Senior Events Marketing Specialist

Who we are

At CarGurus (NASDAQ: CARG), our mission is to give people the power to reach their destination. We started as a small team of developers determined to bring trust and transparency to car shopping. Since then, our history of innovation and go-to-market acceleration has driven industry-leading growth. In fact, we’re the largest and fastest-growing automotive marketplace, and we’ve been profitable for over 15 years.

What we do

The market is evolving, and we are too, moving the entire automotive journey online and guiding our customers through every step. That includes everything from the sale of an old car to the financing, purchase, and delivery of a new one. Today, tens of millions of consumers visit CarGurus.com each month, and ~30,000 dealerships use our products. But they're not the only ones who love CarGurus—our employees do, too. We have a people-first culture that fosters kindness, collaboration, and innovation, and empowers our Gurus with tools to fuel their career growth. Disrupting a trillion-dollar industry requires fresh and diverse perspectives. Come join us for the ride!

Role overview

This role leads execution and optimization of a portfolio of B2B events that drive demand, revenue, and brand perception, and feeds insights and recommendations into the broader event strategy. This person will own end-to-end planning and execution for a portfolio of high-impact events, tradeshows, dinners, swag initiatives, and thought leadership opportunities.

They will work closely with the Sr. Manager of Events, the Director of Brand Marketing, Sales, and cross-functional partners to set goals, define measurement frameworks, and report on performance and insights from our events program.

What you'll do

• Lead end-to-end execution of marketing events, with a primary focus on hospitality events, automotive tradeshows, and VIP customer advisory boards and summits (virtual and in-person).

• Own event planning and project management, including defining objectives, target audiences, key messages, event formats, timelines, and success metrics.

• Lead Cvent implementation and optimization with cross-functional stakeholders.

• Own relationships with vendors and partners, including procurement, negotiating, and managing contracts, deliverables, and performance.

• Monitor tasks and project assignments, ensuring project schedules are met, risks are surfaced early, and changes are communicated to stakeholders.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with Brand, Sales, Product, Creative, and broader marketing teams to ensure events are aligned to GTM priorities and executed on time and on brand.

• Manage event orders, shipments, and on-site needs, including signage, giveaways, name badges, lanyards, and attendee/participant swag, ensuring a high-quality attendee experience.

• Design and oversee pre-, during-, and post-event communication plans, including invites, reminders, on-site guidance, follow-up, and surveys to maximize registration, attendance, and engagement.

• Facilitate and secure speaking and sponsorship opportunities, partnering with internal stakeholders who own content to shape a compelling on-site presence.

• Own and track annual event and membership budgets for your programs; forecast, reconcile expenses, and maintain accurate records.

• Identify project and program risks and develop contingency plans to ensure successful execution despite changing conditions.

• Support and improve event marketing operations, including processes for survey sends, list pulls, invite sends, registration workflows, and lead handoff.

• Prepare and present event performance reports (e.g., attendance, engagement, lead quality, pipeline impact, ROI) with clear insights and recommendations for optimization.

• Contribute to event best practices and playbooks, helping to evolve how we plan, execute, measure, and scale events over time.

What you'll bring

• 6+ years of B2B marketing event management experience (automotive, technology, or SaaS experience preferred), including high-touch hospitality events or VIP programs.

• Proven track record owning execution for complex, multi-stakeholder events and tradeshows, from brief and planning through on-site presence and post-event analysis.

• Demonstrate strong business and financial acumen, can connect event strategy to revenue, customer health, and broader company strategy with minimal oversight.

• Excellent project management and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple events and priorities simultaneously.

• Experience influencing and leading cross-functional teams (including senior stakeholders) to drive alignment and successful outcomes.

• Experience managing relationships with external vendors and membership organizations, including negotiation and performance management.

• Experience managing budgets and delivering program events to meet or beat budget expectations.

• Comfort with event performance measurement, including defining KPIs, pulling data, and analyzing results in order to raise insights and recommendations.

• Curious and comfortable experimenting with AI-powered tools to optimize planning, communications, reporting, and other event workflows.

• Familiarity with Google Workspace and event management platforms.

• Experience with Salesforce and hands-on Cvent implementation and optimization is a plus.

The displayed range represents the expected annual base salary / On-Target Earnings (OTE) for this position. On-Target Earnings (OTE) is inclusive of base salary and on-target commission earnings, which applies exclusively to sales roles.

Individual pay within this range is determined by work location and other factors such as job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

This annual base salary forms part of a comprehensive Total Rewards Package. In addition to benefits, this role may qualify for discretionary bonuses/incentives and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).

Position Pay Range
$80,000—$100,000 USD

Working at CarGurus

We reward our Gurus’ curiosity and passion with best-in-class benefits and compensation, including equity for all employees, both when they start and as they continue to grow with us. Our career development and corporate giving programs, as well as our employee resource groups (ERGs) and communities, help people build connections while making an impact in personally meaningful ways. A flexible hybrid model and robust time off policies encourage work-life balance and individual well-being. Thoughtful perks like daily free lunch, a new car discount, meditation and fitness apps, commuting cost coverage, and more help our people create space for what matters most in their personal and professional lives.

We welcome all

CarGurus strives to be a place to which people can bring the ultimate expression of themselves and their potential—starting with our hiring process. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We foster an inclusive environment that values people for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. That’s why we hope you’ll apply even if you don’t check every box listed in the job description. We also encourage you to tell your recruiter if you require accommodations to participate in our hiring process due to a disability so we can provide the appropriate support. We want to know what only you can bring to CarGurus. #LI-Hybrid