Director, Program Management, Travel Programs (Commercial Programs: Custom & Off-the-shelf)

Who We Are:

On Location is a premium experience provider, offering world class hospitality, ticketing, curated guest experiences, live event production, and travel management across sports, entertainment, and fashion. From unrivaled access for corporate clients to guests looking for fully immersive experiences at marquee events, On Location is the premier and official service provider to over 150 iconic rights holders, such as the IOC (Paris 2024, Milano Cortina 2026, LA 2028), NFL, NCAA, UFC and PGA of America, and numerous musical artists and festivals. The company also owns and operates a number of unique and exclusive experiences, transforming the most dynamic live events into a lifetime of memories. On Location is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.

Endeavor is a global sports and entertainment company, home to many of the world’s most dynamic and engaging storytellers, brands, live events, and experiences. The Endeavor network specializes in talent representation through entertainment agency WME; sports operations and advisory, event management, media production and distribution, and brand licensing through IMG; live event experiences and hospitality through On Location; full-service marketing through global cultural marketing agency 160over90; and sports data and technology through IMG ARENA and OpenBet. Endeavor is also the majority owner of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company comprising UFC and WWE.

The role of Director, Program Management – Travel Programs is a leadership role within the Program Management Team who will play a key role in market for the strategy, planning and delivery of the travel programs including custom groups and off-the shelf packages. This role will oversee the strategic planning and operations to bring the programs to life, while working closely with the product team as well as other key departments.  

·       Lead the in-market Program Management team in every facet of strategic planning to develop a scope, structure and budget for all hospitality programs 

·       Act as the dedicated primary contact and deliver end-to-end account management; present solutions, manage the day-to-day relationships, identify opportunities for enhanced program design and offer exemplary customer service to Client 

·       Lead Client’s successful program operations planning and delivery 

·       Develop and track budgets against financial targets. 

·       Report to client any expenses deviating from approved budgets so appropriate adjustments can be made to keep budget on track 

·       Establish and implement account management routines (weekly call, weekly/monthly reports etc.) with Client on all hospitality-related matters as required 

·       Develop strong positive relationships with Client key contacts based upon clear and frequent communication, mutual trust, and ability to meet Client’s needs 

·       Develop detailed and comprehensive itineraries for all client waves and for all constituents maximizing the use of all assets 

·       Closely coordinate and liaise with OL Games Services FAs and OCOGs (Organizing Committees of Olympic Games) to develop, allocate, and deliver appropriate assets and systems to Client in order to successfully manage their hospitality efforts and programs, including but not limited to:  

o   Accommodations – support hotel selection process; conduct and coordinate hotel site inspections with the On Location Accommodations team and/or Paris 2024; monitor and maintain additional rooms requests, pre/post, function space rentals, and F&B; room attrition; lead all phases of hotel operations (inventory, rooming list, function space, hotel resume, BEO, menus, etc.); finalize function space utilization plan 

o   Ticketing – develop a ticketing and in-venue hospitality strategy with Client; place hospitality order in On Location’s hospitality request portal (if relevant) or other system; assign seat blocks and tickets / passes for each event group within the various groups and programs; disseminate information on the use of digital tickets and passes; manage supplemental or changing requests against desired itinerary; order and manage any physical tickets or hospitality passes; if required, organize the safe ticket collection, transfer, and store any non-digital tickets or passes 

o   Games Hospitality (In-Venue Hospitality or “IVH”, Off-Venue Hospitality or “OVH”, and Hospitality Houses or “HH”) – Advise Client on options; develop strategy for use to complete program ticket needs and/or substitutions and/or supplement hotel food & beverage / function space usage; place hospitality request order, if relevant; finalize operational plans (inventory, allocation, bespoke requirements, integration with other assets, etc.); coordinate with Event Production team for all customized décor and design 

o   Event Production – Enable the collaboration between Client and On Location Production Manager for the delivery of all aspects of the creative design and optional build-out of all program hospitality venues and spaces (IVH, OVH, HH, hospitality lounges at hotels, private restaurant spaces, iconic venues, etc.) 

o   Experiences – Curate authentic, personalized, exclusive, and immersive experiences in collaboration with the On Location Experiences team and/or Custom Groups, as directed by Client; manage customized itineraries and fulfill special requests, coordinate all logistics affiliated with the program activities and experiences  

o   Staffing – Build an enthusiastic and talented team as required in each phase of planning and through onsite execution in collaboration with OL staffing team; handle all aspects of Client’s staffing needs and act as a Staffing Manager where needed; develop a recruitment strategy for all levels of staffing; liaise with the OL staffing team for global recruitment and local staffing to recruit, hire, train, and retain all staff 

o    Communications & Database – Supervise the appointed Communications & Database manager and liaise with On Location’s Technology and Business Operations team to ensure an efficient guest registration process, accurate data,   data protection, digital and up-to-date communication to all client stakeholders and program participants  

o   Transportation – Supervise the appointed Transportation Lead in all required tasks and collaborate as needed with On Location’s Transportation team for all transportation-related activities, including development and implementation of transportation plan, airport plan, luggage management, dissemination of transport scheduling updates, VAPPs (if relevant), and related transport equipment, signage, etc.  

