Senior Director, Event Services

Overview and Description

The Columbus Crew is looking for a Senior Director Event Services responsible for the strategic leadership and oversight of all front-of-house and event-facing operations across the organizations venue portfolio. This role ensures the delivery of safe efficient and high-quality events through structured repeatable and system-driven processes while maintaining a consistent secure and guest-ready environment across all venues on both event and non-event days.

This is a front-of-house leadership role accountable for the guest environment event execution and public-facing operational standards. The Senior Director leads a team of functional leaders and serves as the executive front-of-house event command leader for major events supporting approximately 300 events annually including professional soccer concerts and large-scale external activations.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Strategic & Operational Leadership
  • Lead and develop a team of leaders responsible for core front-of-house functions including event execution guest experience and venue safety operations.
  • Design and implement scalable repeatable operational systems and event playbooks.
  • Serve as the central leader aligning all internal stakeholders-including ticketing partnerships booking and facility operations-within a unified event execution model.
  • Assist in the continued development of the organizations event technology ecosystem ensuring platforms support standardized workflows and data-driven decision making.
• Front-of-house Operations
  • Develop and implement systems and standards that ensure a consistent secure and guest-ready front-of-house environment across all venues on both event and non-event days.
  • Establish processes governing access control credentialing security presence and guest-facing readiness ensuring consistent execution through department leadership and partners.
  • Create operational frameworks that ensure seamless transition between daily front-of-house operations and event-day execution.
  • Develop a repeatable and scalable hospitality model that delivers consistent high-quality experience.
  • Ensure systems are in place for training staffing and performance management across event teams.
• Financial and Budget Oversight
  • Develop and manage departmental operating budgets ensuring alignment with organizational goals and event demand.
  • Establish financial frameworks that support efficient staffing models vendor utilization and resource allocation.
  • Monitor event-related expenses and identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency without compromising operational standards or guest experience.
  • Partner with VP to support forecasting planning and long-term operational investment decisions.

Minimum Qualifications

• 7 years of leadership experience in stadium arena or large venue operations
• Proven ability to lead leaders and multi-functional teams
• Demonstrated success in building systems and scalable operational processes
• Experience overseeing front-of-house operations event command and guest environments
• Strong background in operational planning and process design
• Experience managing large staffing models and vendor ecosystems
• Professional sports or major entertainment venue experience preferred

Preferred Qualifications

• Masters degree
• Events-related certifications (CVE CVP CSSP or equivalent)

Required Experience:

Exec