Senior Director of Events, Marketing and Communications

About Accion:

Accion is a global nonprofit on a mission to create a fair and inclusive economy for the 1.6 billion people who are failed by the global financial system. We develop and scale responsible digital financial solutions for small business owners, smallholder farmers, and women, so they can make informed decisions and improve their lives. Through targeted investment strategies, advisory solutions, and expert thought leadership, we work with local partners to develop and scale cheaper, more accessible, and customer-friendly financial solutions. Since 1961, Accion has helped build 299 financial service providers serving low-income clients in 77 countries, reaching over 500 million people. More at https://www.accion.org.

Position Summary 

Accion is establishing a dedicated Events Team within its Marketing and Communications Department to help elevate the delivery, strategic value, and consistency of events across the organization. Accion and the Center for Financial Inclusion (CFI) organize a substantial calendar of events including flagship convenings such as the Harvard Business School (HBS)-Accion Program on Strategic Leadership in Inclusive Finance, Financial Inclusion Week, the Responsible Finance Forum, and the Accion Ventures CEO Forum and Fintech for Inclusion Summit, as well as smaller standalone gatherings anchored to key industry events and internal meetings around the world. Events have historically been managed on a decentralized basis, and Accion is now investing in a centralized events function to support subject matter staff to deliver quality experiences that strengthen Accion’s brand and relationship building.

The Senior Director of Events will lead the newly formed Events Team and will be responsible for the end-to-end project management of the events pipeline. This is a highly visible leadership role at the intersection of strategy, brand, and operational excellence: the Senior Director will partner closely with Department Leads across Accion and CFI, and with colleagues across Marketing and Communications, to ensure that every Accion-organized event reflects the organization’s ambitions, meets its strategic objectives, and is delivered flawlessly from initial planning through post-event follow-up. The Senior Director will also directly manage the Specialist, Events, building a high-performing team that becomes a trusted resource across the organization.

This is an open-ended, fully remote position based in Spain, reporting to the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer.

Position Responsibilities

• Lead the project management of Accion and CFI’s events pipeline, spanning flagship convenings, mid-sized convenings, and smaller in-person or virtual events, both standalone and anchored to other gatherings.
• Serve as the primary Events Team point of contact for Department Leads, engaging early in the planning and budgeting process to ensure resources, dates, and logistics are secured well in advance of each event.
• Partner with Department Leads and the Communications Team on event concept, format, programming, marketing, and location, translating each department’s strategic goals and target audiences into a well-structured, high-impact event design.
• Own quality and consistency of event delivery across the organization, ensuring every event is executed in line with the strategy agreed with the Department Lead and with Accion’s brand and reputational standards.
• Oversee full-cycle logistics support, including venue scoping and contracting, vendor management, audiovisual coordination, speaker prep and logistics, registration, and on-site delivery, working in close coordination with the Communications Team.
• Oversee the selection, implementation, and management of event technology platforms (registration, invitations, event design/branding tools), leveraging Accion’s core platforms and subscriptions.
• Build and codify Accion’s events expertise — developing best-practice frameworks for structuring events to maximize audience engagement and participation, sharing these with departments across Accion and CFI.
• Manage and mentor the Specialist, Events, setting priorities, reviewing work product, and building team capacity as the events function scales.
• Oversee post-event follow-up, including coordination of follow-up communications, project management of AV assets, and administration of speaker and audience satisfaction evaluations.
• Track budgets and vendor spend across the events portfolio, ensuring plans remain aligned with the resources allocated by each sponsoring department.
• Represent the Events Team in cross-departmental planning discussions and contribute to the broader Marketing and Communications strategy, particularly as it relates to Accion’s positioning at high-profile external convenings.
• Build connections with contractors, as needed, to provide surge capacity around in-person events.

Position Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive experience in events management, event marketing, or a related field, of which at least 8 years in a senior leadership capacity, including experience managing a portfolio of complex, high-profile events ideally within a global nonprofit, financial services, or professional services environment.
• Demonstrated track record leading end-to-end event delivery, from concept development through to on-the-ground execution and post-event evaluation.
• Prior experience building, leading, and developing a team, with strong people-management and delegation skills.
• Exceptional project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent, high-stakes events across different regions and time zones.
• Strong relationship management skills and the judgment to serve as a trusted advisor and thought partner to senior Department Leads across an international organization.
• Experience with event management and marketing platforms (e.g., registration/invitation systems, CRM/marketing automation tools) and a strong working knowledge of event budgeting.
• Excellent English written and verbal communication skills, with close attention to brand consistency and quality.
• Fluency in Spanish a strong plus.
• Familiarity with the financial inclusion, impact investing, fintech, or international development sectors.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment while maintaining composure and professionalism under pressure with strong attention to detail.
• Interested in our mission and working globally.
• Willingness to embody our values of excellence, respect and passion for social change.
  • Excellence: Accion staff should always put forth their best effort in all activities, strive for high quality of collective and individual performance; and demonstrate honesty and integrity at all times while in the workplace and while working on behalf of the organization.
  • Respect: Accion staff should value one another’s roles and responsibilities as much as their own, be encouraging, and value the diverse and unique perspectives of colleagues. They should honor obligations and commitments to each other and to external partners.
  • Passion for Social Change: Accion staff should be committed to making a difference in the lives of those less fortunate, value the greater good of the organization over personal gain, and promote a productive workplace by acknowledging the accomplishments of others.

This position requires travel of up to 20%, domestically and/or internationally, to support event planning visits, on-site event delivery, and organizational meetings.

Accion is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace culture. Accion seeks qualified applicants without regard to race, color, gender, sex, age, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military and veteran status, gender identity or expression, genetic information, change of sex or transgender status, or any other basis protected by law. Accion is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.