Events Lead

The Organization:  Merit America

The American economy is broken. Today, 53 million working adults–nearly half of the U.S. workforce–do not earn a living wage. These talented workers have few options to advance: college is too long and expensive, full-time boot camp programs don’t offer enough flexibility, and online courses don’t have the structure or support to translate learning into a new career. The result? Talented workers, disproportionately people of color and women, get stuck in low-wage roles with no way to build a better life for themselves and their families.

Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage work. Our fast, flexible solutions are built for working adults: We start by analyzing tens of millions of job postings to identify in-demand, high-paying tech careers and then work with industry-recognized partners to train for these roles with part-time programs that combine flexible online learning with best-in-class coaching. Finally, we support our learners in their job search, helping them connect with a broad constellation of local and national employers such as JPMorgan Chase and Infosys to land higher-earning, family-sustaining jobs, driving an average wage gain of $24k three months or more after completing the program. Merit America is on a mission to build a scalable pathway for workers to join the middle class through merit, not money. Since our founding in 2018, we’ve generated a projected $1 billion in near-term wage gains for our learners. 

About the Role: 

The primary mission of the Events Lead is to develop and execute a broad events strategy that builds interest and trust in Merit America among alumni, staff, partners, funders, and journalists. 

This role is an exempt position and reports directly to the Director of Communications and works primarily with teams across Merit America. 

What You’ll be Doing: 

The responsibilities of the Events Lead will include, but are not limited to, the following:

Strategy & Impact 20%

• Develop and drive an organization-wide events strategy that strengthens engagement with our key stakeholders and advances Merit America's mission
• Establish clear success metrics for all events and build systems to track and evaluate outcomes

Event Leadership & Execution 50%

• Serve as the owner of organizational in-person and virtual events, including shaping the high-level vision, collaborating  with leadership to create the overall agenda and run of show, and overseeing all logistics, including venue selection and management, accommodation, food and beverage, and materials. Initial events are expected to include: 
• Annual staff offsite for approximately 200-250 people
• Senior leadership team offsite for approximately 8-10 people
• Funder convenings such as dinners, receptions, and webinars for 20-100 high-level donors
• Identify and implement events tools, as needed
• Manage all events budgets, directly leading vendor sourcing, negotiation and contracting
• Directly manage contractors, vendors, and administrative staff, as related to event execution
• Act as a key thought partner for activities and events related to Merit America’s organizational milestones
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders  to ensure events are aligned with organizational brand, strategy, and objectives

Collaboration, Coordination & Oversight 30%

• Partner with teams across Merit America to ensure consistent quality and branding across all events, including:
• Alumni events & meet-ups
• Program events, including kick-offs and optional trainings
• Volunteer events, including mock interviews
• All hands meetings 
• Partner webinars
• Provide expert guidance to staff planning department-specific events
• Lead standardization of event tools, systems and best practices across the organization

Skills and Competencies

We recognize that individuals from marginalized backgrounds, including women, people of color, and those with disabilities, are often less likely to apply when they don’t meet 100% of the job qualifications. Don’t let that be the reason you miss out on this opportunity! We want to emphasize that your unique skills, experiences, and perspectives are valuable, and we encourage you to apply if you can demonstrate many of the skills and competencies. Below are the skills that are relevant for thriving in this role:

Must Haves: 

• Proven experience planning and executing small and large events for a range of stakeholders, including funders, staff, partners, and alumni
• Strong portfolio of successful virtual and in-person event delivery
• Proficiency with event management software, budgeting tools, and other relevant technology to streamline event planning and execution
• Experience managing budgets of varying sizes, ensuring cost-effective event delivery without compromising quality.
• Ability to travel domestically at least bi-monthly, including occasional evenings and weekends, based on event schedules.
• Committed to Merit America’s mission to pave pathways to family-sustaining careers, break the poverty cycle, and create upward mobility for low-wage workers
• Demonstrated history of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization's culture
• Shared sense of responsibility and ownership for our collective work in making a positive impact on the community we support, true to our value of Win & Lose Together
• Committed to continuous learning and growth in understanding and addressing issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Passionate about fostering a workplace culture that embraces and values individual differences, aligned with our core value of inclusivity

Nice to Have: 

• Experience with event management software (e.g., Cvent, Eventbrite)
• Project management certification
• Previous experience in education/workforce development
• Marketing or communications background
• AV/production management experience
• Crisis management/risk mitigation experience
• Experience managing event budgets over $100K

Other Logistics 

• This position is full-time
• Location:  Remote
• Salary :  $106,300

Our goal is to have competitive and equitable compensation.  We have a market-based compensation approach, which means we benchmark each role from reputable data sources. We compare our benchmarks against similarly sized non-profit organizations with comparable annual budgets and geographical areas. We pay the same rate for the same roles and adjust to comply with statutory mandates. 

We take care of our employees by providing the following perks and benefits: 

• 4-day work week (Fridays are an operating day if there is a holiday closure during the week)
• Medical, Dental and Vision insurance (100% Paid Employee Only Coverage)
• Flexible Spending Account and Health Savings Account
• Dependent care Flexible Spending Account
• Health Reimbursement Account fully funded by Merit
• Education & personal development reimbursement
• Catalog of courses for professional learning and development
• Short and long-term disability
• Unlimited vacation (after a 90-day introductory period)
• Paid Parental Leave and Adoption benefits (after 1 year of employment)
• 11 federally recognized holidays
• 1 week office closure in July (week of July 4th)
• 2 week holiday office closure in December/January
• 401(k) retirement plan with automatic Merit contribution
• Wellness Benefits/Wellness Resources
• Discount perks at work program
• Phone/technology stipend
• Home office setup stipend
• Affinity groups and community building via virtual, in-person, and/or regional meetups

*Eligibility for some benefits may vary based on employment status, full-time or part-time. Eligibility will be outlined during the hiring process.

Remote Work & Sponsorship

Candidates must reside within the 50 states or District of Columbia and have full authorization to work in the 50 U.S. states & the District of Columbia (international work abroad, including the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and other islands are excluded). In addition, Merit America doesn't offer employment visa sponsorship.

Equal Opportunity Statement

Building an inclusive, high-performing team that is diverse across lines of personal identity is integral to our success and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

This means we do not discriminate against any job applicant or employee because of their race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

We actively strive and evolve to develop and maintain workspaces that are fully inclusive. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.

Still excited about our work?  You can learn more about our work in this video we made with our founding partner, Google.

Fair Chance Ordinance

Applicants who have arrest or conviction records and are in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will be considered in accordance with the state’s fair chance ordinance law. Employment under the ordinance includes part-time work, seasonal work, contract work, contingent work, work on commission, and work through the services of a temporary or employment agency.

E-Verify Statement

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the I-9 Form.