Director of Events Management

We are looking for a Director of Events Management, reporting to the Global Head of Events, to lead the event management arm of the Global Events & Experiences team. You'll oversee a diverse portfolio, from flagship conferences and developer programs to executive gatherings, research events, and policy and media engagements. This is a people manager role leading an approximately 10-person team. This role is based hybrid in San Francisco. Occasional travel will be required.

Responsibilities

Lead, mentor, and develop the team through clear goals, candid feedback, career support, and company context; Partner with the Global Head of Events to prioritize projects, assess new requests, and allocate capacity across the portfolio; Build efficient, consistent operations through clear intake, briefs, project plans, approval paths, and reusable tools and playbooks; Manage agency partnerships, including selection, scopes of work, onboarding, and performance reviews; Build a deep understanding of each audience's needs and expectations, and guide the team in translating those insights into thoughtful hospitality, accessible experiences, and relevant content; Become an expert in OpenAI's brand and what people should leave events thinking and feeling; Align cross-functional partners across Marketing, GTM, Product, Research, Global Affairs, Communications, and executive teams on event goals, audiences, messaging, and decisions; Partner with Creative Production and Technical Production leaders on clear responsibilities, handoffs, and shared plans; Maintain visibility into budgets, timelines, dependencies, and risks across the portfolio; Establish practical measures of event outcomes and operational health, and turn audience feedback and post-event reviews into improvements across the team

Requirements

14+ years of experience in event management, including leading complex event portfolios and managing teams; Substantial experience leading complex event portfolios across audiences and formats, with a track record of building capable teams and delivering through others; Thoughtful people leader who builds trust, coaches with care and candor, handles difficult conversations constructively, and creates a collaborative, low-ego team culture; Systems-oriented approach to operations, with strong judgment about which processes create clarity and efficiency and where flexibility serves the team better; Know how to build effective agency relationships and manage scopes, budgets, and performance while protecting quality and using resources responsibly; Communicate clearly and influence across functions and seniority levels, bringing calm judgment to ambiguity, competing priorities, and high-visibility work; Curious about AI and motivated by OpenAI's mission, with a strong instinct for storytelling, hospitality, and experiences that respect the needs of different audiences