Manager of Special Events

Discovery Cube•Santa Ana, CA

9h•Onsite

About The Position

Come join the fun and make a difference with Discovery Cube! For over 25 years, we've been inspiring kids and educators alike with our hands-on science education initiatives and interactive exhibits. Our four core initiatives - STEM proficiency, early childhood education, healthy living, and environmental stewardship - are future-forward in promoting life-long-learning. Plus, with our immersive campuses in Orange County and Los Angeles, as well as our educational outreach programs, there are endless opportunities for learning exploration. As a prominent advocate for modern science education, we believe in empowering our learners with real-world applications and spotlighting science as a solution and force for good. Don't miss out on the excitement and join our important mission today! This role is an in-office role with requirements to travel for events and requirements to travel for events at our LA Campus. The Manager of Special Events will work directly with our Sr. Manager of Special Events to collaboratively and successfully execute events for Discovery Cube OC and LA. The Special Events team oversees all aspects of special events for the entire events portfolio between both OC and LA Campuses. Event portfolio includes but not limited to Members’ events, private donor events, Community Impact events as well as all the major fundraising events. This role is involved in all events but may have a dedicated portfolio of events to lead. They will work closely with all internal teams, external clients, volunteers, stakeholders and vendors to ensure communication is consistent, event logistics are smooth, payments are on time, and all stakeholders are satisfied. This role receives direct supervision from the Sr. Manager of Special Events, reporting up to the Vice President of Operations, but should be able to work well independently with little supervision as well as in collaboration with a team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
Minimum 3 years of experience in event planning, event operations, hospitality, venue management, or a related field preferred.
Experience planning and executing multiple events simultaneously, including coordination with internal teams, vendors, clients, and other stakeholders.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Experience coordinating and directing staff, volunteers, vendors, and cross-functional teams during events.
Availability to work evenings, weekends, holidays, and extended hours as required by the event schedule.
Ability and willingness to travel between Discovery Cube campuses and off-site event locations as needed.

Nice To Haves

Experience with project management, event management, CRM, or similar software preferred.
Experience managing event budgets, vendor expenses, invoices, and payment processes preferred.
Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud, Canva, or similar design tools preferred.
Interest in children, science, education, and Discovery Cube’s mission is a plus.

Responsibilities

In collaboration with the Events Team, supports all special events (Members’ Events, Staff Events, Donor Events, Community Impact Events, etc.), including working with internal staff, volunteers, donors and outside vendors
Functionally supervises all event support staff including set-up crews, third party vendors, guest service personnel, IT support, facilities team members, and other staff or volunteers as assigned to private events
Takes lead on preparing and maintaining Event Management Sheet (EMS) and timelines for all events and distributes them to all necessary departments
Partner with finance to ensure vendor payments are submitted, completed in a timely and orderly manner
Manages event management software, designs requests and content requests via the Marketing team
Demonstrates continuous effort to improve operations, decrease cost, streamline work processes and work cooperatively and jointly with other departments to provide seamless and successful events
Works closely with the Vice President of Operations on execution of the overall department strategy
Manages the Master Events Calendar
Assists with planning and preparing for committee meetings
Performs other duties as assigned