Operations Manager, Meetings and Events

Carlson Wagonlit Travel
United States, Minnesota, Minnetonka
701 Carlson Parkway (Show on map)
Nov 04, 2025
CWT Meetings & Events is a global, full-service meetings and events agency with over 30 years of experience providing innovative solutions for both strategic meetings and event management. We live, breathe and thrive on executing some of the most innovative events and finest meetings of all shapes and sizes. We're a community of 1,400 meetings and event experts spanning 68 countries and we are continuing to grow. We are always on the lookout for talented people to join us on our journey and help us to exceed both our own expectations, and those of our clients. Position Overview Leads and directs dedicated meetings team to ensure service excellence, complete implementation, and maximum utilization of the client's global SMM services, with a focus on quality, customer satisfaction, productivity, and efficiency. Provides leadership and direction necessary to engage and develop staff. Owns the management and compliance to procedures, encourages innovation and creative solutions development, maintains excellence in the delivery of service to clients, and manages costs. Liaise closely with operational counterparts in other regions as well as program manager to ensure Regional and Global alignment. Main responsibilities: 1. Directs activities of business operations to ensure profitability and quality 2. Work with client's program management to identify a clear understanding of client needs and develop solutions to client requirements. 3. Provides leadership on day-to-day operations for an M&E team; taking actions to ensure the availability and development of talent needed to meet current and future organizational needs 4. Sets clear, measurable performance expectations. 5. Drives operational excellence and highest levels of customer service; fostering a customer centric environment where the customer perspective is central to the activity and thinking of the department. 6. Implements necessary training and staff development based on the client's Services Standards. 7. Implements and maintains required/best in class tools and technology to best serve the client's customers. 8. Collaborate with CWT Program Manager to develop solutions to client requirements and needs. 9. Implements client's SMM standards. Assists with developing innovative ideas, solutions and opportunities to achieve business objectives and further integration with client's SMM offering. 10. Creates a culture of passion around delivering the ultimate customer experience through engagement and empowerment in work with colleagues and staff. 11. Communicates with staff at all levels to ensure knowledge of progress, gaps in performance, and link of individual contributions to overall business objectives. 12. Maintains communication with client and CWT M&E management to ensure that they are aware of client's progress, key changes, and gaps in performance with time enough to develop strategies to address these issues. 13. Collaborates with CWT Directors and Managers in other areas of CWT M&E to share best practices /standard procedures, identify opportunities for improvement, and work together to better serve the customer and engage the workforce. 14. Develops and ensures the ongoing maintenance of the client's operations manual to include common processes and procedures as well as client's brand standards and requirements to ensure global consistencies. Makes recommendations to improve the profitability of the operation. 15. Maintains consistent communication necessary to strategic planning, business resiliency and client decision-making. 16. Performs other duties as assigned. #LI-REMOTE Qualifications Position Requirements 1. Education: College diploma or degree in related field. * 2. Experience: Minimum 10 years of Meeting/Event Management experience required. Experience within Strategic Meetings Management (SMM) required. 3. License or Certification: CMP, SMMC, CMM designation an asset. Project Management designation/training an asset. 4. Skills: Strong communications skills both verbal and written. Detail oriented. Strong Financial Acumen. 5. Abilities: Ability to remain calm and composed under stressful situation. Act as a role model to create an agile, change-adept department. CWT is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status. CWT also offers opportunities to all job seekers including job seekers with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation to assist with your job search or application for employment, please contact us by sending an email toTalentAcquisitonAmericas@mycwt.com. In your email, please include a description of the specific accommodation you are requesting and a description of the position for which you are applying. Work Arrangement : Home Employment type : Standard Job Family : Meetings & Events Scope : Country Travel : Yes, 20 % of the Time Shift : Day Job Organization : Customer_Meetings & Events Experience Level : More than 10 years Job Posting : Nov 4, 2025 As an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action employer, the organization will not discriminate in its employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other federal, state or local protected class