The Director of Meetings & Events reports to the SVP, Strategy & Advancement and plans and delivers high-impact convenings that advance CCAoA’s mission and brand. The Director owns the end-to-end execution of CCAoA’s two cornerstone annual events—Symposium (~400+) and Leadership Institute (~200+)—as well as two in-person Board meetings (~25) and periodic Hill briefings, funder salons, and staff gatherings. The role leads all aspects of event project management, budgets, contracts and vendor management, logistics, stakeholder experience, speaker recruitment and preparation, and post-event reporting. They will have a direct report and lead project management leveraging member volunteers and a cross-functional event planning team of staff from Strategic Communications, Development, Policy, Research, Programs, and the Senior Leadership Team.

Child Care Aware® of America (CCAoA) is the only national organization that supports every part of the child care system. In partnership with an on-the-ground network of Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) organizations, we work in states and communities to advance high-quality, affordable child care—transforming a patchwork of resources into a system that works for everyone. Together, we make child care strong—and that makes everyone stronger. CCAoA is committed to recruiting and retaining a dynamic workforce to help build a child care system that serves all children and families. Join us in ensuring that every family has access to high-quality, affordable child care. To learn more, visit our website.  

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Planning & Project Management

• Lead site selection, secure venues, and coordinate with internal teams to ensure events meet programmatic goals.
• Partner with Strategic Communications, Development, and Program staff to translate event vision, goals and content plans into detailed production schedules, workplans, and run-of-show materials.
• Use project management tools (i.e. Asana) to assign tasks, track progress, and ensure collaborators, deliverables, and dependencies are identified, managed, and completed on schedule.
• Prepare agendas, briefings, and follow-up documentation for internal and external events.
• Maintain a master events calendar and oversee multiple projects simultaneously.

 Finance & Operations

• Build and manage event budgets within established limits; track expenses, reconcile invoices, and partner with Finance on timely payment and reporting.
• Lead RFPs and manage contracts and vendor relationships for venues, hotels, catering, and A/V.
• Oversee registration, housing, accessibility, and travel logistics for speakers and staff attendees.
• Ensure risk mitigation and compliance with contracts, insurance, and organizational principles and policies.

Engagement & Onsite Delivery

• Support Program staff in planning session flow and logistics while they lead the process of securing and coordinating speakers.
• Maintain event playbooks, templates, and systems for year-over-year improvement and efficiency.
• Partner with Strategic Communications on outreach, engagement, registration, and marketing through the CRM (i.e. HubSpot).
• Manage onsite logistics and day-of troubleshooting, ensuring an inclusive and accessible attendee experience (ADA, language access).
• Analyze and produce event reporting and debriefs; capture performance and satisfaction data for continuous improvement.

People & Vendor Management 

• Supervise one direct report and manage contractors, vendors, and volunteers (internal, external and membership) during events.
• Set clear expectations, monitor performance, and maintain positive relationships with venue and vendor partners.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support CCAoA’s mission and organizational priorities. 

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 7+ years of experience managing large-scale conferences or events (200-500+ attendees).  
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• CMP or similar certification required (may consider CSEP, DES, or the like).
• Proven experience managing budgets, contracts, vendors, and onsite logistics.
• Strong project management and communication skills; ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and high-quality participant experience.
• Strong judgement, strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on timely execution and measurable impact.  
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills across diverse stakeholders and teams.  
• Ability to coach, influence, and align direct and indirect reports and partners toward shared organizational goals. 
• Demonstrated commitment to the principles of racial equity and workplace fairness, experience implementing these principles in supervision and program areas.  
• Technologically proficient and adaptable, with working knowledge of Microsoft, CRMs, and project management tools.  

This position description summarizes the main duties and responsibilities of the job.  It neither prescribes nor restricts the exact tasks that may be assigned to carry out these duties. This position description is not meant to be an all/inclusive statement of the duties and responsibilities of the position. This document should not be construed in any way to represent a contract of employment.  Child Care Aware® of America reserves the right to review and revise this document at any time. This position requires completion of a satisfactory background check. Child Care Aware® of America is an Equal Opportunity Employer / Drug-Free Workplace. 

**Please note Child Care Aware of America works in partnership with Talentuition & Infiniti HR throughout the hiring process. Candidates may receive outreach from representatives at Talentuition on behalf of Child Care Aware of America concerning interview scheduling, resume inquiries, and any further information necessary to begin the interview process**