Senior Event Manager, Marketing

About Xanadu:
Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere.

At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers. We are creating something that has never been built before. What we are doing is extremely hard, the classic moon shot. Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems, and literally change the world. And that is something to be excited about!

Your role and responsibilities:
We are looking for a highly strategic and creative Senior Event Manager to drive the in-person and experiential marketing efforts for Xanadu and PennyLane. At Xanadu, we are pioneering the future of quantum computing using photonic technologies, building hardware and software tools that are redefining computing capabilities worldwide. In this role, you will be the mastermind behind our physical presence, translating our cutting-edge technology and brand narrative into memorable, high-impact event experiences. You will collaborate deeply across our marketing, product, and communications teams to ensure a unified and powerful corporate voice on the global stage.

You will:

• Strategic Event Planning: Own the overall annual event plan, managing a comprehensive portfolio that ranges from niche, industry-focused meetups to large-scale, Tier 1 corporate events.
• Corporate Presence & Experience: Oversee the corporate presence at all global conferences, meetups, and speaking engagements. Develop and execute the in-person experience for Xanadu and PennyLane, maintaining a consistent physical presence and cohesive company narratives.
• Brand Identity & Messaging: Design the corporate identity for events. Ensure that all messaging across presentations, talks, speaker bios, and presented materials aligns with our overall corporate messaging and market positioning.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration:
• Partner closely with communications to align major news moments with event timelines, ensuring consistent branding and messaging for both our speakers and physical event spaces.
• Engage the Digital Engagement Manager to build and execute a robust external amplification story before, during, and after every event to maximize audience reach and engagement.
• Collaborate with Product Managers and Product Marketing Managers on content development, supporting marketing campaigns that extend seamlessly beyond the event itself.
• Performance & ROI: Craft, own, and track comprehensive event KPIs. Continuously measure performance, optimize strategies, and deliver against business goals.
• Event Operations:
• Own end-to-end strategy, planning, and execution.
• Manage day-to-day operational activities and lead event content workstreams to ensure aligned, high-quality deliverables.
• Develop reusable operational mechanisms and frameworks to streamline repeating event processes and scale execution efficiency.
• Oversee vendor management and logistics, ensuring seamless on-site operations and execution.
• Establish campaign tracking and post-event analytics to measure performance, ROI, and overall business impact.

This position is based in Toronto, ON, with expected global travel of approximately 25–30%.

Basic qualifications and experience:

• 5+ years of progressive experience in event strategy and management, ideally within a large corporate, B2B SaaS, or deep-tech environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Hospitality, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).
• Proven track record of successfully forecasting, managing, and reconciling large-scale event budgets with a strict focus on ROI.
• Extensive experience negotiating contracts and managing relationships with global venues, external production agencies, AV teams, and trade show vendors.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to brief, prep, and manage C-level executives and subject matter experts for high-stakes speaking engagements.
• Exceptional organizational abilities with a high capacity to manage multiple complex events simultaneously. Proficiency in setting up and utilizing standard corporate tools for event management and reporting.
• Willingness and ability to travel globally (approx. 25–30%) to oversee on-site event execution and logistics.

Preferred qualifications and experience:

• Experience creating and scaling experiential marketing efforts within deep-tech, developer, or developer-tooling communities (e.g., PennyLane ecosystem).
• Track record of building reusable event execution mechanisms and operational frameworks in high-growth technology environments.

This is for a new position. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and internal benchmarks. The base salary range is 120,000 - 170,000 CAD. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.

Our values are important. They are fundamental and lay the foundation for culture at Xanadu. Learn more about our values here.

We are an equal opportunity employer and encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply. We are committed to building an inclusive, safe, and equitable culture and fostering an environment where our employees feel included, valued, and heard. We are committed to meeting the needs of all individuals and support a barrier-free workplace. Should you require accommodations at any point during the recruitment process please contact Recruiting at [email protected].

Please be advised that we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist in the screening and assessment of applicants for this position. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.