Senior Project Manager, Events

Description

Position Overview:

The Senior Project Manager, Events is the operational architect and execution lead for Change Church events. This role translates approved event vision and programming into comprehensive project plans and drives those plans through preparation, event-day delivery, and closeout across participating campuses.

The role builds and runs the systems that make complex events executable: workstreams, timelines, dependencies, budgets, staffing plans, campus requirements, readiness checkpoints, and contingency plans. It maintains visibility across the event portfolio while actively directing individual events toward successful completion.

The Senior Project Manager also builds and sustains the Events Dream Team, developing volunteer leaders and reliable staffing capacity. In partnership with the Director of Programming, this role ensures that approved programming is supported by the people, resources, logistics, and operational plans required to deliver it.

Core Competencies

• Event Project Architecture: Converts approved concepts into complete plans with clear scope, milestones, workstreams, dependencies, and decision deadlines.
• Operational Execution & Readiness: Directs logistics, campus preparation, setup, event-day operations, and breakdown.
• Cross-Functional Leadership: Aligns departments, campuses, vendors, and area owners around commitments and resolves execution gaps.
• Volunteer Leadership & Team Development: Recruits, equips, schedules, coaches, and develops volunteer teams and area leaders.
• Budget, Risk & Change Management: Manages resources within approved authority, anticipates risks, and evaluates changes against cost, timing, and readiness.

Character Traits

• Accountable: Accepts responsibility for outcomes and follows work through completion.
• Decisive: Makes sound decisions within authority and escalates promptly when needed.
• Composed: Leads calmly and clearly under pressure.
• Collaborative: Builds trust and addresses gaps with directness and respect.
• Resourceful: Creates practical solutions and structure when requirements are incomplete or changing

Spiritual Responsibilities

• Demonstrate an uncompromised commitment to Change Church's vision, values, core beliefs, and statement of faith.
• Be an active participant in the ministry of Change Church.
• Be a born-again Christian who conducts personal and professional affairs in accordance with the Bible and maintains a lifestyle consistent with Scripture.
• Understand that every Change Church employee contributes to the mission of helping people change their lives through the Gospel so they can change the world and is considered a spiritual leader within the church.
• Commit to pray for the First Family, leadership, and membership of Change Church.
• Lead in generosity to the church through consistent giving of tithes and offerings.
• Champion, support, and advocate for the vision of the church.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

General Expectations

• Serve in excellence by being early and prepared for all scheduled meetings.
• Establish and foster exemplary relationships with staff, non-staff workers, church members, vendors, and the community, representing Change Church with integrity, professionalism, and warmth.
• Demonstrate a servant’s heart and a willingness to support organizational needs beyond assigned workflows when appropriate.
• Contribute to cultivating a healthy, honor-driven, growth-oriented, and spiritually strong organizational culture.

Event Project Architecture & Portfolio Management

• Translate approved event concepts into creative executable scope, objectives, deliverables, and project plans.
• Build backward from event day to establish milestones, critical paths, dependencies, and decision deadlines.
• Assign workstream owners and establish clear completion and readiness standards.
• Maintain visibility across all active and upcoming events, including competing resource demands.
• Build and improve project templates, workflows, playbooks, and reporting systems.
• Lead planning meetings that produce decisions, commitments, and documented next steps.
• Direct the Events Project Manager’s priorities and verify the reliability of project information.

Operational Planning & Event Execution

• Own completion and operational accuracy of the Event Master Playbook.
• Coordinate facilities, setup, registration, guest movement, supplies, vendor services, distribution, and breakdown.
• Establish event-day operational leadership, area assignments, communication channels, and escalation procedures.
• Conduct walkthroughs and verify that plans are executable in each participating environment.
• Direct event-day operational execution and respond to logistical issues within delegated authority.
• Coordinate with Programming when program changes affect staffing, space, timing, or other operational requirements.

Cross-Functional & Campus Coordination

• Serve as the primary operational project lead for departments, campuses, vendors, and event area owners.
• Secure clear commitments for deliverables, deadlines, resources, and handoffs.
• Provide campus leaders with written execution plans sufficiently in advance of the event.
• Verify campus understanding, staffing, resources, and readiness.
• Address missed commitments and competing priorities; escalate unresolved barriers with recommendations.
• Track programming and creative deliverables as event dependencies using readiness information supplied by the Director of Programming.

