Work at Mingei International Museum | Mingei International Museum

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Special Events Manager

Overview

Founded in 1978, Mingei International Museum collects, preserves, and exhibits “art of the world, art of the people,” including folk art, craft, and design from all eras and cultures. Located in San Diego’s iconic Balboa Park, our highly respected Museum offers stunning exhibitions and diverse educational programs to more than 200,000 visitors each year. The Museum is a nonprofit organization.

Mingei has a deep commitment to creating a space where people are inspired to see their own world through new eyes and, in turn, rediscover, embrace, and nurture their own creativity. The recently transformed Museum is a place where all are welcome, where the community can gather, and where individuals can rest and find creative inspiration.

Position Summary

The Special Events Manager plays a key role in the Museum’s events program, helping the Events department achieve its annual income goals by providing planning, coordination, and client and staff support for a variety of events. These include external, third-party events and internal Museum events such as member exhibition previews and cultivation and stewardship events. This role will be responsible for promoting the Museum’s exciting spaces in its renovated facility, creating a welcoming and informative environment for prospective and existing clients, guests, vendors, and staff, and coordinating all aspects of an outstanding event from first contact to final invoice. The Special Events Manager will report to the Chief Advancement Officer.

Application deadline is Wednesday, January 28

Primary Responsibilities

  • Enthusiastically promotes the Museum and rentable spaces to potential clients, with an emphasis on successfully forming new relationships to aid the Museum in achieving its events income goals.
  • Works with the Marketing and Design team to market on appropriate platforms to promote the Museum’s event spaces for diverse events from weddings to parties and more.
  • Develop and engage in relationship-driven and long-term business relationships and represent the Museum at event-centered networking functions.
  • Coordinates all aspects of each event, with a focus on providing exceptional events from first contact to final invoice. This includes working with clients and vendors, obtaining Certificates of Insurance, load in and out, scheduling and supervision, staff coordination, adherence to and enforcement of Museum policies, coordination with caterers, lighting/AV/systems operations, invoicing, event and incident reports, and maintaining event-related inventory.
  • Ensures that the museum’s daily and special program operations are unaffected when overseeing event production load-in to final load-out.
  • Works closely with other museum departments (including Education, Curatorial, Visitor Experience, and Security staff) to ensure events run smoothly.
  • Collaborates and coordinates with Advancement staff on a range of events from member openings, fundraisers, to cultivation events.
  • Tracks event listings in internal Museum calendars.
  • Continuously evolves the effectiveness of programs by documenting and evaluating outcomes and providing input on improving the performance of the function or program.

Qualifications

  • One or more years’ experience coordinating events for a non-profit or corporate organization or in a related capacity.
  • Good interpersonal skills and a passion for customer service and sales.
  • A customer-service-oriented approach
  • Ability to remain calm and problem-solve in fast-moving environments.
  • Ability to understand and interpret the Museum’s mission and to ensure it is creatively expressed through related events
  • Ability to work a mix of typical office hours and nights, and weekends as needed.
  • Strong communication and organizational skills, and the ability to communicate clearly on written documents.
  • Experience using a personal computer and knowledge of a variety of office software, including MS Office, Google Suite, Outlook, Airtable, DocuSign, and donor database systems (such as ALTRU).
  • Proficiency in a language other than English is a plus.
  • Ability to be on foot for an extended period of time.
  • Ability to lift and carry up to 40 pounds.
  • Must possess a valid driver’s license.

Terms and Salary

The position is a full-time, non-exempt position, typically working 37.5 hours per week, with a mix of regular, evening and weekend hours. The position pays between $33.28 - $35.00 per hour depending on experience or approximately $64,896 - $68,250 per year. This position works onsite at the museum and is not a work from home position. Benefits include paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for the employee, a 401k plan with a company match, paid time off, and employee parking in Balboa Park.