Director of Events

KIPP Team and Family • Newark, NJ

23h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Events sets the vision and the bar for every event KTAF hosts across Newark, Camden, Paterson, and Miami and future regions. This is not a logistics role with a vision component bolted on. It is a role for someone who walks into a hotel ballroom and immediately sees three things nobody else noticed, who has strong opinions about what makes an experience feel considered rather than assembled, and who can then run the plan that gets us there. We use the phrase "7-star experience" internally. We want to push above a five-star experience to experiences that are truly meaningful and memorable: the run-of-show that never stalls, the room that feels right before anyone says why, the moment a staff member realizes someone thought about them specifically. This role owns that standard and holds the whole organization to it. Frequent travel between regions is a core feature of this job. Expect to be on the ground in each region regularly — scouting venues, walking spaces, building vendor relationships, and running events live.

Requirements

• A point of view on experience, noticing details others miss, and making choices rather than defaulting to past practices.
• Exceptional organization skills, never dropping an action item.
• Ability to backwards-plan against hard deadlines and hit them.
• Ability to move fast and stay calm under pressure, solving problems without the audience noticing.
• Resourcefulness with money, creating experiences that feel expensive without being expensive, and defending budget lines.
• Ability to influence teams not directly managed and communicate clearly and efficiently across all organizational levels.
• Mission alignment, understanding the importance of adult experience in supporting K-12 education.
• Proficiency in Google Workspace, Excel, and Outlook.
• Comfort managing multiple linked spreadsheets and mail merge functions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills: accurate, clear, and professional.
• Contract negotiation and vendor management skills.
• Experience with project management tools and backwards planning.
• Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution; focus in Business, Hospitality, or Education preferred.
• 5–10 years of experience planning and executing large-scale events.
• Experience managing people and event budgets.
• Proven success in an entrepreneurial, fast-paced environment.
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently among Newark, Camden, Paterson, and Miami.

Nice To Haves

• Focus in Business, Hospitality, or Education preferred for Bachelor's degree.

Responsibilities

• Set the vision and the standard for high-quality events, including defining experience, tone, and quality, and building an event standards playbook.
• Raise the ceiling year over year for signature events, ensuring measurable improvement with a specific thesis for changes.
• Bring ideas from outside education, studying hospitality, conferences, and consumer brands to translate to the organization's context and budget.
• Liaise with regional leaders to align the overall vision with local context, constraints, and regional vision.
• Own the annual events calendar across all regions, ensuring it is sequenced, resourced, and published in advance.
• Build backwards-planned project plans with real milestones and hold owners accountable.
• Run the operating rhythm, including planning kickoffs, design reviews, run-of-show walkthroughs, day-of command, and post-event debriefs.
• Make decisions when timelines slip, communicate clearly, and keep work moving.
• Lead end-to-end design and day-of execution of medium- to large-scale events, including staff recognition and network-wide professional development.
• Own all logistical layers: venue, vendors, AV, catering, transportation, guest experience, programming, feedback gathering, and speaker support.
• Negotiate contracts, manage vendor performance, and build a bench of reliable partners in each region.
• Own the events budget line and individual event budgets, delivering ambitious experiences within constraints.
• Manage event communications timeline and execution to build clarity and anticipation.
• Build and maintain a central resource hub (templates, vendor lists, checklists, design guidance) for smaller events.
• Advise regional and school teams on smaller events, including venue, setup, catering, and run-of-show.
• Coach event leaders across the network on budget and design tradeoffs.
• Manage and develop the events team, including coordinators and event-day volunteers.
• Create clear roles, clean handoffs, and a culture where problems are flagged early.
• Inspire the team and help them become 7-star event planners and executors.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• KIPP 403b retirement plan, including matching contributions
• School-issued laptop
• Generous Time-Off Policy
• Up to 12 weeks 100% parental leave for primary caregivers
• Employer paid life insurance
• Extensive optional ancillary benefits including short term and long term disability and accident and hospital indemnity
• Transportation benefits for TEAMmates commuting into Newark from the New York City area

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director