Executive Development Manager – Leadership Programs & Executive Events

Executive Development Manager – Leadership Programs & Executive Events
(Program Mgr III)
Location: North Chicago, IL (Abbott Park area) 
Work Model: Hybrid – 3 days onsite / 2 days remote
Contract Duration: 12 months, with potential for extension
Schedule: Flexible business hours, generally 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Travel: Local travel within the Chicago area for approximately 6–7 program dates

$93-$98/hr based on health benefit selections


Orion Group is seeking an experienced Executive Development Manager to support high-impact leadership development programs and executive experiences for a leading global pharmaceutical organization.
This highly visible role will support the planning, design, coordination, and execution of leadership development initiatives serving approximately 400 senior leaders across the organization.
The ideal candidate brings a strong combination of program and project management, executive stakeholder engagement, leadership development, strategic communications, and event experience design.
This position requires a polished, highly organized professional who can confidently partner with senior executives, manage multiple moving pieces, and deliver exceptional leadership experiences from initial planning through execution and post-program evaluation.

Key Responsibilities

Executive Leadership Program Management

• Lead end-to-end planning, coordination, and execution of executive leadership development programs, including multiple program cohorts and leadership events.
• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, agendas, participant rosters, program documentation, and deliverables.
• Coordinate multiple workstreams involving program design, communications, executive speakers, vendors, logistics, and participant engagement.
• Monitor milestones, identify potential roadblocks, and ensure programs remain on schedule.
• Partner with internal teams and external vendors to ensure seamless execution and a high-quality participant experience.

Leadership Development & Experience Design

• Support the design and development of engaging executive learning experiences, leadership forums, workshops, and events.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to establish learning objectives, program themes, session formats, agendas, and discussion topics.
• Develop program concepts, event blueprints, executive recommendations, and supporting materials.
• Coordinate leadership panels, executive discussions, external speakers, and facilitator-led sessions.
• Ensure program content and experiences align with organizational leadership development priorities.

Executive Stakeholder & Speaker Management

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with senior executives, program sponsors, facilitators, and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Coordinate executive speakers, external experts, and panelists, including scheduling, preparation, briefing materials, and communication.
• Facilitate stakeholder discussions, gather feedback, and drive alignment on program objectives and messaging.
• Prepare executive briefings, speaker biographies, moderator guidance, and presentation materials.

Strategic Communications & Participant Engagement

• Develop polished communications for executive participants, speakers, facilitators, and internal stakeholders.
• Manage invitations, save-the-dates, program announcements, agendas, pre-work, confirmations, reminders, and post-event communications.
• Coordinate messaging with executive communications and internal leadership teams.
• Develop participant guides, briefing documents, presentation materials, and program resources.
• Maintain accurate participant information, registrations, waitlists, and program updates.

Executive Event Planning & Operations

• Partner with meeting planners, event vendors, and internal teams to coordinate leadership program logistics.
• Support event planning discussions, venue arrangements, meeting flow, room setup, materials, and operational readiness.
• Develop event checklists, logistical plans, and execution timelines.
• Support onsite program execution and ensure a seamless experience for senior-level participants and speakers.
• Coordinate approximately 6–7 local Chicago-area program events as needed.

Program Reporting, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Administer post-program surveys and collect participant and stakeholder feedback.
• Analyze qualitative and quantitative feedback to identify trends, themes, and improvement opportunities.
• Develop executive summaries, leadership presentations, and program effectiveness reports.
• Translate program outcomes into actionable recommendations for future leadership development initiatives.
• Identify opportunities to improve program processes, participant experiences, and overall operational efficiency.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in program management, project management, leadership development, executive events, or related enterprise initiatives.
• Strong ability to manage complex programs involving multiple stakeholders, timelines, vendors, and competing priorities.
• Experience working directly with senior leaders, executive stakeholders, and cross-functional teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to develop polished, executive-level communications and presentations.
• Experience coordinating leadership programs, learning experiences, executive meetings, workshops, or large-scale corporate events.
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to independently drive projects from planning through execution.
• Ability to develop program plans, agendas, briefing materials, stakeholder communications, and status reports.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate feedback into actionable insights.
• Ability and willingness to work onsite three days per week and travel locally for scheduled leadership programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting executive development, leadership development, organizational development, talent management, or corporate learning programs.
• Background in a large, matrixed corporate environment, preferably within pharmaceutical, biotechnology, healthcare, or another global organization.
• Experience designing leadership learning experiences, executive forums, workshops, or strategic leadership events.
• Experience coordinating external facilitators, keynote speakers, executive panels, and senior leadership sessions.
• Familiarity with learning program evaluation, participant feedback analysis, and continuous improvement.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly PowerPoint, Excel, Word, Outlook, and Teams.

Ideal Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker and hands-on executor who combines strong project management capabilities with executive presence, exceptional communication skills, and a passion for creating meaningful leadership experiences.
This individual should be comfortable engaging with senior executives while also managing the detailed coordination required to deliver successful programs.
Success in this position requires someone who can anticipate needs, build trusted relationships, maintain accountability across multiple stakeholders, and turn complex program objectives into polished, well-executed leadership experiences.
Interested?
If you have experience managing executive leadership programs, corporate learning initiatives, or high-visibility leadership events and enjoy working with senior stakeholders to create impactful development experiences, we'd love to hear from you!
Apply today or connect with Orion Group to learn more about this opportunity.


People are our business worldwide
 
Orion Group was founded in 1987 and is now one of the largest, independent, international recruitment companies. We have a network of 200 employees working from 24 offices, delivering a range of services – Talent Acquisition, Recruitment Outsourcing Services, Retained Search, Global Workforce Solutions, Completions & Commissioning and Materials Management – across 68 countries. As a global leader in workforce solutions, we recruit personnel across the Engineering & Technical, Office & Commercial, Scientific and Skilled Trades disciplines, for sectors including Oil & Gas, Life Science, Power & Utilities, Constructions & Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Renewables.