Manager, Special Events

U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association•Park City, UT

1d•Onsite

About The Position

U.S. Ski & Snowboard is seeking a Manager, Special Events. This is a full-time, beneficial position eligible for our full benefits package including medical insurance and retirement. The Manager, Special Events owns the production and flawless execution of U.S. Ski & Snowboard's single-day donor and partner events — the New York Gold Medal Gala, Team Fundraisers, and regional receptions. This role is the point person from concept through post-event debrief: site selection, vendor and contract management, event design, budget tracking, and day-of production. U.S. Ski & Snowboard is committed to lead, encourage, and support athletes in achieving excellence and making the United States of America the Best in the World in Olympic skiing and snowboarding. We are committed to fostering, cultivating and maintaining a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating an environment in which diversity is valued, equity is striven for, and inclusion is embraced.

Requirements

3+ years producing live events (galas, fundraisers, activations, or comparable)
Comfortable negotiating vendor contracts and managing a budget for an individual event
Strong project management under deadline pressure across multiple concurrent events
Working familiarity with common event/CRM platforms (e.g., Classy, NPSP) — training provided; not a screening requirement
Able to travel domestically, and occasionally internationally, up to 30%
Valid driver's license; able to obtain a passport
Available nights, weekends, and holidays around the event calendar

Nice To Haves

CMP or similar preferred
Degree in Event Management, Hospitality, Sports Management or similar area preferred

Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end production of assigned single-day events: the annual gala, Team Fundraisers, and regional receptions
Manage vendor selection, contract negotiation, gifting, athlete involvement, and site selection for each event
Run pre-event planning and post-event debriefs, and maintain an event playbook so recurring events (e.g., the annual gala) build on institutional knowledge year over year
Own event-specific budgets, tracking expense against revenue targets
Manage gifting and support the development of F & B for all single day events.
Build and manage event and silent/live auction platforms
Support Foundation Team Member and Commercial Account Managers with event-based donor and partner touch points
Coordinate athlete appearances at events in partnership with the Senior Account Manager
Partner with Communications/Marketing on event promotion and athlete storytelling
Partner day-to-day with the Assistant Director of Hospitality for on-the-ground support and coordination, addition to coordinating on any single-day event with a hospitality component attached (e.g., a gala weekend with travel and lodging components)
Design event touch points around multi-year retention, not single-event satisfaction — repeat invitations, tiered donor/partner experiences, and year-over-year relationship building across the event calendar
Use post-event feedback and attendance data to continuously refine event programming, tracking donor and partner return/retention rate as a core success metric
Partner with Foundation and Commercial leadership to align event experiences with each donor's or partner's giving or partnership trajectory, not just the individual event
Maintain event inventory and production equipment
Support other divisional and cross-departmental events as assigned