o   Amenities / Uniform / Logistics – In collaboration with the On Location Licensing / Gifting team, with input from the Client and with approval from the IOC/IPC/OCOG, manage the strategy, curation, sourcing, and delivery of all amenities, uniform, and logistical needs; oversee all logistics, shipping, and warehousing needs 

o   Accreditations (if applicable) – Advise on rights; create and distribute internal accreditation guide; lead all communications, data collection, and submission process in OCOG system for workforce, executives, CEOs and leaders 

o   Budget Management – build and manage budget according to requirements; monitor and report expenditure; develop financial road map; provide monthly time sheet tracker for all staff to accounts payable for invoices; manage financial billing, payments with accounting as appropriate, lead budget reconciliation and reports (post-event) 

o   Security / Medical – Coordinate any security and/or medical needs as it relates to the delivery of the program(s), whether it be liaising with On Location’s preferred vendors or the Client’s 

o   Innovative Assets - Liaise with Games Services related to innovative assets to be made available and managed exclusively through On Location 

·       Maintain overall project planning timeline and monitor and mitigate project delays and risks 

·       Update time sheet tracker weekly and submit for review 

·       Follow all corporate governance and compliance processes for both On Location and Client 

·       Issue AAR (After-Action-Report) to include learnings and best practices (post event) 

Administrative & Other Responsibilities  

·       Create presentations and documentation in Microsoft office (PPT, Word, Excel, etc.) or Keynote as needed and assigned.    

·       Develop and implement specific event procedures and systems.  

·       Conduct and attend meetings as needed, including commercial experience meetings.  

·       Attend meetings and take notes to record updates and next steps.  

·       Manage timelines and deadlines related to assignments.  

·       Participate in brainstorm sessions; research, ideate and provide creative ideas.  

·       Manage assigned projects through companies’ project management system.  

·       Manage other administrative duties as needed.  

 

 

You Have These

·       Business/conversational Italian preferred. Fluent English required.   

·       Experience with Global Events and Operations including 4+ Olympic Games and/or FIFA World Cup required.   

·       Must have an interest in travel, tours, experiences, experiential marketing and continuously research new concepts, interesting ideas and activations.   

·       Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality, Event Management, Sports Marketing and/or a related field, or equivalent experience preferred.  

·       Experience in the Travel & Hospitality industry.  

·       Experience in strategic thinking and planning events including putting process and best practices in place.  

·       Extensive experience with guest services as well as event curation, execution, and/or operations.   

·       Experience with creating presentations in PowerPoint and/or Keynote presentations.  

·       Experience in Microsoft office (PPT, Word, Excel, etc. required.)  

·       Exceptional interpersonal skills with a collaborative style and ability to communicate effectively at all levels including strong oral, written, and presentation skills.  

·       Experience managing budgets and processing payments.  

·       Strive for ongoing creativity, innovation and new way of planning and executing events.  

·       A proven record of accomplishment of strong personal effectiveness in which imaginative, distinctive leadership and initiative have been demonstrated.  

·       Continually strive for self-development and discovering better means of accomplishing both personal and professional goals.  

·       Ability to live company’s Core Values every day and be a positive team member.  

 

We’d Love If You Also Have These: 

·       Exceptional interpersonal skills with a collaborative style and ability to communicate effectively at all levels including strong oral, written, and presentation skills. 

·       Experience managing budgets and processing payments. 

·       Strive for ongoing creativity, innovation and new way of planning and executing events. 

·       A proven record of accomplishment of strong personal effectiveness in which imaginative, distinctive leadership and initiative have been demonstrated. 

·       Continually strive for self-development and discovering better means of accomplishing both personal and professional goals. 

·       Ability to live company’s Core Values every day and be a positive team member.   

 

 

Travel: Must be adaptable with work and travel schedule, including both domestic and international destinations. Available to travel for work during holidays, weekends, and key event times.   The role will be event based for the duration of the Games.  

 

 

Working Conditions: 

·       Fixed Term Position – Milan, Italy

·       Working hours are:  9am-5pm

·       Working days are: Monday-Friday

·       Travel: Must be adaptable with work and travel schedule, including both domestic and international destinations. Available to travel for work during holidays, weekends, and key event times.   The role will be event based for the duration of the Games.

 

How we work: 

Endeavor is at the center of sports, media, entertainment, and fashion and is a largely relationship-based business. To foster an environment of collaboration, develop our future talent, and build on relationships across leadership, peers, and teams, we work from the office 4 days per week/in a remote capacity. We see immeasurable value internally and throughout the core of the businesses we support.

 

Don’t meet every single requirement? We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Endeavor unites and brings people together in our love of sport, culture, and entertainment. We understand this can only be accomplished when we lead with a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. As a global company that drives culture, we strive to reflect the world’s diverse voices.  

Endeavor is an equal opportunities employer and encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief.