Employment Type: Full-time
Location: Chicago, IL
Work Site Type: Remote
Building A Brand Starts With Our Story
FIRST is a leading global brand experience agency serving clients in various industries, including financial services, technology, new & traditional media, aerospace, healthcare, and professional services. FIRST has received numerous accolades, including being named one of the Top 150 Event Organizers & Agencies in the USA by Eventex, being listed among the "200 Top Marketing Agencies" in 2023, 2022 & 2021 by Chief Marketer, being recognized as one of the "50 Top Event Companies" by Special Events, being included in the Top 100 "Best Places to Work in NYC" by Crain's New York Business, and being listed as one of the "1000 Companies to Inspire Britain" by The London Stock Exchange Group.
FIRST also understands that businesses worldwide, including us, need to adopt more sustainable and socially responsible practices. Our vision of sustainability at FIRST is about fostering a People centric, Purpose driven & Planet conscious culture.
Learn more at www.firstagency.com
Our story started over 25 years ago growing through collaboration, innovation, strong culture, and a focus on people, specifically our people. Our people inspired, developed, and grew FIRST to the incredible brand experience creator it is today.
And our hope is that you become the next page of our story in developing how our agency connects more people beyond what they thought was possible.
A welcoming, creative and ambitious workplace that offers personal and professional growth for all individuals. At FIRST, you'll find:
- A welcoming workplace that fosters diversity and belonging with a focus on team members feeling valued, respected, and supported.
- Creative teams that enjoy challenging work with an ability to make an impact on those around them.
- An experiential organization that cares about the development and career experience of each employee, focusing on excellence and flexibility with the right balance of structure to thrive.
Location: Remote. Must reside in or in close proximity to the Chicago metro area due to the volume of events in this market
What You Would Get To Do:
In this capacity, the ideal candidate would represent the FIRST brand embedded within a Solutions account for a Financial Services company. FIRST Solutions is the proprietary strategic meetings management model offered by FIRST, which embeds specialist talent into organizations to provide Content, Creative, Digital Technology, Management & Delivery, and Data & Insights. The Associate Project Manager will consistently deliver exceptional service to our high-touch clients through excellent project management and creative solutions. This position will support virtual, in-person and hybrid events which include but are not limited to; internal programs, client-facing events including conferences, hospitality, thought leadership, sporting, and cultural programs.
Your Contributions
- Full life-cycle planning and execution of multiple key events in a digital/virtual capacity, and in-person
- Virtual event planning and project management including confirming appropriate virtual platform, creation of timelines, invitation process, thorough and regular communications to attendees, suppliers and stakeholders
- Financial management, including: budget development and management, expense management and invoice processing, timely post-meeting reconciliation and final financial reporting
- Sourcing, negotiating and managing site selections, contract management for venues and suppliers
- Coordinate registration, transportation, hotel accommodations, entertainment, gift selection, audio/visual needs, webcasts, staging and speaker selection for all programs; strong focus on vendor management
- Work with the team to ensure adherence to the client’s standards of operation and policies; ensure compliance and risk guidelines are followed
- Travel (when applicable, approximately 30-35% annually) for site inspections and on-site management of live events to ensure full coordination of logistics and on-site teams for in-person events
- Post event wrap up including final attendees, budget reconciliation, observations, as well as client debriefs for year over year improvements
- Co-plan with colleagues and the client on larger scale programs; strong team player
- Share knowledge of best practices, new suppliers, services and venues
- Deepen relations with existing clients and maximize on all opportunities to generate new business
What We Are Looking For
Please be aware that we know experience does not always look like we describe it. If you believe you would be an excellent fit for this role, please apply - we would love to see how you could fit at FIRST.
- 2 – 4 years’ event management experience, preferably in a corporate financial environment
- Bachelor’s Degree preferred
- Located within 90 minutes of an airport
- Motivated, self-starter, ability to work independently and project plan; ability to think innovatively
- Excellent project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously; proven ability to work well under pressure to meet established deadlines
- Virtual event experience preferred – Webex and Zoom experience a plus
- Leadership/influencing/negotiation and decision-making skills
- Resourceful individual with the ability to take direction and work independently; be proactive with ideas and creative solutions
- Customer focus, approachable; ability to adjust to client needs and style and deepen relationships in support of their programs; adapt to ever changing demands and different client work styles
- Strong client management skills
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Ambitious, proactive and highly organized
- Willing to travel to various locations for site-visits and on-site management of events
- Experience working with large and complex databases preferred, Cvent experience preferred
- Proficient with Microsoft Office
- Knowledge of venues and suppliers in key US cities
ADMINISTRATION & GENERAL
- Work intelligently and ensure that the Team Lead is aware of problems or issues which negatively affect productivity
- Flexible and willing to work long hours (evenings, weekends) and travel
- Strict and accurate adherence to company’s time tracking policies and systems
- Ensure knowledge is shared within the team through positive communications
- Work on ad hoc requests from clients as required
- Assume responsibility for own environment, ensuring adherence to health and safety policies while having clean smart surroundings
United States Residents: The base pay for this position ranges from $60,000 to $80,000. This role is also eligible for an annual discretionary bonus.
#LI-KM3
FIRST is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. FIRST is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national, social or ethnic origin, sex (including pregnancy), age, physical, mental or sensory disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital, civil union or domestic partnership status, past or present military service, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. We stand firm: FIRST will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics. If any candidate feels that they are unable to meet the requirements of the role, please get in touch to discuss adjustments or other suitable roles.