Experiential Marketing Manager

About this role

Second Front Systems (2F) is seeking an Experiential Marketing Manager to lead our global events program and the experiences that put our brand in front of the customers, partners, and operators who matter most. This is not a traditional field marketing job, and we don't want someone who's looking for one.

Your north star is building experiences that last—the moment people are still talking about a month later, the piece of swag they actually keep on their desk instead of tossing at the airport, the image of 2F that lodges in someone's head and won't leave. That's the work.

It also has to drive results. Your activations should connect to pipeline and measurable outcomes—memorability that moves the business is what we're after. We want someone who creates unforgettable moments and understands why they matter to the mission.

You'll design and run the full portfolio of 2F's live presence: our annual symposium (500+ attendees), happy hours and socials, sporting and action-sports activations, executive engagements, trade shows, and large-scale booth builds. Defense tech events are a sea of sameness—pipe-and-drape booths, branded stress balls, the same hotel ballroom happy hour. We want to be the thing people talk about on the flight home.

This is a builder's and an instigator's role. You bring the playbook, the vendor network, and the irreverent instinct for what cuts through—and you'll have the autonomy to run with it.

Note: Candidates must reside in one of our approved hiring hubs:

- DC/Maryland/Virginia

- Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC

- Denver/Colorado Springs, CO

- Dallas/Fort Worth, TX

WHAT YOU'LL DO

- Own the strategy, budget, and execution for 2F's flagship annual symposium, from concept through day-of operations and post-event measurement.

- Build experiences that last. Design the highlight moments—the unexpected venue, the activation with a line around the block, the standout swag people actually keep, the stunt that earns its way onto someone's LinkedIn without us asking—that leave a lasting impression of 2F in people's minds.

- Generate fresh, counterculture, off-the-wall concepts that make 2F the standout in a crowded, conservative market—and have the rigor to pull them off.

- Run our happy hours, socials, and executive dinners—the high-touch engagements where deals and partnerships actually move—and reinvent the format so they don't feel like everyone else's.

- Manage sporting and action-sports activations and suite hospitality, including racing partnerships and VIP programs.

- Lead trade show presence and large-scale booth activations: design direction, vendor management, logistics, staffing, and lead capture—with a creative point of view that refuses the default.

- Build customer engagement programs that deepen relationships across our customer and partner base.

- Partner with sales and demand gen to connect activations to pipeline and measurable outcomes.

- Manage external vendors, venues, agencies, and production partners—pushing them past their comfort zone and holding them to deadlines, budgets, and our quality bar.

- Bring an ecosystem-first instinct: lead with customers and partners and their wins, not with us.

WHAT YOU BRING

- 5+ years running experiential, events, or field marketing—ideally including large-scale (250+) flagship events.

- A portfolio of moments people still remember—and a sense for how those moments connected back to the business.

- Bold, unconventional ideas you actually shipped—not decks of concepts that died in committee. We want to see the stunt, the activation, the giveaway that worked because it was different.

- End-to-end ownership: strategy, budget, logistics, vendor management, and measurement.

- Existing relationships and fluency within the defense tech, govtech, or national security ecosystem. (Highly, highly preferred.)

- The taste to know the difference between weird-for-weird's-sake and weird-that-works—and the discipline to land the plane every time.

- Comfort operating in a fast-moving environment with tight timelines and high standards.

- Willingness to travel and a hospitality instinct that shows up under pressure.

The base salary for this position will fall between $120,000-150,000 Your ultimate compensation will be determined by professional background, technical proficiency, seniority, and regional cost factors. Furthermore, this opportunity includes potential eligibility for equity awards and discretionary bonuses, rounding out a comprehensive total rewards offering.

SUCCESS AT 2F LOOKS LIKE:

- Viewing obstacles as opportunities for growth

- Having a bias toward action and tangible, measurable results

- Striving to be both compassionate and direct with your feedback

- Being team-oriented and inclusive with your action

PERKS & BENEFITS:

This role is a full time position. As a public benefit corporation, we’re a team of purpose-driven trailblazers transforming the future of U.S. national security. We hire the best to do their best and, as such, we are committed to providing the perks and benefits you need to be successful—both in- and outside the workplace.

We offer you:

- Competitive Salary

- 100% Healthcare, vision and dental coverage

- 401(k) + 3% company contribution

- Wellness perks

- Equity incentive plan

- Tech + office supplies stipend

- Annual professional development stipend

- Flexible paid time off + federal holidays off

- Parental leave

- Work virtual, located near one of our hubs

- Referral Bonus

Visit our careers page https://www.secondfront.com/company/careers to learn more.

WHO WE ARE:

Second Front Systems (2F) is a public-benefit software company powering software for the free world. We eliminate the friction that slows innovation, enabling faster, more secure development and deployment of software across government and regulated networks. Built by national security veterans and backed by top-tier ven

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