Assistant Director, Special Events at the Japan Society
Job Title: Assistant Director, Special Events
Job Status: Full-time
Location: New York, NY
Salary: $65,000 to $70,000
Overview:
The Assistant Director, Special Events is a Japan Society-wide role focused on delivering events that meet the growing needs of the institution. Reporting to the VP of Development, this individual will support various needs for events management throughout the institution with three primary pillars of responsibility: the Annual Dinner, Japan Society’s largest fundraiser of the year; events that support the Office of the President; and additional events that support Society-wide initiatives that don’t discretely fall within a specific department, including larger fundraising events that may be developed to fulfill funding objectives. This position will work across all program verticals, administrative staff, and interact with most, if not all, Society constituencies. This is an exciting opportunity for a special events professional looking to make the next move and have ownership of events across many different programs as well as an organization’s most important fundraiser.
Responsibilities:
-work with the Development Office, Office of the President, the Senior Director of Operations and collaborate with various departments (Gallery, Performing Arts, Film, Education, and Corporate Programs) to map out, plan and execute on the wide range of special event needs across the organization, starting first and foremost with the Annual Dinner. Events may take place in person or online, and in person events may have virtual program components.
-implement the Annual Dinner in coordination with the Vice President, Development and Corporate Relations Team – the Society’s largest annual fundraising event with 600-800 guests generating $1.2 million and above in revenue. Work with Corporate Team to confirm gifts, register guests, distribute tickets, determine staff schedule and assignments, and send acknowledgments and receipts, among a variety of other tasks. The Annual Dinner constitutes approximately 50% of this position as a whole.
manage all event details from conception to final acknowledgement, including date/time, budget, venue, invitation lists, schedules, menu selection, décor, entertainment, awards and speeches;
-coordinate with honorees/speakers/special guests;
-manage and coordinate event IT and AV needs;
-draft and produce save-the-dates, invitations, registration forms, correspondence, and event programs;
-create name badges, menus, place-cards and table-cards;
-track and report RSVPs, ticket and/or table sales, final guest lists and seating plans;
plan for, secure and assign event staffing;
-manage and communicate run of show timelines;
-write and research event thumbnail reports, and provide briefing overview materials for senior and other required staff;
-close-out events with final event follow-up; ensure acknowledgments and related thank you protocols are in place and executed on in a timely fashion;
-work with vendors to secure and coordinate all necessary resources.
-work with the Media and Marketing/Communications Department and designated department leads to create communications plans, invitations/print materials, update the website, send e-mail blasts, and post relevant content to social networking sites, to ensure events are marketed appropriately to fulfill the Society’s goals.
-work with relevant department heads to develop, track, and monitor event expenses and revenue to support the budget process, planning for the annual special events budget and budgets that lie within individual departments, with support from the VP of Development.
-work with necessary department heads to plan for invitation lists and work with database management team to generate invitation lists from existing and prospective lists. Provide information to Development database manager for accurate and up to date records management.
-work with House Operations and Building Services to ensure event supplies, catering, rentals, waitstaff and decorations are requested/ordered and ensure date blocks on internal calendar and function forms are all properly executed.
Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of experience in event, program planning or development office experience.
Fluency in the Microsoft Office suite of programs (Word, Access, PowerPoint, and especially Excel) and constituent management systems required; proficiency in Raisers’ Edge preferred.
Strong organizational, prioritizing, problem solving, communications and negotiating skills.
Someone who can thrive in a team-oriented environment.
Strong commitment to others and a sense of humor.
Be flexible and adapt where necessary.
This position requires weekend and evening work as needed.
How To Apply:
Please apply on the Japan Society website.