Senior Strategic Events Manager

At Early Warning, we’ve powered and protected the U.S. financial system for over thirty years with cutting-edge solutions like Zelle®, Paze℠, and so much more. As a trusted name in payments, we partner with thousands of institutions to increase access to financial services and protect transactions for hundreds of millions of consumers and small businesses.

Positions located in Scottsdale, San Francisco, Chicago, or New York follow a hybrid work model to allow for a more collaborative working environment.

Candidates responding to this posting must independently possess the eligibility to work in the United States, for any employer, at the date of hire. This position is ineligible for employment Visa sponsorship.

Job Summary: 

The Senior Strategic Events Manager is responsible for establishing and leading Early Warning’s strategic events program, elevating our reputation across the national payments and financial landscape. This role will have a range of responsibilities, driving impact at prominent industry forums and facilitating smaller, high-stakes roundtable events with key stakeholders, such as policymakers, regulators, banks, and thought leaders.

Essential Functions

• Designs and executes a comprehensive event strategy, encompassing large-scale forums (e.g., Aspen Ideas Festival, The Clearing House Annual Conference), targeted, grassroots events like roundtables and stakeholder convenings, and anything in between. Aligns event objectives with Early Warning’s business goals, policy, and social impact. 

• As a new position, leads the creation of the strategic events function. Develops a framework for event selection, objectives, and success metrics, ensuring the program’s long-term value and scalability.  Longer-term, is responsible for identifying new opportunities and innovative approaches for the Company’s event programs. 

• Works closely with internal teams—Marketing, Communications, Government Relations, etc. —to ensure cohesive messaging, positioning, and strategic alignment across all event engagements. 

• Collaborates with senior leadership and external stakeholders to secure meaningful engagement opportunities and ensure Early Warning’s presence is impactful at key events.  

• Defines and tracks event KPIs, assessing both large-scale and grassroots event impacts through attendee engagement, media coverage, and feedback. Translates post-event insights into recommendations for future improvements. 

Minimum Qualifications 

• Education and/or experience typically obtained through completion of a bachelor's degree. 

• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience in events, stakeholder engagement, or a related field. 

• Background in the payments or financial industry with a solid understanding of relevant trends, challenges, and stakeholder dynamics. 

• Experience in designing and implementing strategic event plans that support both high-level and grassroots objectives, with the flexibility to manage varying scales of engagement.

• Ability to build a best-in-class strategic events program with a commitment to advancing Early Warning’s mission to being a force for good, empowering trust and simplifying finance. 

• Ability to work at both the high-level vision for the function and hands-on execution of events. 

• Proven success in executing complex event logistics, timelines, and budgets for multiple stakeholders, ensuring high-quality outcomes in both large and small event settings. 

• Exceptional writing and presentation skills, with experience in managing relationships with senior executives, policymakers, and industry leaders. 

• Comfortable navigating ambiguity in a new role with an evolving scope, skilled at cross-functional coordination and able to bring a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset to the role. 

• Experience and comfort engaging with government officials or public sector stakeholders is a plus, though not required. 

• Background and drug screen.

Physical Requirements

Working conditions consist of a normal office environment. Work is primarily sedentary and requires extensive use of a computer and involves sitting for periods of approximately four hours. Work may require occasional standing, walking, kneeling, and reaching. Must be able to lift 10 pounds occasionally and/or negligible amount of force frequently. Requires visual acuity and dexterity to view, prepare, and manipulate documents and office equipment including personal computers. Requires the ability to communicate with internal and/or external customers. Employee must be able to pe