Events Manager

Job description

We're hiring an experienced Event Manager to join our small team at Y Combinator. Our team produces a wide range of flagship events, including milestone celebrations, high-touch multi-day retreats, quarterly Demo Day showcases, and conferences for thousands of attendees. The majority of our events are produced in-house, which means this role goes far beyond managing vendors. You'll help shape the project management, production, logistics, and guest experience of events that bring together some of the most ambitious founders, builders, and investors in the world. Our hands-on approach rewards curiosity, creativity, and resourcefulness in how events are brought to life. This is a role for someone who has personally led complex events from concept through execution and enjoys the responsibility that comes with owning every detail. You'll partner closely with the Head of Events to produce many of YC's largest events while independently leading others from start to finish. YC intentionally stays small, giving every member of the team meaningful ownership and the opportunity to make a genuine impact on how YC operates. THE ROLE Depending on the event, you'll work independently or alongside the Head of Events to produce experiences that feel thoughtful, polished, and distinctly YC. The expectation is that you're comfortable collaborating and also have the ability to own every stage of event production. Responsibilities include: - Building detailed production schedules, run-of-shows, staffing plans, and event documentation. - Sourcing, negotiating, and managing relationships with venues, hotels, caterers, rental companies, AV partners, transportation providers, fabricators, and other vendors. - Partnering closely with various teams across YC to plan for registration, guest communications, and credentialing. - Managing allocated event budgets with financial diligence, processing a high volume of invoices and contracts. - Coordinating security plans for all events, with a high-touch approach for VIP attendees. - Working directly with city agencies and public safety partners to obtain permits for the majority of our events. - Rolling up your sleeves wherever needed. Event ownership at YC means being the first person on-site for load-in and the last person to leave after load-out. YOU MIGHT BE A GREAT FIT IF... - You have 5+ years of professional event production experience. - You've personally led complex events from beginning to end as the lead producer, executive producer, or equivalent, not primarily in a supporting role. - You enjoy owning events from start to finish and take pride in getting the details right. - You thrive in a small, highly collaborative team where everyone contributes directly to the success of each event. - You communicate professionally with founders, executives, investors, public officials, vendors, and guests. - You're passionate about YC's mission and excited to showcase the world's best startups through thoughtful, impactful event experiences. BONUS POINTS - Experience working with premium hospitality brands, luxury event production, or high-end experiential agencies. - Experience working with high-profile attendees and/or executive security teams. - Experience working in venue operations (at a museum, hotel, or other event space), with a strong respect and understanding of building/facilities operations. - Experience obtaining permits through agencies such as the San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD), San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), or the Interdepartmental Staff Committee on Traffic and Transportation (ISCOTT). - You’re excited by what AI tools can do for the event workflow. Location: YC is headquartered in San Francisco, and candidates must reside in the San Francisco Bay Area. A large portion of our event programming takes place in the afternoon, evening, and weekends. Compensation: $200,000 - $230,000 salary (depending on skills and experience). Benefits: Our full benefits package includes medical, vision, and dental plans, infertility benefit, STD/LTD, life insurance, commuter benefits, flexible spending account, health savings account, 401(k) + 4% matching, generous parental leave, paid holidays, and flexible paid time off policy. Work Authorization: This position does not support work authorization/visa sponsorship. Y Combinator considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law, including San Francisco’s Fair Chance Ordinance. Y Combinator is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of job applicants and complying with the California Consumer Privacy Act. The privacy policy of Ashby, Inc., the hiring platform used by Y Combinator, governs the collection of such data and can be found here https://streaklinks.com/BIAFDV5g4CMega_7BgfU2eq1/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ashbyhq.com%2Fresources%2Fprivacy.