Job Description

Title: Director of Event Services
Reports to: Vice President of Operations
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Type: Full-time, salary, exempt. Evening and weekend hours will be required.
Pay Range: $80k – $90K annually

Organization Background
The Charleston Gaillard Center is entering a new phase of focus, with the development of local and national partnerships and the producing and commissioning of work, taking a greater role alongside our continued commitment to presenting high quality touring artists.
A leader in the performing arts in the Southeast, The Charleston Gaillard Center commissions, supports, and presents ambitious, multidisciplinary cultural programming and provides access to the best local, national, and global artists and companies on its stage. Deeply rooted in the community, the Gaillard Center is committed to elevating local and regional voices and partnering with Charleston institutions to reflect the city’s diversity, both on stage and off. Through programming on its public campus and extensive arts education initiatives, the Gaillard Center serves as a platform to participate in community building and essential dialogue.
Located in the heart of the Inspiration Corridor, Charleston’s cultural hub, the Gaillard Center was established as a non-profit in 2015. It’s campus includes the world-class 1,818-seat Martha and John M. Rivers Performance Hall, a 16,000 square-foot Grand Ballroom, and a park space that is increasingly being activated for artistic presentations.
The Charleston Gaillard Management Corporation (GMC), doing business as The Charleston Gaillard Center, is a non-profit 501c3 organization responsible for managing the facility. For more information about the Charleston Gaillard Center, please visit https://www.gaillardcenter.org.
Position Summary
The Director of Event Services (DES) is charged with the supervision, scheduling and training of full-time event management and administrative staff, part-time front of house and event setup teams, the volunteer usher corps, and various contracted staff. This position is responsible for overseeing the planning, execution, control, and evaluation of events for Performance Hall, Exhibition Hall, and full facility events. The DES works closely with the executive and senior management teams, as well as the City of Charleston to enhance and support the overall mission of the organization, and to ensure high quality event execution while also maintaining the safety and maintenance of the facility.

Responsibilities
Prepares and manages the annual production department budget.
Manages the staff responsible for the successful execution of venue rentals and presented events in ballrooms, meeting spaces, and the performance hall.
Supervises the preparation of related financial reports and necessary documentation on the economic performance of events including by not limited to final invoicing for rental events, event P&L’s, show settlements, and managing the department’s cash reserve.
Provides leadership and mentorship to the Event Service’s team: full-time and part-time staff. Fostering an environment for growth, ensuring schedules are properly balanced teamwide
Creates accurate estimates for potential future events.
Develops strategies for controlling production event costs while maintaining quality and safety.
Prepares and maintains the Gaillard Center’s Emergency Operations Plan. Provides occupational safety guidelines and training for all staff and the volunteer usher corps. Act as the venue’s security and safety manager.
Serve as a liaison to the City in acquiring necessary permits and additional support for events.
Ensures the VP of Operations is informed of any incidents or potential issues arising from users or vendor interactions in a timely and professional manner.
Steer initiatives and develop organization-wide policies to improve both the guest and client experience at all events.
Coordinates with the programming department and sales department to ensure Center’s booked shows and events can be properly supported and executed.
Forges strong relationships with Center personnel and provides support to the Operations department.
Regularly leads weekly production meetings with various departments to ensure user and vendor needs are being met, events are being implemented according to venue specifications, and that contract administration is in compliance with the Center’s policies and procedures.
Supervises and supports the production and event services team in ensuring that service vendors are properly executing service contracts including, but not limited to, parking and venue security.
Works with event management staff to ensure proper administration of all event staff time sheets and coordinates with HR to ensure staff paperwork is complete and adherence with the Center’s policies.
Utilizes various software programs, including specific venue management software such as Momentus (Formerly VenueOps) and Social Tables, Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe PDF , Google Workspace, Vectorworks, and others to regularly input data, create documentation, and communicate with users, vendors, and colleagues.
Acts as an on the ground supervisor for full-facility events.
Take lead on planning special-project events, including the Spiegeltent.
Works with the Technical Director to create and maintain vendor supply accounts for rental equipment, equipment purchases, and service contracts.
Actively manages costs of vendor service contracts guaranteeing vendor costs are accurate and reliably predictable on an ongoing basis.
Regularly meets and participates in director meetings with senior staff members.

Required Qualifications

The successful candidate will have a proven and measurable track record of at least 6 years of experience in the planning, execution, and management of performances, exhibitions, and events in both performing arts and ballroom/conference environments. This position requires a good knowledge of administrative processes, business communication, and facility policy creation and structure. Candidates should have experience in budget administration, especially with respect to event execution and settlement.

Candidates should be proficient in MS Word and Excel, have superior organizational skills, and written and verbal communication skills. Demonstrated leadership of full-time, part-time, and volunteer teams, as well as the ability to think strategically, work well under pressure, and manage details of several concurrent projects is required. The successful candidate will have a professional business demeanor and the ability to work a flexible, event driven schedule. Good communication and relationship building skills with internal staff and external partners is a priority.

Preferred Qualifications
Preferred qualifications include experience working in a non-profit organization. Knowledge of the Charleston area is a plus. Experience with specific facility management software, event execution software and task management software are desirable.

Physical Requirements
Ability to move, transport and/or position up to 35 lbs of various equipment and materials.
Using tools of the trade and accessing remote locations of the building.
Activities may require sustained periods of movement, traversing, and positioning to meet facility and event demands.
Work may include prolonged periods of sitting, typing, or looking at a computer screen.

Benefits

The Gaillard Center provides a competitive benefit package that includes:
Fully paid medical insurance, at the employee level
Optional vision, dental, life, and disability insurance
4 weeks of paid time off, accrued annually
6 weeks of paid family and medical leave
403(b) with up to a 4% company match
Free and/or discounted tickets to performances
Employer paid parking

The Charleston Gaillard Center is an equal opportunity employer. Advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Gaillard is critical to our mission. To be a leading performing arts center in the Southeast, we need to have a highly diverse staff, a workplace where individuals are encouraged to retain their uniqueness and can feel a sense of belonging. For us, equity means that our staff members, our patrons, and our clients can experience the transformative power of the arts, no matter their starting place.

How to Apply

Job Categories: Equal Opportunities. Job Types: Full-Time. Job Tags: event, Event Services, Exhibition Hall, Performance Arts, and theater. Salaries: 80,000 - 100,000.

38 total views, 0 today

Apply for this Job