Associate Director, Experiential
BDG · New York, New York, United States · hybrid
USD 105,000 to 115,000 · period not stated
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead ideation, scoping, and pitch strategy for custom events and brand activations across our stable of proprietary properties.
- Write and revise compelling pitch decks and RFP responses, shaping direction rather than just contributing to it.
- Partner with Creative, Sales, and Editorial to ground concepts in audience insight and brand strategy.
- Own budgeting for assigned activations: building budgets, onboarding and managing vendors, tracking spend, approving invoices, and reconciling final costs.
- Lead vendor negotiation, contracting, and production timelines as primary point of accountability for delivery.
- Interface with clients throughout the process — refining concepts, managing expectations, and solving creatively in real time, including on-site.
- Manage logistics for tentpole events (room blocks, travel, staffing) and ensure proper team resourcing.
- Oversee recaps and event materials, guiding junior team members on quality and brand alignment.
- Present strategic recommendations and recaps to leadership and clients.
- Refine best practices and templates to improve team efficiency over time.
Qualifications:
- 5–8+ years in experiential marketing, brand activations, or events, with a track record of leading complex activations independently and successfully.
- A fast-paced go-getter with an out-of-the-box, marketing-minded approach — genuinely passionate about where experiential is headed.
- Skilled negotiator with proven budget and vendor management experience.
- Strategic thinker with strong creative instincts and excellent writing and visual storytelling skills.
- Strong client-facing communication and presentation skills.
- Highly dependable and collaborative across cross-functional teams.
- Highly organized, able to manage multiple high-stakes projects under tight deadlines.
- Proficient in Canva, Keynote, PowerPoint, MS Office, and Monday.com (or similar).
- Willing to travel and work nights/weekends as needed.