Senior Director - Exhibitions

We work with a variety of prestigious clients to design and deliver high-impact exhibitions and booth projects that leave a lasting impression and resonate with audiences.

You will be responsible for the strategic leadership, creative excellence, commercial performance, and growth of Emota's Environments capability in the United States.

You will lead the Environments discipline across experiential, spatial, and environmental design, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, commercially successful work while building a collaborative, and future-focused team.

As a senior leader within the US business, you will play an important part in new business growth, client leadership, and financial management. It also involves cross-territory collaboration, working with global counterparts to grow Emota's offer in the US market.

You will report into the Global Head of Environments.

What will you do …

Leadership & Discipline Ownership

• Manage and define the US vision for the Environments discipline, aligned with Emota's global direction and our goals.
• Be a senior authority and escalation point for all Environments work in the US.
• Work in close collaboration with other US Heads of Department, ensuring agreement across departments, integrated ways of working, and a unified leadership approach to clients and growth.
• Partner with fellow US HODs to shape integrated solutions, shared resourcing strategies, and standards across the business.
• Champion innovation, latest trends, and best practice across experiential, spatial, physical, and hybrid environments.
• Set and uphold creative, strategic, and delivery standards across the Environments team.

New Business Growth

• Partner with the Global Head to lead all US new business activity and identify white space growth opportunities.
• Partner with the Growth team to realise US opportunities and implement agreed growth strategies.
• Lead the resourcing of US pitch teams, working with MB to ensure the right capabilities and leadership are in place.
• Be part of the Core Pitch Team on all important US opportunities.
• Support the onboarding and early-stage leadership of new clients following successful pitches, ensuring a transition from sale to delivery.
• Shape team structures, capability, and new hires required to support new business wins and future growth.
• Lead recruitment for new or replacement roles, in consideration of our needs and growth plans.

Client Leadership

• Build senior-level client relationships, being a trusted partner and advisor.
• Support client growth by identifying new opportunities within existing accounts.
• Represent Emota at senior client meetings, presentations, and industry forums.

Team Finance & Commercial Accountability

• Work with the Global Head to develop the US team forecast, ensuring accurate planning and visibility.
• Provide regular input into Board Meetings, tracking and reporting on commercial and financial performance.
• Monitor client-based financial performance, including revenue, margin, and profitability, taking action where required to mitigate risk or maximise opportunity.
• Support accurate scoping, resourcing, and commercial decision-making across the discipline.

Team Leadership & Culture

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Environments team in the US.
• Provide line management for senior team members, supporting performance, development, and progression.
• Promote collaboration across US and UK teams, using global expertise wherever possible.
• Continue to foster an open, inclusive, and collaborative team culture, aligned with Emota's values.
• Encourage office attendance and in-person collaboration, recognising its importance to creative quality and team connection.

Operational Excellence

• Ensure efficient and high-quality delivery of work through planning, governance, and resourcing.
• Work with production, operations, and finance teams to manage risk, timelines, and delivery quality.
• Establish and refine processes that support consistency, scalability, and excellence.

What do you need to have …

• Minimum of 8 years experience in a Senior leadership role within exhibitions, experiential, or spatial design in an agency setting
• Experience leading and growing a connected team with a positive culture.
• Commercial and financial experience within an agency environment.
• Experience leading pitches and new business initiatives.
• Experience establishing communication and engagement with prospects.

Desirable

• Experience within an integrated or global agency model.
• Experience with the US experiential and exhibtions market.
• Exposure to digitally enabled or immersive environments.

Just a few of our benefits...

• Great compensation package
• 23 days' personal leave plus public holidays and volunteering leave
• Private Medical Plan and Life Insurance
• 401(K) Plan
• Hybrid working

A bit about us...

Engage XD is an unusually shaped communications group that creates experiences that inspire lasting change. We partner with clients to provide employee engagement, learning and training solutions, scientific engagement and capability building, all underpinned by applied behavioural science. We engage internal and external audiences through the creation and delivery of live and virtual experiences, film, digital, and immersive content.

Our family of brands is made up of: Emota, Forty1 and Nazarѐ.

We believe in our values: We empower everyone | We rise to the challenge | We work as one | We ask what if | We do the right thing and we will ask you how your personal values align to our values

#LIML

This is a hybrid remote/in-office role.

Don't meet every job requirement? That's okay! We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. If you're excited about this role, but your experience doesn't perfectly fit every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right person for this role or others.