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 organization