VP, Programs and Operations - job 1 of 3

Informa Festivals marks an exciting new chapter in B2B events, bringing some of the world's most influential creative, technology and business festivals together. We’re combining prestigious brands like Cannes Lions, Black Hat, Money20/20 and London Tech Week with cutting-edge marketing intelligence platforms and advisory services to deliver unmissable experiences and insights.

Our festival-led approach reimagines traditional B2B events, creating powerful, immersive experiences that drive innovation and industry advancement. Building on decades of expertise and powered by Informa's international reach, we're shaping the next generation of business festivals.

Effie Worldwide is now a part of Informa Festivals. Effie exists to lead, inspire, and champion marketing effectiveness across the globe – both the practice and its people. Through its Awards, Academy, and Insights programs, Effie serves as a forum for the global marketing community to come together to learn, set benchmarks for excellence, and ultimately make marketing better. Winning an Effie Award has been a globally recognized symbol of outstanding achievement for over 50 years.

This role is based in our New York Office

We're looking for a VP, Programs and Operations to join our team in New York as part of our Effie Awards function.

As the VP, Programs and Operations you will oversee operations, planning, and execution of our Awards program. You will bring strong programs focus, overseeing multiple aspects of the Awards development, scheduling, logistics and data integrity. 

Travel Requirements: This role requires travel up to 15% of time, including domestic and occasional international travel.

Key Responsibilities 

Program Management & Development

• Oversee the strategy, development, and execution of the Effie Awards programs ensuring all components from entry submissions to judging and post-event recognition run smoothly and meet deadlines.

• Collaborate across internal teams (e.g., Marketing, Data, Insights) to align efforts and ensure a seamless awards process. 

• Continuously identify and implement process improvements across the awards lifecycle to increase efficiency and reduce complexity, including areas such as entry submissions, judging and data collection. 

• Assist in the growth and development of the awards program, including contributing to pricing models, product updates, and the addition of new award categories. 

​Operational Efficiency & Technology Integration 

• Work closely with the product and technology teams to improve the efficiency of the awards software platform, ensuring any updates or changes align with program requirements and improve overall program operations. 

• Ensure data integrity, accuracy and across all systems, taking the lead on identifying opportunities to capture valuable data that can inform decisions and improve program effectiveness. 

• Lead and oversee the entry collection and publication process, ensuring a seamless and efficient workflow to support the growth and accessibility of the Effie Case Library. 

Team Leadership & Development 

• Identify opportunities for growth and development within the team to support long-term success. 

• Oversee the onboarding and training of new staff members, ensuring they are set up for success and understand organizational processes. 

• Establish and maintain processes for documenting key operational knowledge, ensuring continuity and reducing risk for the organization. 

Strategic Leadership & Awards Program Growth 

• Stay up to date on market trends, shifts in the marketing industry, and changes in competitive awards programs to ensure the Effie Awards stay relevant and continue to lead the field. 

• Proactively represent the Effie Awards to external stakeholders, including agencies, industry leaders, and potential partners, promoting the value and prestige of our brand. 

• Act as a key public-facing representative for Effie, often moderating sessions or acting as a liaison during judging events, ensuring smooth communication and coordination.

• At least 15 years of experience in project management, operations leadership, or program management, agency experience required.

• Proven track record of managing and motivating teams, with the ability to provide clear direction and manage cross-functional projects.

• Strong background in leading large, complex projects with multiple stakeholders, timelines, and moving parts.

• Experience identifying and implementing process improvements, streamlining workflows, and driving automation in a project-based environment.

• Ability to manage data-related aspects of projects, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and security across platforms and systems.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage internal teams, industry leaders, and external partners.

• Experience in managing international programs or cross-regional projects is a plus.

• Proficiency with MS Office applications, project management and CRM software (e.g., Asana, Salesforce). Event Management software experience is desired.

This posting will automatically expire on July 1, 2025.

We work hard to make sure Life at Informa is rewarding, supportive and enjoyable for everyone. Here’s some of what you can expect when you join us. But don’t just take our word for it, see what our colleagues have to say at  LifeAt.Informa.com

Our benefits include:

• Freedom & flexibility: colleagues rate us highly for the flexibility and trust they receive, and we support a range of working patterns
• Great community: a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks
• Broader impact: take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too
• Career opportunity: the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning. When it’s time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves
• Time out: 15 days PTO rising to 20 after three years and 25 after six years, plus 10 national holidays, a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year
• Competitive benefits, including a 401k match, health, vision and dental insurance, parental leave and an ESPP offering company shares at a minimum 15% discount
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, free access to a wellness app and more
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programs
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world
• The salary range for this position is $115K-$140K/YR, depending on experience.

We’re not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen. If it sounds like a match and you have most – although not all – of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer. This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law. Ask us or see our website for full information.

See how Informa handles your personal data when you apply for a job here.