CVP, Head of Convening

About Us: Recognized as the trusted source for industry knowledge, LIMRA and LOMA provides research, training, development, and networking solutions to financial services companies. In a rapidly changing marketplace, companies rely on us for our industry insight, practical solutions, and unwavering commitment to their success.

Why Join Us: Leading life insurance and financial services organizations around the world rely on our membership to make bottom-line decisions with greater confidence. They turn to us for:

• Research: Catalysts for new ideas, industry benchmarking, and strategic planning.
• Learning & Development: Programs to assess, train, and increase productivity, and develop future corporate leaders.
• Networking: Connections with industry leaders and peers through study groups, committees, and conferences.

The Opportunity: Members tell us that LIMRA and LOMA’s ability to bring them together to discuss and address common challenges is one of the key benefits of membership.  These convening activities are core to what we do, with over a dozen conferences each year. Our goal is to continually enhance the value of members coming together to engage with each other and stay informed about what’s happening in the industry.

This role will be responsible for leading all facets of the convening function within the organization. This starts with developing and executing holistic strategies for member gatherings including defining best practices, establishing consistent approaches, and maintaining high standards for attendee experience at LIMRA and LOMA events as well as ensuring delivery of member-centric convening experiences to support the organization’s goal of advancing the financial services industry. 

What You’ll Do:

• Develop the strategic vision for convening within our organization to increase member value and engagement as well as contribute to the organization’s long-term success.  Continuously refresh the vision to stay contemporary with changes in our marketplace to meet evolving member needs.
• Gather, manage, and prioritize member needs and market opportunities; ensure such needs and opportunities are addressed through content and thematic focus of member gatherings.
• Perform competitive analyses and design of convening activities overall through market intelligence, and advise on long-term development of future events, solutions, and experiences.
• Collaborate successfully with key internal and external stakeholders, working as a team to achieve strategic objectives.
• Implement strategy on a day-to-day basis, with related business plans, budgets, and reporting, including annual analysis of the organization’s convening activities to ensure success.
• Manage revenue and expense budgets for all conferences, delivering a financially effective collection of conference experiences annually.
• Lead and develop the conferences and events teams, creating clarity around priorities, expectations, and measures of success while empowering leaders and team members to take ownership of execution and results.
• Establish best practices for convening, including evaluating the quality and value of each member gathering on a regular basis and expanding or sunsetting programs as appropriate. 
• Facilitate thematic messaging and alignment of content and activities at member gatherings is consistent with the organization’s overall strategy and key member interests.
• Establish and maintain processes for capturing member feedback at conferences with subsequent sharing of information within the organization to help organization meet member needs.  Utilize feedback to inform strategy and activities of convening functions, specifically.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with key industry influencers and strategic partners.
• Introduce new and innovative approaches to enhance attendee experience at LIMRA and LOMA events; create and champion others’ breakthrough ideas and initiatives

• Bachelor's degree in a related field; advanced degrees and certifications are a plus
• 10+ years of comprehensive (deep and broad) experience in roles related to convening an conference management
  • Financial services experience/knowledge is strongly preferred
  • Trade or professional association experience a plus
• 7+ years experience managing a team and as a leader of leaders
• Extensive experience success in building brand experiences through meetings and event management and sponsorship opportunities.
• Ability to travel up to 50% of the time, including occasional weekend travel
• CMP certification preferred

What Do You Need To Succeed?

• Deep understanding of conference management with a proven track record of success in delivering programs with highly valued content and profitably growing an organization’s conference/convening business.
• Aptitude to think about and plan the future with imagination and wisdom to creatively evolve brand and presence in convening; ability to identify new opportunities and incorporate into vision and plan of action. 
• Ability to interface with colleagues and industry professionals at all levels, and influence peers and others without direct authority in order to achieve desired impact and results.
• Ability to build collaborative and trusted relationships across teams and with key stakeholders.  Listens actively, seeks to understand different perspectives, and creates meaningful opportunities for others to contribute to decisions and solutions.
• Bias for action and execution, balanced with sound judgment and an understanding of when to seek input and build alignment.  Removes barriers to success, drives accountability, and maintains momentum toward shared objectives. 
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated success developing individuals, teams, and other leaders.  Leads with humility and curiosity, actively seeks input, and leverages the expertise of others.  Successfully leads change by building understanding and ownership around change and clearly communicating the “why,” inviting different perspectives, and bringing people along as the organization evolves.
• Ability to pivot between strategic vision and tactical focus as appropriate and be decisive even when confronted with limited information. 
• Ability to anticipate members’ needs, as well as incorporate member feedback into action plans to optimize effectiveness of member gatherings.
• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Works cooperatively with others across the organization to achieve shared objectives.
• Executive presence and influence.
• Understand and advance the organization’s mission; ability to “connect the dots” between key messages and activities at an organizational level, within the convening functions.
• Strategic thinking translated into action – Ability to align delivery outcomes with enterprise goals and long-term vision.
• Excellent presentation skills including being able to effectively communicate the LIMRA and LOMA convening value proposition.
• Decision-making, prioritization, and trade-off management. 
• Good organization, attention to detail, and follow-up skills as well as strong project and budget management capabilities, ensuring adherence to timelines and delivery against key milestones.
• Strong negotiation skills. 
• Lead with our ICARE values and coach others to do so as well.  Demonstrate sound professional judgment and competence.

Attributes:

Adaptable. Responds resourcefully to new demands and challenges.

Passionate. Self-starts and stays highly motivated to achieve aggressive goals. Shares contagious energy and enthusiasm liberally. Maintains an insatiable appetite for progress and excellence.

Leads with curiosity and a service mindset.  Listens first, values the expertise and contributions of others, and seeks feedback without defensiveness.  Learns, adapts, and improves continuously. 

Shares credit, recognizes others’ contributions, and creates opportunities for others to succeed.

Integrity-centered. Is trustworthy, truthful, and transparent in all aspects of work. Keeps commitments to external and internal parties. Holds self strictly accountable.

Respectful. Appreciates the benefits of different backgrounds and perspectives. Integrates different ideas. Places customers' and team members' interests ahead of own interests.

Entrepreneurial. Rolls up sleeves and is hands-on where needed. Sees opportunity and pursues full potential. Works quickly, intelligently, and flexibly.

Visionary - looks forward and creatively evolves brand and presence in the convening market. Has a visionary and creative approach to achieve goals.


Join Us: If you are someone who values collaboration, continuous learning, and making meaningful contributions, we encourage you to apply and explore this opportunity at LIMRA and LOMA.

LIMRA and LOMA are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where individuals feel valued and empowered to contribute. We welcome people with unique perspectives and backgrounds, recognizing that a wide range of experiences strengthens our ability to help members navigate with confidence.

We are an Equal Opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ancestry, color, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, medical condition, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by law.

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