Senior Manager, Event Production, FIFA World Cup 26

Who We Are

160over90 is a full-service cultural marketing agency within the WME Group network, which includes WME and IMG. We specialize in experiential, creative, public relations, digital, social, and influence, with our work rooted in cultural insight, access, and relevance. We foster an environment where everyone feels valued and supported, encouraging our teams to bring their full selves to work.

WME Group is a global leader in culture, talent, sports, and live experiences. The network encompasses talent representation (WME), sports operations, event management, media production, brand licensing (IMG), live event experiences and hospitality (On Location), and cultural marketing (160over90). WME Group also holds a majority stake in TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), which includes UFC and WWE. Together, we create experiences and partnerships that shape culture.

The Role of Senior Manager, Event Production, FIFA World Cup 26

We are seeking a Senior Manager, Event Production to support one of 160over90’s key accounts, focusing on experiential programming for the FIFA World Cup 26TM. This senior, hands-on position involves planning and delivering large-scale activations at FIFA Fan FestivalTM locations across multiple host cities. The work requires coordinating numerous fabrication shops, crew providers, and market-specific vendors with overlapping production schedules. The Senior Manager will oversee production workflows, vendor coordination, onsite execution, staffing plans, scheduling, cost tracking, and comprehensive project documentation from development through delivery.

This role demands strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple workstreams concurrently and maintain high-quality standards under pressure. The Senior Manager will collaborate closely with internal production, account, creative, project management, and strategy teams, as well as client stakeholders, to ensure all programs meet agreed objectives, timelines, and budget parameters.

This is a management role reporting to the Production Director, based in New York. The position is based in New York and requires working four days per week in the 160over90 office at 304 Park Avenue South, except when traveling for onsite delivery. Multilingual proficiency and experience working in global football or with major sports rights holders are considered a plus.

The ideal candidate possesses 5+ years of experience in experiential or live event production, is self-motivated, composed under pressure, and passionate about delivering world-class event experiences.

Job Responsibilities

• Manage timelines, budgets, purchase orders, and cost tracking effectively.
• Manage project scope changes and assess their impact on timelines and budgets.
• Provide informed recommendations to the Production Director on vendor selection, cost adjustments, or scope refinements.
• Maintain strong working relationships with fabrication, logistics, and technical vendors.
• Manage vendor onboarding and financial processing for production spend.
• Ensure adherence to health and safety standards and operational compliance.
• Oversee quality control across all production elements.
• Escalate changes, risks, and issues promptly to internal teams and client stakeholders.
• Align production deliverables with internal account teams and client expectations.
• Maintain awareness of industry suppliers, market rates, and competitor offerings.
• Support the planning and delivery of large-scale experiential builds and live event operations.
• Support staffing plans, onboarding, and coordination of freelance staff and onsite crew.
• Coordinate permits, civic documentation, and municipal approvals.
• Prepare and maintain production schedules, specifications, floor plans, and run of show materials.
• Support onsite build oversight, rehearsals, and live operations across multiple host cities.
• Communicate clearly across internal teams and client partners.
• Maintain complete and organized project files and event documentation.
• Contribute to the creation of training documents, manuals, or staff onboarding materials.
• Maintain planning tools such as budget trackers, timelines, production schedules, and call sheets.
• Demonstrate working knowledge of staffing approaches, training needs, logistics, and success measurement.
• Work collaboratively in a fast-moving environment and adapt quickly when needed.
• Frequent travel and onsite days required, including for FIFA World Cup dates (May–July 2026).

Required And Preferred Experience

• 5+ years of relevant experience in live event production or large-scale experiential execution.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong understanding of fabrication, trucking, logistics, power, crew management, and scheduling.
• Experience executing all physical aspects of event builds, including printing, staging, technical requirements, heavy equipment, and run of show planning.
• Experience working with union labor, venue services, tradeshows, or convention operations (drayage, rigging rules, power, and flooring procurement).
• Proven ability to build and manage production budgets and vendor contracts.
• Confident communicator, able to work effectively with senior stakeholders and partners.
• Organized and proactive, with the ability to problem-solve under pressure and adapt quickly.
• Strong attention to detail, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams while making informed decisions in real time during onsite delivery.
• Experience working in global football or with major sports rights holders is a plus (FIFA, UEFA, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL etc.).
• Multilingual proficiency is a plus.
• Passion for sports, culture, and live event experiences.
• Positive attitude, strong work ethic, and collaborative approach.
• Willing and able to travel and work nonstandard hours, including evenings and weekends when required.

Key skills/competency

• Event Production
• Experiential Marketing
• Project Management
• Vendor Coordination
• Budget Management
• Onsite Execution
• Logistics Planning
• FIFA World Cup
• Team Leadership
• Stakeholder Communication