Activation & Experiential Manager

Role Overview

The Activation & Experiential Manager reports directly to the Director of Brand Partnerships and is responsible for developing and executing Fashion Nova's events and brand activations from start to finish. This role requires someone who is both highly creative and highly operational, with the ability to turn a strong idea into flawlessly executed world-class experiential moments.

The Manager will lead everything from intimate 15-person VIP dinners to large-scale 1,000+ guest events with budgets of $1M+. They must have exceptional taste, strong production standards, and an established network of top-tier vendors and partners.

Working closely with executive leadership, talent, internal teams, and external agencies, the Manager will own the full activation process, including concept development, planning, budgeting, vendor management, production, execution, and post-event wrap-up.

Key Responsibilities

• Cross-Functional, Talent & Stakeholder Alignment

Additional information

Cross-Functional & Talent Synchronization: Act as the primary operational connector across Executive Leadership, Brand Partnerships, Creative, Talent Partnerships, PR, Social, and Legal teams to align launch dates, approvals, and contract deliverables, while overseeing operational workflows and on-site touchpoints involving high-profile celebrities, influencers, VIPs, and talent to ensure seamless, high-touch experiences.

Executive Presence & Reporting: Work closely with C-suite and executive leadership to present concepts, align on strategy, deliver cultural trend reports, and present post-activation success/ROI metrics.

Agency & Partner Network Coordination: Leverage an established network of production companies, fabricators, venue partners, and agencies to guarantee seamless communication and top-tier execution across all external parties.

Internal Employee Programming: Collaborate with Brand Partnerships, Creative, and internal stakeholders to project manage company culture initiatives, celebrations, and internal programming from creative concept through execution.

• Creative, Production Budget Management

Strategic & Creative Co-Conceptualization: Partner closely with the Director of Brand Partnerships, Creative Director, and executive leadership to invent and shape cutting-edge, on-brand activation concepts.

Aesthetic Quality Control: Serve as the creative guardian for all live moments, enforcing uncompromisingly high production values across spatial design, lighting, fabrication, decor, and overall atmosphere.

Spatial Design & Technical Oversight: Review and evaluate 3D renderings, floor plans, and spatial design layouts to ensure physical builds match approved creative concepts and spatial requirements.

Varied Budget Oversight: Demonstrate proven financial management across varied budget tiers, including the ability to put on high-quality events on smaller budgets ($10K-$20K) as well as full financial oversight and tracking of large-scale $500K to $1M+ activation allocations.

Contract & Financial Administration: Manage quote auditing, invoice processing, and contract routing across vendors, suppliers, and production partners.

Product & Inventory Integration: Partner closely with buying and merchandising teams to pull and manage the necessary stock and inventory needed for all activations, events, and seamless product integration on-site.

Asset Recycling System: Create and maintain an internal asset management system to inventory decor, props, and signage for reuse across rolling events to maximize budget efficiency.

• Rolling Timelines & On-Site Execution

Multi-Scale Project Management: Build detailed master project plans, production timelines, and deliverable schedules across rolling, simultaneous activation pipelines.

On-Site Crisis Management & Composure: Serve as the primary lead on-site for setup, live execution, and teardown. Maintain exceptional composure, adaptability, and real-time problem-solving skills when unpredicted challenges arise on-site.

• Global & Domestic Execution

Domestic & International Logistics: Lead on-site execution, setups, and teardowns locally, domestically, and internationally for key seasonal and cultural moments for the brand.

• Cultural Leadership & Brand Elevation

Cultural & Trend Leadership: Stay deeply plugged into global experiential culture, art, fashion, luxury hospitality, and emerging lifestyle trends to ensure brand activations remain ahead of the curve to elevate the brand's footprint into a cultural force.

Role Requirements

• Minimum of 6-8+ years of progressive experience in experiential marketing, event production, or brand activations within fashion, retail, luxury hospitality, or entertainment.
• Portfolio Required: Applicants must submit a portfolio or detailed case studies showcasing personally led activations, highlighting creative concepts, event scale, and budget tiers managed.
• Dual skillset: Equal parts creative ideator with high taste standards and hyper-organized operational manager.
• Proven track record managing activation budgets across all scales-from putting on high-quality events on smaller budgets ($10K-$20K) to personally managing large-scale budgets ranging from $500K to $1M+.
• Proven experience managing events across all guest scales, from intimate 15-person VIP gatherings to 1,000+ attendee activations.
• Direct experience working with celebrities, influencers, high-net-worth VIPs, and talent management teams.
• An existing, robust network of top-tier production agencies, fabricators, venue contacts, and industry vendors.
• Proven history of working directly alongside executive and C-suite leadership.
• Exceptional composure under pressure with a demonstrated ability to solve complex, real-time operational issues on-site.
• Ability to review spatial layouts and 3D renderings to guide physical production.
• Flexibility to work non-standard hours, including nights, weekends, and domestic/international travel as needed.
• Bachelor's degree in Event Management, Marketing, Business Administration, or a related field.

Benefits

• NEW state-of-the-art HQ upcoming in 2025!
• Formalized career paths for continued professional growth
• Comprehensive health insurance across Medical, Dental and Vision
• 401k match, with immediate vesting upon eligibility
• Weekly catered lunches fully-stock kitchen pantry!
• Opportunities to travel for trade shows and vendor meetings
• Summer Fridays Early Departure
• Team bonding events and programs
• Attractive employee discounts!

NOTICE AT COLLECTION