Associate Director, Events + Business Operations

Description

Position Summary

The Associate Director, Events Business Operations leads the strategic development and execution of MOPOP's comprehensive event portfolio, aligning events with the museum's mission and business objectives. The AD also contributes to business operations strategy, budget management, financial goals, and team leadership in a high-volume environment. Leveraging operational expertise, this role oversees all aspects of event production, from concept to evaluation, ensuring high-quality guest experiences for both institutional programs and external clients. This role manages and/or supports all activities planned, with various levels of complexity. This is a high-volume environment where work productivity, efficiency, and effective communication skills are a must.

Essential Job Duties (other duties as assigned)

Event Strategy:

• Develop and implement comprehensive, mission-driven event strategies to achieve business goals, and elevate MOPOP's global and local standing as a leader in Pop Culture preservation, accessibility, and as a catalyst for meaningful conversations that have a true impact on our communities. 
• Oversee the production and execution of MOPOP and Strategic Partner events, leading the entire process from conceptualization to post-event evaluation. Ensuring that events align with mission and business objectives, drive revenue, enhance member engagement and retention, foster community engagement, and consistently deliver exceptional guest experiences.
• Contribute to the creation of impactful event sponsorship strategies, facilitating seamless brand integration with MOPOP events to enhance the overall experience through authentic and purposeful collaborations.
• Assist in developing event pricing strategies and revenue streams and collaborating with partners to innovate premium hospitality packages.
• Infuse Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility principles into every facet of strategic event planning, focusing on thoughtfully designing event flows, guest communications, wayfinding, and operational processes to guarantee that all MOPOP events are not only inclusive and accessible but also actively promote a sense of belonging for diverse audiences. 

Business Operations Strategy:

• Actively shaping event and operational policies, operationalizing strategic initiatives, and identifying cost-saving opportunities. 
• Develop and implement a roadmap for scaling event services, optimizing operations and staffing models, and ensuring consistent delivery of exceptional client and guest experiences.
• Continue to establish and implement efficient standard operating processes and workflows within the Events Department and across operational teams.
• Develop and implement risk mitigation strategies to ensure the safety and success of all events.
• Manage artist, vendor, and contractor relationships, detailing SOWs, executing contracts, and negotiating rates and services.
• Continue to develop and manage the Event Operations department budget, ensuring effective resource allocation and cost control.
• Manage event budgets and Profit and Loss Statements, track expenses, and provide detailed financial reports on event performance and operations.
• Establish ROI measurement criteria and actively monitor event performance metrics to drive continuous improvement.
• Leverage data analytics to identify areas for enhancement and make informed, data-driven decisions.
• Utilize insights to inform future event strategies and initiatives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.

Team Leadership 

• Lead and inspire the Event Operations Team, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, respect, kindness, and commitment to excellence. 

• Set clear departmental and individual performance goals and expectations, provide ongoing feedback, and support individual professional development. 

• Build a well-developed internship program for Event Operations, mentoring the next generation of event professionals, establishing pathways to employment and enhancing the capabilities of the Event Operations team. 

MOPOP Community:

• Support our internal culture, which inspires and empowers our staff to live our mission to its highest standards.
• Contribute to a consistent customer service standard across all departments.
• Work to ensure customer service is ingrained at the core of the team and is reflected outward to our guests and other staff.

Preferred/Desired Qualifications

• At least ten (10) years of experience in event planning, coordination, and production, preferably in the arts, entertainment, or hospitality fields.
• At least five (5) years of experience in administrative, operational, or project management.
• World class project management skills, understanding of project/program management principals, methods, techniques and experience with enterprise project management tools.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Proven ability to provide effective customer service for internal and external client groups.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively lead and manage professional staff in a collaborative team environment.
• Detail-oriented, with strong organizational skills to manage a continuous workflow in a high volume, multi-tasking environment.
• Ability to handle stress and stay organized, focused, and customer service oriented when faced with multiple deadlines
• Must be willing to work a flexible schedule as determined by business volume.

Benefits

This regular full-time position includes Medical/Vision insurance, Dental insurance, Life/AD&D/LTD insurance, 3.08 hours of accrued Vacation per bi-weekly pay period, Seattle Sick/Safe, 7 Floating Holidays (prorated first year dependent on hire date), 8 Company Holidays paid throughout the year, EAP, 401k plan with vested match schedule once eligible, and subsidized transportation benefits for Orca Pass or parking.
 

Why MOPOP?

We’re really glad you’re thinking about joining the team at MOPOP! We believe pop culture is a universal language capable of building connections across a range of people, no matter our differences in race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, education, socio-economic status, ethnicity, country of origin, or any other characteristic that makes us who we are. For more than twenty years, we have been showcasing how music, film, fashion, video games, sports, and more spark those connections and create a lasting cultural impact.

MOPOP provides both a physical space and an emotional and intellectual opportunity for people from any background to explore, find and build community, and recognize their own creative potential. This applies not only to our guests, but also to our staff — be it in designing an educational program to engage the next generation of creators, trying to reach a new audience with a marketing initiative, preserving an artifact in our collection, or providing excellent customer service to a visitor. If this sounds like something you’d be into, we’d love to hear from you!

MOPOP’s Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility 

Our mission is to activate the world-shaping power of pop culture through participative experiences, discovery, and play. We believe pop culture connects us, and that it is powerful, complex, alive and who we are. MOPOP is actively committed to ongoing learning in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). In partnership with our community, we hope to also develop safe spaces for their application. This includes taking steps to continue increasing our awareness of institutional “-isms,” as well as uncovering and undoing the ways they show up in museum culture. We recognize this is a process that requires intentionality, energy, and resources, and we are developing a DEIA framework that can cultivate a work environment and museum experience that is truly welcoming for all.

We are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable workplace, and we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We believe that having staff, interns, and volunteers with diverse backgrounds enables us to better meet our mission and encourage BIPOC, women, and LGBTQIA2S individuals to apply. We acknowledge that our work to build safe spaces and better systems for traditionally marginalized groups is ongoing and will require constant vigilance and expect all MOPOP employees to be part of our DEIA journey.

Please email jobs@mopop.org if you need reasonable accommodations during the application or hiring process.

Qualifications

Salary : $97,011 - $105,019