Events Administrator

The Cultural Events & Services Division in the City of Gaithersburg Department of Parks, Recreation & Culture is seeking an Events Administrator to plan, develop, budget, and manage a variety of activities, operations, and initiatives related to the City's regional and community events and programs and to supervise and monitor the professional event planning and programming staff. The position requires extensive public contact and experience in community outreach, engagement, and inclusion, as the successful candidate will also pursue grant opportunities and partnership/sponsorship sources and solicit and secure corporate and institutional partnerships for events and special projects that support the City's and the Department's initiatives.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced, creative, and resourceful event professional who will bring excellent leadership and management skills and a fresh perspective to existing programs, events, and activities while developing and launching new opportunities. Must have experience in developing, planning, implementing, and overseeing a variety of programming such as festivals, concerts, parades, themed events, commemorative ceremonies, and similar activities, including experience coordinating logistics for large events, developing marketing and fundraising strategies and materials, and identifying, researching, and actively pursuing grant opportunities and sponsorship sources.

To be successful in this position, you must be an effective verbal and written communicator and have excellent organizational, time, staff, and resource management skills; experience developing and managing program budgets is preferred. You must be able to juggle multiple tasks, meet firm deadlines, and nurture an environment of collaboration and partnership. Good judgment and common sense are essential; and customer service inside and outside the organization is a top priority, with special emphasis on the delivery of quality events and programs to the public.

Starting salary for this position is negotiable within the target hiring range ($79,000 - $85,000) and will be offered at a level consistent with the relevant experience and qualifications of the candidate. We provide comprehensive insurance benefits (medical, dental, vision, long-term care, life), paid time off, generous retirement contributions, health and wellness programs, tools to assist with paying down student loan debt and managing student loans, training and professional growth opportunities, and excellent work/life balance.

What you will do with us:

• Design, develop, promote, and direct comprehensive regional, community, and City-wide event initiatives, programs, and large-scale projects.
• Develop partnerships, contracts, policies, procedures, sponsorships, and other initiatives.
• Develop, monitor, and evaluate new and continuing regional and community event programs for quality and effectiveness to ensure needs of community are being met.
• Prepare and present budget requests for high profile special events, including regional, community and City-wide events.
• Research, write, and present complex reports, contracts, strategic plans, and program documentation.
• Identify, research, and actively pursue partnerships, sponsorship sources, and grant opportunities within the private sector.
• Work with event leaders to prepare and manage sponsorship agreements and ensure compliance with all aspects of those agreements.
• Prepare or assist in the preparation of grant applications to secure funding for event programs; may administer grants received.
• Develop, direct, monitor, and evaluate programming, policies, and procedures.
• Develop and direct comprehensive marketing plans.
• Coordinate and supervise a large, diverse team.
• Identify and develop ways to ensure City events are accessible, inclusive, and representative of Gaithersburg’s demographics, reaching Gaithersburg’s diverse communities.
• Provide outstanding service, pursue continuous improvement, and exceed expectations.

Key job responsibilities are highlighted above; please click here to view the complete classification description for the Events Administrator position. The classification description indicates the full salary range established for a position in Grade 111 in the City's FY 2025 Schedule of Salary Ranges.

What you will need to be considered:

• Bachelor's Degree in Parks & Recreation Management, Event Management, or related field.
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in organized event planning and cultural programming; budgetary preparation, administration, and analysis experienced preferred.
• At least 5 years of recent experience supervising professional and support staff.
• Experience managing committees and boards and leading programming efforts and initiatives of same.
• Excellent interpersonal, analytical, problem-solving, presentation, networking, and written and verbal communication skills and the ability to effectively collaborate with multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Grant writing/administration experience desirable.
• Solid technology skills required (Microsoft Office applications and grant/fundraising software applications).
• An understanding of the needs of an ethnically and economically diverse community.
• A valid driver's license and safe driving record.
• CPR/AED and First Aid certification (may be obtained through the City upon hire).
• Or any acceptable equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to satisfactorily perform job duties.

Interested applicants must submit the following to be considered:

• A complete online application
• Current Resume (attached to the online application)
• Letter of Interest (attached to the online application)

Your cover letter should highlight why you are interested in the position, and your resume and letter should discuss past relevant experience and convey how that experience, in addition to your other special skills and abilities, make you uniquely qualified to serve in this position.

Review of applications will begin immediately, so prompt application is strongly encouraged. The position will remain open until filled; recruitment will close without notice when a sufficient number of qualified applications are received or all hiring decisions have been made.

This is a full-time salaried "exempt" position requiring a minimum of 40 hours per week (not eligible for overtime compensation under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the City's personnel regulations). The position can accommodate limited remote work (at the discretion of the Department Director). Direct deposit of paychecks is a condition of employment for all City of Gaithersburg employees.

The successful candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation. The City has established an alcohol-free, drug-free, and smoke-free workplace which applies to any person employed by, conducting business with, or applying for a position with the City. Each employee, as a condition of their employment, may be required to participate in pre-employment and reasonable suspicion testing. Employees classified as safety sensitive are also subject to immediate post-accident and random testing.

For more information, contact Cultural Events & Services Division Chief Jason DeMarchi at 240.805.1548 or . Questions regarding the online application process may be directed to the Department of Human Resources at 301.258.6327 or .

This recruitment will establish an eligibility list which will be used to fill the current vacancy and may be used to fill other openings in this classification which occur in the next 12 months.