Sr. Events & Partnerships Manager

About the role

The Events & Partnerships Manager owns Red Cat's presence at the industry's most important shows and turns our partner relationships into visible, joint go-to-market wins. You will run a year-round calendar of trade shows, demonstrations, and customer engagements across the U.S. and Europe, and you will build the co-marketing programs that put Red Cat alongside the partners who extend our mission.

This is a hands-on role. You will plan the booth, ship the hardware, brief the executives, and measure what came back.

- Reports to: VP of Marketing

- Location: Hybrid or remote (U.S.), with 30–40% travel, including international

- Type: Full-time

What you will do

Events and trade shows

- Own the annual events calendar across aerial and maritime lines of business, such as AUSA, Surface Navy Association, Modern Day Marine, SOF Week, Sea-Air-Space, Eurosatory , and DSEI.

- Recommend which shows to exhibit at, sponsor, attend, or skip, based on audience, cost, and pipeline return.

- Run every show end to end: space selection, booth design with the creative team, contractors, freight, hardware and vessel logistics, staffing, and teardown.

- Coordinate export, customs, and security requirements for shipping platforms to international shows, working with operations and trade compliance.

- Build the on-site plan: executive schedules, customer and government meetings, demos, speaking slots, press briefings, and hospitality events.

- Produce executive briefing books before each show and a results recap within two weeks after it.

- Plan and execute owned events, including customer demonstrations, VIP site visits, screenings, and invite-only receptions in Washington, DC.

Partnerships

- Manage the marketing side of Red Cat's strategic, technology, and industry partnerships.

- Build joint go-to-market programs with partners: shared booths, co-branded collateral, joint demos, announcements, and case studies.

- Coordinate with the PR agency and partner communications teams on joint press releases and timing.

- Manage sponsorships and memberships in industry associations, including committee and working-group participation.

- Identify new partnership and sponsorship opportunities that put Red Cat in front of DoD, DIU, program offices, and end users.

Budget and operations

- Own the events and sponsorship budget; track spend against plan and report variance monthly.

- Negotiate with venues, show organizers, booth builders, and vendors.

- Maintain a single events and partnerships calendar that sales, business development, and division leaders plan around.

- Track leads and meetings from every event into the CRM and report pipeline influence.

What you bring

Required

- 7-10+ years of event management or field marketing experience, with at least 3 years in defense, aerospace, government, or a comparable B2G or B2B technology market.

- A track record running large trade-show exhibits end to end, including budgets above $1M a year.

- Experience managing partner or co-marketing programs with external companies.

- Strong vendor management and negotiation skills.

- The judgment to run a show floor under pressure and the composure to brief senior executives and general officers.

- Excellent written communication; you can produce a clean briefing book on a deadline.

- Ability to travel 30–40%, including internationally.

- U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Preferred

- Direct experience exhibiting at Defense Industry Shows

- Working knowledge of ITAR and export requirements for shipping defense hardware to international shows.

- Familiarity with the uncrewed systems, drone, or maritime industries.

- Experience with Salesforce or HubSpot event and lead tracking.

- Military service or prior work with DoD customers.

How success is measured

- Pipeline: qualified meetings and opportunities sourced or influenced by each event, tracked in the CRM.

- Cost efficiency: cost per qualified meeting, trending down year over year.

- Execution: every show delivered on time and on budget, with recaps filed within two weeks.

- Partnerships: joint campaigns, announcements, and shared appearances launched with active partners as needed.

- Executive readiness: leaders arrive at every show with a full meeting schedule and a briefing book.

Background Check

This position will require successfully completing a post-offer background check. Qualified candidates with a criminal history will be considered and are not automatically disqualified, consistent with federal and state law.

EEO and ITAR/EAR Work Authorization Disclosure

Red Cat Holdings provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This position requires direct or indirect access to hardware, software, technology or technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). Successful candidates for positions subject to ITAR/EAR restrictions must provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or Permanent Residence and must not require sponsorship for export-restricted work authorization.

E-Verify

The company participates E-Verify ensure eligibility for employment and compliance with Right to Work rules.

Compensation: Base pay, plus generous annual equity package and potential bonuses.