Program Manager, IT Events

WORK OPTION: 4 days per week in the Secaucus, NJ office

The NBA is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace. To safeguard our employees and their families, our visitors, and the broader community from COVID-19, and in consideration of recommendations from health authorities and the NBA's own advisors, any individual working onsite in our New York and New Jersey offices must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The NBA will discuss accommodations for individuals who cannot be vaccinated due to a medical reason or sincerely held religious belief, practice, or observance.

At the NBA, we're passionate about growing and celebrating the game of basketball. Through the intensity of the game and the amazing athletic skill of our players, we deliver excitement to hundreds of millions of fans around the world. As a global sports and media business, the NBA is so much more. In addition to the league's on-court activities, we manage relationships with television and digital media partners, develop marketing partnerships with some of the world's most recognizable companies, oversee the licensing of NBA merchandise, and manage a wide range of global events that attract fans and drive the NBA's success.

Essential Functions and Job Summary

We're seeking a motivated Program Manager with 3-5 years of experience to join our NBA IT Events Management team. In this role, you'll be pivotal in ensuring the success of our live events, managing various aspects such as risk, requirements, planning, support, change, stakeholder relationships, communication, meeting facilitation, and vendor management. The ideal candidate will be inspired to Implement program level process improvements such as reducing overall IT costs across events, leveraging economies of scales to negotiate greater discounts with vendors, reduce reliance on external resources to execute onsite project management activities at events, adopt a continuous improvement mindset to managing IT Events and a curiosity to innovate, iterate and deliver exceptional service to our stakeholders.

Major Responsibilities

• Oversee the planning, execution, and evaluation of all events within the program and ensure that each event project is on track by monitoring timelines, budgets, and deliverables and key milestones.
• Facilitate coordination between cross-functional teams and ensure effective and consistent communications across all events.
• Ensure stakeholder expectations are met and maintain strong relationships through regular updates and feedback.
• Embrace ‘Agile Ways of Working' approach to work delivery while operating as a high performing team to achieve program objectives.
• Maintain high standards of quality for all events by implementing best practices and ensuring consistency in execution.
• Lead internal IT Events Team meetings, develop detailed event plans, track progress, and manage risks.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across the league to gather technology requirements for events.
• Represent IT in events planning and status meetings, providing updates and addressing concerns.
• Coordinate with vendors, review contracts, facilitate purchase orders, track change orders, validate invoices.
• Assist in venue and hotel surveys, coordinate with venue and hotel IT staff, and ensure detailed specifications are met.
• Develop and distribute the IT events' schedules, ensuring IT resources are informed about timelines and tasks.
• Manage risk and issues related to IT events and develop strategies for mitigation.
• Conduct daily status meetings during events with the IT Events Team and distribute updates to IT leaders.
• Manage stakeholder relationships to ensure effective communication and collaboration.
• Implement change management processes to handle project scope changes effectively.
• Assist in budget development, cost projections, and post-events budget close-outs, including invoice reconciliation.
• Monitor and track expenses for each event, approving expenditures and updating IT Event Budget Trackers.
• Implement lessons learned from past events to refine strategies and practices for future projects.

Required Education/Professional Experience
• Bachelor's degree preferred
• 3-5 years of experience in project management, event management, or IT-related roles.

Required Skills/Knowledge Attributes

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with a customer-focused approach.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and meet deadlines with a "get it done" mindset.
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Knowledge of IT infrastructure and event management is a plus.
• Proficiency in MS Projects, PowerPoint, Excel, JIRA or other project management software and tools is preferred.
• Some travel to provide on-site support is required (up to 25%)

Salary Range: $95,000 - $105,000

We Consider Applicants For All Positions On The Basis Of Merit, Qualifications And Business Needs, And Without Regard To Race, Color, National Origin, Religion, Sex, Gender Identity, Age, Disability, Alienage Or Citizenship Status, Ancestry, Marital Status, Creed, Genetic Predisposition Or Carrier Status, Sexual Orientation, Veteran Status, Familial Status, Status As A Victim Of Domestic Violence Or Any Other Status Or Characteristic Protected By Applicable Federal, State, Or Local Law.