Lead Director, Strategic Planning, Commercial Events

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Position Summary

**We are open to location for this remote or hybrid position**

The Lead Director, Strategic Planning, Commercial Events is responsible for shaping and executing Aetna Commercial & Specialty Markets' event strategy, leveraging a portfolio of high-impact experiences to advance business priorities, strengthen client and consultant relationships, activate sales and account teams, and deliver measurable business outcomes.
This role leads the Commercial Events team and oversees a diverse portfolio of internal sales meetings, client and consultant events, advisory councils, and industry conferences. Partnering closely with Commercial leadership and cross-functional stakeholders across Strategy, Sales, Retention, Product, Marketing, and Communications, the Lead Director translates organizational priorities into compelling event experiences that accelerate go-to-market objectives, reinforce Aetna's value story, drive field engagement, and influence business results.
As a strategic leader, the Lead Director is accountable for event governance, content strategy and curation, experience design, vendor and budget management, and the continuous evolution of the event portfolio. This individual challenges traditional approaches, identifies innovative ways to engage audiences, and ensures every event is designed with a clear business purpose and measurable impact.
This is a highly visible leadership role with direct engagement across enterprise and Commercial leadership teams. The successful candidate will regularly partner with senior executives, business leaders, clients, consultants, brokers, and strategic stakeholders to shape experiences that inform, inspire, and influence key business decisions. The role oversees a portfolio of marquee events that serve as critical platforms for advancing Commercial strategy, strengthening relationships, and driving organizational performance.
 

What you will do:

• Lead the Commercial & Specialty Markets event portfolio strategy, ensuring alignment with business priorities, growth objectives, and target audiences.

• Own event governance, prioritization, investment decisions, and success measures that maximize business impact and return on investment.

• Own the content strategy and curation for the Commercial event portfolio, ensuring each event delivers a consistent narrative, advances key business priorities, and creates meaningful experiences for attendees.

• Partner with executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to shape event messaging, content, speakers, and audience engagement strategies that influence behavior, drive sales activation, and support organizational goals.

• Manage an event portfolio budget, ensuring effective stewardship of resources and measurable business value.

• Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing team by establishing clear expectations, driving accountability, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

• Define and track event success metrics, leveraging attendee feedback, business outcomes, and performance data to evaluate effectiveness.

• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance event experiences, operational efficiency, and portfolio impact.

Leadership & Strategic Influence

• You will have 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in corporate events, event marketing, sales enablement, communications, sales strategy, or related functions, with a demonstrated ability to leverage events as a platform to advance business priorities and drive measurable outcomes.

• Proven success leading high-performing teams and delivering results in complex, highly matrixed organizations.

• Exceptional executive communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence and align senior leaders, business partners, and cross-functional teams.

• Demonstrated ability to mentor, coach, and develop team members while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Event Strategy, Content & Audience Engagement

• Deep expertise in event content strategy and curation, with the ability to partner with executives and subject matter experts to transform business priorities into compelling stories, experiences, and audience outcomes.

• Proven ability to translate business objectives, audience insights, and organizational priorities into distinctive event strategies, compelling agendas, and high-impact content experiences; exceptional storytelling and content curation skills.

• Demonstrated success partnering with senior executives and business leaders to design and deliver experiences that inform, engage, influence, and inspire action across internal and external audiences.

• Proven track record leading high-profile events and experiences, including large-scale sales meetings, client and consultant forums, advisory councils, executive engagement programs, leadership events, and industry conferences.

Operational Excellence & Business Execution

• Strong organizational and project leadership skills, with the ability to manage multiple high-profile events, stakeholders, budgets, and competing priorities simultaneously.

• Experience overseeing event operations, vendor relationships, agency partnerships, budget management, and end-to-end event execution.

• Meticulous attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality event experiences and work products.

• Proven ability to proactively identify risks, solve problems, and address potential obstacles before they impact event delivery or business outcomes.

Personal Effectiveness

• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen and the ability to connect event investments to organizational priorities and measurable results.

• Self-starter with strong ownership, accountability, and follow-through.

• Growth mindset with a willingness to challenge traditional approaches and continuously evolve event experiences, content delivery, attendee engagement, and business impact.

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred/specialized training/relevant professional qualification, or equivalent work experience.

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the job grade within which this position falls.  The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors.  This position is eligible for a CVS Health bonus, commission or short-term incentive program in addition to the base pay range listed above.  This position also includes an award target in the company’s equity award program. 
 

Our people fuel our future. Our teams reflect the customers, patients, members and communities we serve and we are committed to fostering a workplace where every colleague feels valued and that they belong.

Great benefits for great people

We take pride in offering a comprehensive and competitive mix of pay and benefits that reflects our commitment to our colleagues and their families.

Additional details about available benefits are provided during the application process and on Benefits Moments.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.