Dreamforce Senior Manager

Description The Experience

Salesforce Strategic Events is searching for an experienced Strategic Events Senior Manager to join our Dreamforce team, reporting to the Strategic Events Director, Dreamforce. This is a dual-mode role that shifts in focus across the event lifecycle. Earlier in the year, you’ll operate as a strategic right hand to the Director, helping get the event off the ground by driving enablement, staffing strategy, executive narrative, and data/reporting rigor across the full program. As planning matures from strategy to operations, you’ll step into a leadership role overseeing multiple workstreams and their leads, while directly owning select individual areas through to flawless on-site execution.

This individual will be a structured, high-judgment operator who is equally comfortable shaping strategy at the whole-event level and rolling up their sleeves to run a workstream. The role requires a self-starter who can flex between strategic oversight and hands-on ownership, build trust with a wide set of internal and external partners, and bring clarity and calm to a fast-moving, matrixed environment. On-site travel is required to ensure flawless event delivery.

This role sits within the broader Paid Events team. While Dreamforce is the primary focus, you should expect to flex into other Paid Events programs (e.g., Connections, TDX, Tableau Conference, IW), support parties and other event experiences, and cover broader business needs as priorities shift across the portfolio.

What You'll Actually Be Doing

• Partner with the Strategic Events Director to shape Dreamforce strategy and launch the annual planning process. This includes enablement for workstream leads, agencies, and partners, staffing strategy and team design, the executive narrative (Amazon-style narrative writing is a plus), and quality control of data and reporting before it reaches leadership.
• Lead and coach workstream leads as planning shifts to execution, providing guidance, unblocking issues, and coordinating across areas to surface risks and dependencies early. Directly own one or more areas through pre-event planning, onsite logistics, and post-event wrap-up, ensuring messaging, brand representation, and space allocation align to Salesforce brand and product positioning.
• Coordinate across strategic experiences, creative, demand generation, event tech, social, and sponsorships. Manage agency and vendor relationships, gain leadership approvals, and escalate blockers, budget variances, and risks early. Manage area budgets and multiple timelines, support Director-level budget oversight, and pursue cost-saving and efficiency opportunities.
• Own the integrity of event-wide metrics and reporting cadence, including post-event surveys, ROI analysis, and wrap-up reporting. Maintain Area Debriefs and Event Playbooks each cycle to build repeatable, scalable processes.

You're Our Person If...

• 8-10+ years of progressive Event Operations and/or Marketing experience, ideally in large-scale B2B high-tech environments, with a Bachelor’s degree and the ability to travel domestically and internationally.
• Demonstrated ability to operate across the full event lifecycle, from strategic planning through hands-on execution, including experience with staffing strategy, enablement planning, or team structure for large-scale programs.
• Track record of leading cross-functionally in a complex, matrixed organization and of leading, coaching, or developing other leaders or workstream owners. This includes managing agency and vendor partners, partnering with experiential/creative agencies from concept through onsite delivery, negotiating favorable vendor terms, and managing budgets with strong financial discipline.
• Strong narrative and executive communication skills, working knowledge of AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Slackbot, and a proactive, self-directed approach to critical assignments with limited guidance. Thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous environments with competing priorities and last-minute changes.

Even Better if...

• Experience working in a corporate events environment.
• Master’s degree (MBA or equivalent).
• Experience with Amazon-style narrative writing or similar structured executive communication.
• Familiarity with Salesforce, Slack, Google Suite, and RainFocus, and direct experience using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Slackbot) to drive event operations, automation, or reporting.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well, including time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits are available at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance and the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring, Salesforce will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. In the United States, compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, job level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Certain roles may be eligible for incentive compensation, equity, and benefits. Salesforce offers a variety of benefits to help you live well including: time off programs, medical, dental, vision, mental health support, paid parental leave, life and disability insurance, 401(k), and an employee stock purchasing program. More details about company benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.salesforcebenefits.com.