Director, Event Planning & Project Management at MLS League Office

Overview The Events & Hospitality Department leads the strategic planning and execution of Major League Soccer and Soccer United Marketing’s event portfolio, delivering hundreds of enterprise-wide events annually. The portfolio includes marquee tentpole moments such as MLS All-Star Week, MLS Cup, MLS NEXT tournaments, Leagues Cup, the Mexican National Team U.S. Tour, Concacaf competitions, MLS Rivalry Week, Michelob Ultra Campeones Cup, and additional SUM/international properties. Beyond event execution, the department drives cross-functional initiatives including B2B and hospitality programming, executive meetings, press announcements, competition events, and enterprise-level strategic projects that advance league growth, commercial performance, and brand positioning. Position Summary The Director, Event Planning & Project Management serves as the operational leader and process architect for the MLS/SUM event portfolio. This role is responsible for overseeing a team of Event Managers who directly lead tentpole and large-scale events, while establishing the strategic frameworks, governance models, and project management infrastructure that ensure consistent, scalable, and high-performing execution across the department. This individual will not serve as the day-to-day producer of events such as MLS All-Star or MLS Cup, but rather as the senior leader overseeing the managers responsible for those events — providing direction, accountability, integration, and executive-level oversight. The Director will also lead cross-functional enterprise initiatives that extend beyond individual events, ensuring alignment across departments including Commercial, Marketing, Communications, Competition, Finance, Legal, and Operations. This role requires a disciplined project management mindset, strong leadership presence, and the ability to build repeatable systems that elevate performance year over year. Responsibilities Leadership & Team Development • Lead, manage, and develop a team of Event Managers who oversee MLS All-Star, MLS Cup, and other major properties. • Establish clear performance expectations, accountability structures and templates, and development plans for direct reports. • Serve as escalation point and strategic advisor to managers throughout planning and execution cycles. • Foster a culture of ownership, operational discipline, collaboration, and continuous improvement. • Drive succession planning and capability building within the Events team. Portfolio Oversight & Governance • Provide executive-level oversight across the MLS/SUM event portfolio, ensuring alignment with league priorities, commercial objectives, and brand standards. • Oversee strategic planning milestones for tentpole events, ensuring managers maintain clear workback schedules, stakeholder alignment, and budget discipline. • Review and guide event strategy, production plans, staffing models, and execution frameworks without directly owning day-to-day production. • Identify portfolio-level risks, resource gaps, and interdependencies across events. • Standardize planning cadences and reporting structures across all major properties. Project Management Infrastructure & Process Building • Design and implement scalable project management frameworks across the department, including: • Master planning timelines • Stakeholder matrices • RACI models • Budget tracking tools • Risk mitigation protocols • Post-event reporting templates • Establish governance structures for cross-functional initiatives, ensuring clarity of ownership, deliverables, and decision-making pathways. • Lead enterprise-wide planning processes for large-scale initiatives that intersect multiple departments. • Build documentation standards and institutional knowledge systems to improve efficiency and year-over-year performance. • Drive continuous improvement by evaluating post-event insights and operational data to refine processes. Cross-Functional Enterprise Leadership • Lead complex cross-functional initiatives beyond event execution, ensuring alignment, accountability, and milestone delivery. • Ensure commercial partner activations and league initiatives are operationally integrated across all major events. Financial & Operational Oversight • Oversee portfolio-level budget strategy, including forecasting, financial tracking, reconciliation, and cost-efficiency planning. • Review and approve major vendor engagements, contracts, and agency scopes of work. • Ensure financial accountability across managed events. • Drive operational consistency in vendor selection, contracting processes, and payment workflows. Onsite Executive Leadership • Provide onsite oversight at marquee events, serving as strategic lead and escalation point for critical operational decisions. • Support Event Managers in maintaining cross-functional alignment during live event execution. Additional Responsibilities ...