Senior Manager, Congresses and Meetings

Pay range: 80-90/hrDOEBrief DescriptionThe Senior Manager, US Meetings & Congresses serves as a dedicated Congress Planner and Subject Matter Expert (SME) within the U.S. Meetings & Congress Team. Operating within the teams strategic operating model, this role is primarily dedicated to leading and driving the end-to-end planning, strategy, cross-functional alignment, and execution of high-complexity Tier 1 and Tier 2 healthcare and commercial congresses across therapeutic franchises (including Oncology, Neuroscience, and EMD). This role will also support major Tier 1 meetings as necessary (Kickoff, POAs, etc.).In this high-visibility role, the Senior Manager acts as the lead congress Product Owner (PO), partnering directly with Brand Marketing, Medical Affairs, Market Access, Field Leadership, Compliance, and Corporate Communications to shape the enterprise presence at major national conventions. The role governs external agency partners (such as meeting management companies, exhibit build agencies, and experiential production vendors) against deliverables, budgets, and milestones, ensuring seamless logistical execution while actively shifting lower-complexity (Tier 3 & 4) meetings to business unit self-service workflows.The ideal candidate brings deep pharmaceutical congress acumen, proven experience managing large exhibit footprints and symposia at major conventions, robust knowledge of healthcare compliance (PhRMA, Open Payments/Sunshine Act), and experience with enterprise event technologies (Cvent, Veeva Workflow/Link Key People, Airtable). Tier 1 & Tier 2 Congress Strategy & Planning Leadership Lead the end-to-end planning, project governance, and operational execution for all assigned Tier 1 and Tier 2 major medical congresses and commercial conventions. Partner proactively with Franchise Leads, Brand Teams, Medical Affairs, Compliance, and Commercial Operations to clarify strategic intent, define exhibit requirements, coordinate ancillary meetings, and establish clear congress KPIs. Chair cross-functional congress core team meetings (e.g., Brand, Medical, Field, Advocacy, Compliance, and Communications), establishing master milestones, workstreams, and deliverables schedules across all contributing business units. Serve as the central point of contact for convention association management, housing bureaus, and official congress vendors for major conventions.Tiered Operating Model Implementation & Scope Governance Enforce and operationalize the departments Tiered Congress Model, focusing internal strategic planning resources on complex Tier 1 and Tier 2 flagship programs. Transition and guide franchise business units on standardized self-service workflows, guidelines, and toolkits for low-complexity Tier 3 and Tier 4 congresses and meetings, protecting internal capacity. Establish clear Ways of Working (WOW) and RACI matrices across commercial stakeholders, external logistics agencies, and exhibit houses. Agency Governance & Vendor Management Direct and govern external logistics agency partners, ensuring strict adherence to Statements of Work (SOWs), service level agreements (SLAs), and project timelines. Oversee agency partner execution of tactical logistics, including hotel room blocks, attendee registration, staff badges, group transport, and ancillary food & beverage functions. Partner with congress associations, exhibit design firms, general services contractors, and AV production vendors to oversee booth fabrication, installation, dismantling (I&D), interactive digital assets, and symposia production.Event Technology & Clean Data Integrity Utilize and uphold enterprise event platforms (Cvent, Airtable, and internal portals) as the single source of truth for congress registration, attendee management, housing, and budget tracking. Partner with central event technology administrators to streamline registration workflows, attendee communication cadence, and post-congress reporting. Monitor real-time badge and housing utilization to mitigate attrition, enforce room block deadlines, and optimize spend.Financial Management, Budgeting & Reconciliation Develop, monitor, and manage multi-million-dollar congress budgets across assigned Tier 1 and Tier 2 conventions. Review agency line-item estimates, approve change orders, track ongoing commitments, and lead transparent post-congress financial reconciliation in coordination with Franchise Finance and Sourcing. Identify cost-containment opportunities, negotiate convention service provider fees, and optimize exhibit property ROI.Healthcare Compliance & Regulatory Guardrails Ensure all congress activities, exhibits, commercial booths, medical info areas, and ancillary HCP engagements strictly comply with corporate compliance policies, PhRMA Code, and the Sunshine Act / Open Payments reporting. Liaise with Legal, Regulatory, and Compliance review committees to ensure all on-site collateral, booth artwork, and promotional/educational activities maintain full regulatory approvals.Additional Responsibilities Assume other duties and operational responsibilities logically and properly inherent to the position that add continuous value to the U.S. Meetings & Congress function.Required Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities Team-First Mindset & Collaborative Culture: Demonstrated commitment to a team-first ethos, actively fostering peer support, transparent communication, and mutual accountability across both internal colleagues and external agency partners during high-pressure meeting cycles. Pharma Congress Expertise: Minimum 6+ years of specialized meeting and congress management experience within the biopharmaceutical or life sciences industry, with demonstrable success leading large-scale Tier 1 & Tier 2 healthcare conventions. Agency & Vendor Governance: Proven experience directing external third-party logistics agencies, exhibit builders, and general contractors in an outsourced execution model. Compliance Knowledge: Thorough understanding of pharmaceutical compliance regulations, HCP expense caps, PhRMA Code, and Sunshine Act reporting requirements. Congress Association, Exhibit & Production Acumen: Working familiarity with congress associations, convention exhibit hall operations, I&D union rules, booth architecture/design, and audiovisual/production management. Event Technology Proficiency: Practical knowledge of event technologies, specifically Cvent (registration, reporting) and Veeva, or project management platforms. Financial & Budget Rigor: Demonstrated ability to independently build, track, and reconcile complex, multi-franchise congress budgets with precision. Stakeholder Leadership: High emotional intelligence and exceptional communication skills to lead cross-functional matrix teams, align executive sponsors, and resolve on-site escalations under pressure.