Head of Customer Engagement & Events Management

Overview

Waters Corporation is seeking a dynamic and experienced Sr. Manager to lead and develop a global customer engagement strategy, with a primary focus on field events, experiential marketing, and demo lab utilization. This role will involve collaborating with internal teams and global stakeholders to create, execute, and refine strategies that will enhance engagement between our customers (scientists, researchers, and lab professionals) and sales teams at conferences, symposia, workshops, demo labs, and other field-based events. Additionally, the role will support global sales meetings and facilitate the integration of demo lab experiences into the broader engagement strategy.

This role will be based out of our Milford HQ in MA.

• Develop Global Engagement Strategy: Lead the creation and execution of a global customer engagement strategy that connects field events, demo lab utilization, and global sales meetings with overall marketing and sales objectives. Design and implement experiences that provide value to customers and sales teams, while supporting product adoption and relationship-building.
• Event Strategy and Management: Oversee the planning and execution of global field events, including but not limited to customer conferences, trade shows, symposia, workshops, and scientific seminars. Coordinate the integration of demo labs into key events to allow hands-on product demonstrations and customer engagement with key opinion leaders and product evangelists. Ensure that all events and activities align with the broader corporate strategy and drive measurable business outcomes.
• Demo Lab Utilization: Lead the strategy and execution of demo lab activities globally, working closely with product and technical teams to ensure that demo labs are effectively utilized to engage customers and prospects in meaningful, hands-on experiences. Ensure demo labs are integrated into field events and sales meetings to showcase product capabilities and generate leads.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with sales, marketing, product marketing, and customer success teams to ensure field events, demo lab experiences, and global sales meetings are aligned with customer needs, sales strategies, and new product launches. Collaborate with regional teams to adapt engagement strategies for different global markets.
• Global Sales Meeting Support: Support the planning, execution, and content for global sales meetings, ensuring customer engagement and product education are central to these events. Work with the sales team to create tailored experiences that provide the necessary tools, knowledge, and engagement opportunities to drive success in the field.
• Data-Driven Insights: Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the impact of field events, demo lab utilization, and global sales meetings on customer engagement, brand perception, and sales growth. Analyze event and demo lab data to continually refine and optimize future strategies.
• Leadership and Team Development: Lead a global team responsible for executing the customer engagement and event strategies. Provide mentorship and foster a high-performance culture, ensuring team members have the resources and support needed to succeed. Foster cross-functional collaboration to optimize event execution and demo lab utilization.
• Budget Management: Manage event budgets across multiple regions, ensuring resources are allocated efficiently to maximize return on investment for all global field events and demo lab activities.

• 10+ years of experience in global customer engagement, event strategy, or a related field within the life sciences, healthcare, or technology sectors. Proven track record of developing and executing large-scale, impactful field events, demo lab activities, and customer engagement programs.
• Strong leadership capabilities with experience in managing cross-functional teams, including marketing, sales, and product teams. Ability to influence senior leadership and global teams to drive alignment and results.
• In-depth understanding of the life sciences and scientific community, including knowledge of customer needs, trends, and market dynamics in the research and laboratory sectors.
• Ability to think strategically and develop long-term plans while being agile and adaptable to changing market conditions and customer feedback.
• Extensive experience managing field events (conferences, trade shows, seminars) and customer-facing demo lab activities from concept to execution. Strong focus on customer experience, product demonstrations, and ROI.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence diverse stakeholders. Proven ability to build strong relationships with customers, partners, and internal teams.
• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Life Sciences, or a related field. Advanced degree (MBA, MS, PhD) is a plus.