and company vision. The salary range for this role is $117,400 to $177,600 annually, with higher ranges in metropolitan areas like San Francisco and New York City, reflecting Salesforce's commitment to equitable compensation based on market dynamics.

Job Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
Minimum 5 years in event or hotel operations
Experience working with CVBs, hotels, and housing agencies
Highly organized and detail-oriented
Strong project and time management skills
Ability to analyze data and create visual business insights
Experience with large-scale events
Strong interpersonal and stakeholder engagement skills
Ability to work in fast-paced, complex environments
Proactive and solutions-oriented mindset
Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally
Knowledge of Salesforce, Slack, Google Suite, Excel, Cvent, and RainFocus preferred

Job Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in event management or related field
Minimum 5 years experience in event or hotel operations
Experience with convention and visitors bureaus (CVBs), hotels, and housing agencies
Strong organizational, project management, and time management skills
Ability to analyze data using charts, graphs, and dashboards to support strategic decisions
Experience in managing large-scale, city-wide events
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with proven ability to influence leadership and stakeholders
Ability to manage multiple competing priorities in fast-paced environments
Proactive problem-solver with a positive, can-do attitude
Experience with Salesforce, Slack, Google Suite, Excel, Cvent, and RainFocus highly preferred
Event management certification such as CMP preferred
Understanding of legal and financial principles related to hotel and venue contracting preferred
Experience in corporate events environment preferred

Job Duties

Develop and execute sourcing strategies for hotels and venues, from RFP management and bid analysis to contract negotiation
Oversee the negotiation of key contract terms to ensure favorable rates, mitigate risk, and secure value-added amenities
Collaborate with Agency Partners, Legal, Procurement, and Finance to ensure all contracts comply with company policies and financial guidelines
Act as the primary liaison, providing strategic guidance and oversight to our housing agency to ensure all deliverables are met on time and with accuracy
Oversee the optimization of hotel blocks by our housing agency, providing strategic guidance on monitoring pickup, adjusting block sizes, and reconciling rooming lists
Provide strategic direction to our housing agency in their collaboration with event technology partners to configure, test, and launch housing assets within the registration platform
Contribute to the team's operational excellence and organization by maintaining detailed documentation, SOPs, industry best practices, and templates
Provide housing support and communications to employee attendees and their workstream leads
Maintain an active understanding of internal policies (e.g., event communications, data privacy) to ensure compliance
Travel onsite when needed to manage housing execution
Act as a trusted partner to internal stakeholders (e.g., Event Leadership, Registration, Sponsorships, Employee Engagement) to align on event housing needs and provide strategic guidance
Serve as the main point of contact for hotel, CVB, and DMO partner escalations, addressing issues related to inventory, reservations, and event goals
Develop and implement strategies to drive attendees into contracted room blocks
Maintain a strong understanding of industry trends and market conditions to inform sourcing and housing decisions
Forecast and track key housing metrics, including room block pickup, attrition exposure, commissions, and rebates
Identify opportunities for cost savings and avoidance throughout the sourcing and housing lifecycle
Contribute to post-event analysis to evaluate hotel performance and inform future sourcing strategies and negotiations