Dream Team Leadership & Development

• Build, recruit, train, schedule, and sustain the Events Dream Team across campuses.
• Determine volunteer requirements early, including roles, quantities, skills, call times, and backup coverage.
• Develop area leads who can independently manage assigned portions of execution.
• Establish volunteer onboarding, training, briefings, service standards, and feedback practices.
• Maintain visibility of needed versus confirmed staffing and resolve gaps before event day.
• Provide coaching, care, recognition, and accountability that strengthen volunteer engagement.
• Under the proposed structure, oversee bookstore volunteer leadership and develop campus leads for recurring operations.

Budget, Procurement & Resource Management

• Develop event budgets and resource plans for approval.
• Manage execution within approved budgets and purchasing authority.
• Direct procurement priorities and verify that resources arrive in time for preparation and deployment.
• Coordinate vendor scopes, service expectations, and proposed agreements through authorized approval channels.
• Review spending, outstanding commitments, and resource changes with Finance and the appropriate leader.
• Oversee event merchandise readiness and bookstore operational readiness through the PM and designated area leads.

Risk, Readiness & Change Management

• Maintain risk, issue, and decision logs with owners and resolution plans.
• Evaluate proposed changes for impacts on budget, schedule, staffing, scope, and campus execution.
• Establish readiness checkpoints and require evidence of completion.
• Coordinate contingency planning with Production, Facilities, Security, and other relevant owners.
• Present unresolved risks and readiness recommendations to the appropriate leader.
• Communicate significant concerns early enough for leadership to act.

Closeout & Continuous Improvement

• Lead post-event evaluations against approved objectives, budget, readiness, and execution standards.
• Ensure purchasing records, vendor follow-up, inventory, and operational documents are closed out.
• Identify recurring failures and implement improvements to systems, staffing, and workflows.
• Report event outcomes, unresolved matters, and recommendations to leadership.

Weekend Worship Experience & Special Event Support

• Support weekend worship experiences, church-wide conferences, special events, and other organizational initiatives as assigned based on operational needs.
• Provide functional, logistical, technical, guest experience, or event support consistent with the responsibilities of the role.
• Collaborate across departments and campuses to support seamless execution and an excellent experience for guests, members, volunteers, and staff.
• Demonstrate flexibility, professionalism, excellence, and a servant-hearted approach when supporting weekend and special event needs.

Other related duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Project Manager, Events
• Events Experience Specialist

Key Partnerships

• Office of CAO
• Marketing & Media
• Outreach & Wellness

Pay Transparency Notice: At Change Church Inc., we value transparency in compensation. The target annual salary for the Senior Project Manager, Events position ranges from $85,000 to $95,000, based on relevant experience, qualifications, demonstrated skills, and work location.

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes, but is not limited to:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) options
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Paid time off (PTO)
• Paid holidays

Equal Employment Commitment: Change Church Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.

Applicant Rights & Required Notices 

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in event management, project management, live event operations, or a related field, including independently leading complex events from planning through execution and closeout.
• Demonstrated ability to translate an approved concept into a comprehensive event plan, including scope, workstreams, timelines, milestones, dependencies, staffing, resources, and contingency plans.
• Proven experience managing multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining clear priorities, accurate information, and consistent follow-through.
• Experience recruiting, training, scheduling, coaching, and developing volunteers or comparable teams, including identifying and equipping area leaders.
• Experience managing event budgets, vendor relationships, purchasing requirements, logistics, and resource allocation.
• Strong proficiency with project management platforms, spreadsheets, and shared documentation systems, including the ability to build workflows, dashboards, and event playbooks.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to lead planning meetings, clarify expectations, address missed commitments respectfully, and secure cross-functional alignment.
• Sound judgment and demonstrated ability to anticipate risks, resolve operational problems, and lead calmly during live events.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends and travel between campuses as required by the event calendar.
• Commitment to Change Church’s mission, vision, values, and spiritual responsibilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in event management, business administration, hospitality, communications, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• Experience in a multi-campus church, nonprofit organization, conference environment, or comparable organization with complex event operations.
• Experience supervising staff and developing volunteer leaders.
• Familiarity with Planning Center and volunteer scheduling systems.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Meeting Professional (CMP), or comparable certification.