Director of Events

ORGANIZATION:

Mount Auburn Cemetery spans 175 acres and is in Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1831, and visited by over 200,000 people each year, Mount Auburn is a National Historic Landmark, recognized as the first “rural cemetery” and the inspiration for the American Parks Movement during the 19th century. Mount Auburn inspires all who visit, comforts the bereaved, and commemorates the dead in a landscape of exceptional beauty. As an accredited arboretum, Mount Auburn features 5,000 trees and more than 20,000 plants overall.

Summary:

The Director of Events is responsible for the overall planning, coordination, and execution of high-quality events at Mount Auburn Cemetery. The role involves managing a team, working with vendors, ensuring adherence to budgets, and delivering a seamless and successful event experience.

Job Responsibilities And Requirements

• Leads and oversees all Advancement, public and internal events at Mount Auburn Cemetery with precision, tact and professionalism.
• Develops an annual event strategy that aligns with the Cemetery's mission and that responds to wider social and cultural conversations while strengthening Mount Auburn’s role as a cultural landscape leader.
• Develops an annual event strategy that grows meaningful engagement leading to yearly revenue and philanthropic growth.
• Leads a collaborative and strategic process to develop and implement mission-based events that elevate beauty, service and welcome at Mount Auburn.
• Embodies a title of "Calendar Czar" building and developing tools and systems to balance the many competing priorities of a quickly growing and evolving organization.
• Leads, recruits, and trains a team of event coordinators and volunteers, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.
• Develops written policies and procedures to ensure consistent standards for all events across Mount Auburn.
• Leads the development of strategic relationships with events vendors and suppliers that result in greater revenue.
• Develops budgets and maintains and tracks program expenses and revenues while committing to being fully accountable for increasing revenue growth.
• Serves as the key event communicator inside and outside of the organization and builds and sustains a culture of coordination, collaboration and communication.
• Oversees the creation all marketing and communication materials.
• Develops all event evaluation tools; analyzes and reports program metrics for stakeholders.
• Creates programming that supports Mount Auburn’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility goals and environmental stewardship initiatives.
• Ensures the creation of event briefings, schedules, layouts, communications and ongoing efficacy of all events.
• Thought partner and supervisor for SOLSTICE, our signature event, including strategies for an increasing and significant revenue stream for the organization.
  
  
  

Skills And Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Event Management, Hospitality, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5 years of experience in event planning and management, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple events simultaneously.
• Proficiency in event management software (e.g., Cvent, Eventbrite).
• Strong negotiation skills and experience managing vendor contracts.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.
  
  
  

Preferred Skills

• Experience with large-scale corporate events and high-profile clients.
• Understanding of marketing and promotional strategies.
• Ability to innovate and think creatively in a fast-paced environment.
  
  
  

Mount Auburn Cemetery is an equal opportunity employer. It does not discriminate in employment opportunities on the basis of race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, national origin, age, pregnancy, citizenship status, physical or mental ability, military status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.