Senior Events Coordinator

Who you are

• This is an ideal role for someone who loves organization, thrives in fast-paced environments, and enjoys balancing logistics with creative work
• We are seeking a dynamic individual who is able to adapt and take on new responsibilities as they arise
• 3–6 years of experience in corporate event planning
• Experience supporting government conferences, military events, or federal customers
• Strong project management and organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail
• Ability to manage multiple events simultaneously and adapt when priorities shift mid-stream
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience working across marketing, sales, and external vendors
• Willingness to travel as needed for events
• A bias toward action: when something needs figuring out, you figure it out
• A genuine interest in the mission to get software to warfighters
• Experience in the defense, national security, or gov-tech space
• Familiarity with CRM and marketing automation platforms (such as HubSpot)
• Highly organized to ensure details are addressed and deliverables are shipped
• Comfortable shifting between heads-down planning work and high-energy event execution
• Reliable follow-through: when you say it's handled, it's handled
• Direct and clear in written and verbal communication, even when delivering bad news ("the venue double-booked us" shouldn't come with a three-paragraph preamble)
• Able to work asynchronously with a distributed team while keeping stakeholders in the loop without being asked
• Composed under pressure: events rarely go exactly to plan, and you don't spiral when they don't
• Receptive to feedback and willing to flag problems early rather than quietly hoping they resolve themselves
• Don’t have all the preferred experience or qualifications? Studies show that underrepresented groups like women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don't meet every requirement listed
• At Defense Unicorns, we're committed to diversity. If you're enthusiastic about the role but don't match every criteria, we encourage you to apply. You could be the perfect fit for this or another role!

What the job involves

• We're looking for a Sr. Events Coordinator to help bring our brand to life through exceptional event experiences. You’ll own the planning, coordinating, and executing of events hosted by Defense Unicorns, including customer events, hackathons, and trainings
• This role is part planner, part operator. You'll build the project plans, manage the vendors, track the budgets, and be the person on the ground making sure nothing falls apart. When something does fall apart, you fix it before anyone notices
• You'll work cross-functionally with marketing, growth, delivery, and leadership to make sure events reflect who we are and why we exist. You’ll play a key role in ensuring events run seamlessly
• The listed responsibilities are not exhaustive and additional responsibilities may be assigned based on the evolving needs of the organization
• Plan and execute company-hosted events from venue sourcing through post-event wrap-up
• Coordinate event staffing, shipping, setup, execution, and teardown
• Manage vendor and venue relationships: contracts, coordination, and ongoing communication across events
• Create and maintain project plans, timelines, budgets, and event checklists for every event in the pipeline
• Track event costs, process invoices, and report expenses against approved budgets
• Communicate proactively about event scheduling, status updates, and changes to program directors, staff, speakers, vendors, and leadership
• Serve as the on-the-ground point of contact at events, handling real-time problem-solving with composure
• Coordinate staffing, setup, and teardown for on-site execution
• Manage event logistics including shipping, inventory, event materials, and vendor coordination to ensure everything arrives where it needs to be, when it needs to be there
• Work with marketing team members to support event promotion and ensure brand consistency across event touchpoints

Benefits

• Medical/Dental/Vision (premiums are 100% company paid)
• Health reimbursement account
• Life insurance & disability insurance
• 401k with employer contribution (regardless of employee contribution)
• Company stock options
• Home office setup budget
• Unlimited paid time off, with a mandatory 10 days off on top of 11 federal government holidays
• Paid parental leave
• Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
• Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)