Director, Meetings & Experiences

Location: St. Louis, MO | Hybrid (4 days/week in office) | Relocation considered | Travel: ~15-20% | Full-time, Salaried Exempt

The Genome Partnership is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing genomics through scientific collaboration, community building & exceptional meetings. We host the AGBT Meeting Series, which brings together leading researchers, innovators, industry scientists & emerging leaders from around the world to exchange ideas, share discoveries & advance the field. AGBT meetings are known for exceptional scientific programs, distinctive venues, thoughtful experiences & a high level of service. We are a small, mission-driven organization with an entrepreneurial culture & high standards for both the quality of our meetings & the stewardship of our resources.

The Opportunity

The Director, Meetings & Experiences will lead the planning, operational strategy & execution of the AGBT Meeting Series, ensuring that every meeting delivers the exceptional experience our community expects while operating with strong financial discipline. This role plays a critical part in creating environments where scientific collaboration, innovation, networking & discovery can flourish, helping advance the mission of The Genome Partnership. We are looking for an exceptional meetings leader who believes great experiences & fiscal responsibility should reinforce one another. Reporting to the President, the Director will lead the Meetings & Experiences function & take responsibility for meeting timelines, budgets, quality control, vendor strategy & operational execution across the portfolio. This role currently leads a small team & oversees the work of external agencies, consultants, & specialty event partners. The ideal candidate is a strategic & hands-on leader who combines strong operational discipline, financial acumen, & exceptional attention to detail. They anticipate challenges, create clarity across stakeholders, & take ownership for delivering high-quality meetings that advance the organization's mission.

Responsibilities

Meeting Strategy & Execution

• Lead planning & operational execution across the AGBT General Meeting, Precision Health & Agriculture meetings including responsibility for meeting timelines, workplans, dependencies & operational readiness.
• Establish clear roles, responsibilities, deadlines & quality standards across the team & external partners & develop contingency plans to proactively identify operational, financial & guest experience risks.
• Maintain master meeting calendars, planning tools & operational documentation.
• Lead planning processes & ensure effective communication across internal teams, vendors & other stakeholders & serve as a senior operational leader onsite, ensuring issues are addressed quickly & professionally.
• Lead post-meeting reviews to create improvements for future events.

Experience & Quality

• Lead the design & delivery of exceptional experiences across all AGBT meetings, ensuring every participant interaction reflects the organization's high standards. based on established quality-control processes & performance standards for venues, vendors, & partners to ensure consistent execution & service excellence.
• Identify opportunities to enhance attendee value, operational efficiency, & meeting impact while maintaining responsible stewardship of organizational resources.
• Monitor industry trends & emerging practices to continuously improve meeting quality, innovation, & participant engagement.

Financial Management & Meeting Economics

• Develop & manage detailed budgets for each AGBT meeting in partnership with the President & Finance, maintaining current forecasts throughout the planning cycle & proactively identify risks, savings opportunities & potential variances.
• Conduct rigorous pre and post event financial analysis to understand meeting performance & inform future decisions and develop historical benchmarks for expense categories, consumption, attendance & other operating metrics.
• Identify opportunities to reduce costs, improve contract terms & use organizational resources more efficiently without compromising experience quality.
• Contribute operational & financial analysis about registration pricing, hotel pricing, meeting packages & participant fees.

Hotels, Venues & Vendor Strategy

• Lead hotel sourcing, site selection, site visits & venue evaluation in partnership with the President & external resources.
• Participate in the negotiation of hotel & major meeting contracts.
• Lead RFPs, selection & management of meeting-related partners, including meeting management agencies, AV/production companies, decorators, DMCs, transportation providers & other specialty vendors.
• Continually evaluate the most effective allocation of work between internal capabilities & external specialists based on expertise, capacity, quality & cost.
• Build productive relationships with agencies & vendors, holding partners accountable for performance, budget & quality.
• Identify opportunities to simplify workflows, eliminate duplication & improve value from external partners.

Team Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Foster a collaborative, high-performance environment where team members collaborate, communicate openly & support one another while focused on quality execution, continuous improvement, & shared responsibility for results. 
• Ensure effective coordination among Scientific Programs & Engagement, Marketing & Communications, Business Development & Partnerships, and external partners to deliver successful meetings and sponsorship activations by creating clear expectations, ownership, accountability & opportunities for professional growth.
• Build & assess organizational capabilities, identifying where additional skills or capacity should be developed internally & where specialized external expertise adds greater value.

Registration, Housing & Meeting Technology

• Oversee registration, housing & attendee-management processes, whether delivered internally or through external partners, ensuring registration systems, rooming processes & attendee communications are accurate, efficient & user-friendly.
• Oversee meeting technology & operational platforms used to support registration, agendas, mobile applications & onsite experiences.
• Ensure data, processes & responsibilities transition effectively between internal teams & external partners.

Program & Sponsor Execution

• Partner with Scientific Programs & Engagement to translate scientific programming into a complete, executable meeting agenda, including scheduling, rooms, timing, AV requirements, speaker logistics, posters & workshops. 
• Partner with Business Development & Partnerships on the operational feasibility & fulfillment of sponsorship & exhibitor opportunities.
• Lead the operational execution of contracted sponsor & exhibitor benefits, including onsite spaces, activations & other meeting requirements.
• Coordinate closely with Marketing & Communications on registration timelines, attendee communications, website information & onsite needs.

What We're Looking For

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, event management, business administration, communications, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• 7 – 10 years of demonstrated success managing large, multi-day meetings with complex hotel, production, food & beverage, registration, housing & vendor requirements with significant progressive experience leading complex meetings, conferences or high-end events preferred.
• Experience leading a meetings team & creating clear accountability across multiple simultaneous work streams. 

Meeting & Event Leadership

• Experience with meeting management agencies & external partners, as well as experience delivering functions internally.
• Strong understanding of hotel operations, room blocks, food & beverage, AV/production, transportation, registration & onsite logistics.
• Experience with Cvent or comparable registration & event-management technology strongly preferred.
• Experience with scientific, medical, association or other complex professional meetings is a plus.

Financial & Contract Management

• Strong financial acumen & demonstrated experience building event budgets, managing forecasts, controlling costs & analyzing event economics.
• Experience negotiating & managing hotel, venue, production & supplier contracts.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Strong people leadership skills & the ability to develop team members while holding them accountable for results.
• Exceptional project-management skills with the ability to maintain control of complex timelines & interdependent deliverables.
• Ability to work effectively with senior leadership while also collaborating across functions to support shared organizational priorities.

Professional Competencies

• Extremely strong attention to detail & a high standard for accuracy, quality & guest experience.
• A proactive operating style with the ability to anticipate issues, solve problems & take ownership with excellent judgment, communication, negotiation & relationship-management skills.
• Comfort operating in a small organization where leaders remain hands-on & contribute wherever needed.

What Success Looks Like

• Exceptional attendee experiences and consistently high-quality AGBT meetings.
• Meetings delivered on time, within budget, and aligned with organizational goals.
• Effective financial management, vendor performance, and resource stewardship.
• Collaborative, high-performing function supported by strong processes, accountability, & continuous improvement.

Working at The Genome Partnership 

The role reports to the President and leads the Meetings & Experiences function while partnering closely with Marketing, Business Development & Partnerships, Scientific Programs & Engagement, Finance, and external meeting partners. Success requires balancing strategic leadership with hands-on execution, leveraging internal resources and specialized external partners to deliver exceptional meetings and support the long-term growth of The Genome Partnership.