Special Events and Venues Manager (Recreation Programs Manager)

**Posting number:** 26-00083-0342-PR-JG

**Department:** Parks and Recreation

**Job classification:** Recreation Programs Manager

**Posting type:** Open

**Categories:** Recreation, Parks and Recreation

Summary
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**ABOUT US**

At the City of Santa Barbara, the best part of our organization is our people. As a City of Santa Barbara employee, you will work in an environment with other motivated individuals who are passionate about their work. We strive to provide employees with the support they need to thrive. [Discover more about us, our values and our organizational culture here](https://www.santabarbaraca.gov/gov/depts/adminsvs/hr/default.asp).

Shape the events and spaces that define Santa Barbara. The City of Santa Barbara is seeking a skilled and community-focused professional to serve as its next Special Events and Venues Manager to lead the City’s special events, filming, venue rental, and City-produced event programs.

[Read more about the Parks and Recreation Department here](https://sbparksandrec.santabarbaraca.gov/).

**THE POSITION**

The **Special Events and Venues Manager** oversees a dynamic portfolio of community-serving programs and high-profile public events. This position leads a professional team and works extensively across City departments and with event organizers, businesses, community organizations, production companies, residents, and other stakeholders. The successful candidate will combine strong management and organizational skills with excellent judgment, customer service, and the ability to navigate complex operational and regulatory issues.

With a strong emphasis on event logistics, permitting, public safety, and interdepartmental coordination, this position plays a central role in delivering City-sponsored events and supporting the safe, successful execution of hundreds of small and large public and private events each year. It is also a highly visible, public-facing role that requires frequent collaboration and communication with the City Administrator’s Office, Mayor and City Council, senior leadership across City departments, nonprofit and business leaders, and community members of all backgrounds. The ability to navigate complex stakeholder dynamics with professionalism, diplomacy, and responsiveness is essential to success in this position.

**Core Program Areas Under Management**

1. **Public Special Events and Filming:**Oversee coordination, permitting, and City support for large and small public events and filming occurring on City property and in the public right-of-way. The Manager and their team guide event organizers through the permitting process and coordinate requirements involving Police, Fire, Public Works, Waterfront, Parks and Recreation, and other City departments and regulatory agencies. The program supports a wide range of community activities, from neighborhood and nonprofit events to races, festivals, parades, major civic celebrations, commercial filming, and other complex events involving significant public safety, traffic, accessibility, neighborhood, and operational considerations.

2. **City-Produced Events:**Lead the planning and execution of the City’s signature events, including the Independence Day Celebration, the Concerts in the Park series, the Children’s Fiesta Parade, and seasonal programming at the historic Plaza del Mar Park Bandshell. Responsibilities include event planning, budgeting, contracting, sponsorships and partnerships, entertainment and vendor coordination, public safety and logistics planning, accessibility, marketing, and on-site event management.

3. **Private Event Rentals and Outdoor Venues:**Oversees the City’s recreation facility and event venue rental program, including weddings, meetings, conferences, and other private rentals at indoor and outdoor venues such as the Cabrillo Pavilion, community centers, and other locations. Oversee group picnic area and outdoor rental logistics in community parks and open spaces. The Manager is responsible for maintaining a high-quality customer experience while ensuring effective facility utilization, consistent policies and procedures, appropriate cost recovery, and responsible stewardship and maintenance of public facilities.
4. **Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show:**Manage operations, permitting, and compliance for this long-standing weekly tradition that supports over 125 local artists showing and selling their works along Cabrillo Blvd. The Manager oversees the program’s ongoing operations, policies, participant administration, and special activities; provides guidance and responsive customer service to participating artists and craftspeople; and works with staff to address the individual questions, concerns, and issues that arise in a highly engaged participant community. The Manager also serves as the primary staff liaison to the City’s Arts and Crafts Show Advisory Committee, including developing agendas and recommendations, presenting policy and operational matters, facilitating productive public meetings, and ensuring appropriate follow-through on Committee and City direction.

**Work Schedule:** This position generally works a regular weekday schedule (9/80 Flex or 5/40 Traditional) however, the nature of the programs requires occasional evening, weekend, and holiday work. The Manager is expected to be present for select major City-sponsored events and other significant programs, including the City’s Fourth of July Celebration, Santa Barbara Fiesta Week, and Concerts in the Park, as well as occasional special events, venue activities, Arts and Crafts Show programs, and public meetings. These schedule needs are generally known and planned well in advance. This position is not hybrid and does require in-office work.

**Key Responsibilities**

* Lead a multi-disciplinary team, including full-time supervisors, coordinators, administrative staff, seasonal employees, and volunteers.
* Provide strategic direction, policy guidance, and operational oversight across all assigned program areas.
* Serve on the Department’s leadership team and work across the Department to advance projects and priorities of the Department as a whole.
* Prepare and manage complex budgets, fee structures, and revenue programs in accordance with City goals and financial policies.
* Work closely with internal City departments and external partners to facilitate safe, inclusive, and high-quality events and services.
* Continuously evaluate program effectiveness, community impact, and operational efficiency.
* Represent program areas to elected officials, boards and commissions, community partners, and the general public.
* Lead interdepartmental planning for complex and high-profile events involving public safety, traffic control, street closures, emergency access, sanitation, accessibility, alcohol service, amplified sound, use of public property, and other operational considerations.
* Serve as a key City liaison to event organizers, film and production companies, community organizations, businesses, residents, artists and craftspeople, and other stakeholders.
* Manage the City’s private venue rental program, including facility utilization, customer service standards, reservation practices, contracts, fees, policies, and operating procedures.
* Lead the planning and execution of City-produced events, including development of event concepts, schedules, budgets, contracts, logistics, staffing plans, sponsorships, entertainment, vendors, and day-of operations.
* Provide management oversight of the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show, including its year-round operations, participant administration, policies, stakeholder relations, and coordination with other activities along the waterfront.
* Serve as staff liaison to the Arts and Crafts Show Advisory Committee and support an effective public advisory process through agenda development, staff reports, presentations, meeting facilitation, and implementation of recommendations and direction.
* Evaluate existing programs and business practices and implement improvements to permitting, reservations, technology, customer service, and internal workflows.
* Develop and recommend policies, procedures, guidelines, and Municipal Code changes related to special events, filming, facility use, and the Arts and Crafts Show.
* Balance support for vibrant community events and private uses of City facilities with public safety, neighborhood impacts, accessibility, environmental considerations, operational capacity, and responsible use of public resources.
* Resolve complex and sensitive issues involving competing interests, regulatory requirements, City policies, and community expectations.
* Prepare reports, presentations, agreements, correspondence, and recommendations for Department leadership, City administration, advisory bodies, and other decision-makers.
* Represent the Parks and Recreation Department at meetings with City departments, community organizations, event producers, businesses, advisory groups, and other stakeholders.

**Ideal Candidate**

The ideal candidate is a creative, strategic thinker and skilled operational leader who is energized by the complexity and visibility of community-facing work. Key qualities include:

* Extensive experience managing special events, civic programs, or public-facing services in a municipal or nonprofit setting.
* Exceptional leadership and team-building skills across multiple program types and facility operations.
* Experience coordinating across organizational boundaries and building productive working relationships with public safety personnel, operational departments, regulatory agencies, community organizations, and private businesses.
* Experience working effectively with advisory boards, commissions, committees, or other highly engaged stakeholder groups.
* Strong business and financial management skills, including budgeting, contracts, revenue generation, fee development, and cost