Special Events Manager

Position Summary

The Special Events Manager is responsible for planning, organizing, coordinating, and executing special events that support the mission and fundraising goals of the North Florida School of Special Education (NFSSE). This position serves as the primary liaison for school-sponsored events and external facility rentals, ensuring every event is professionally managed from planning through post-event evaluation.

The Special Events Manager develops and implements comprehensive, results-oriented event plans using both traditional and innovative strategies. This role requires exceptional organizational skills, strategic thinking, strong relationship-building abilities, and the capacity to manage multiple projects while maintaining the highest level of customer service and professionalism.

This is a full-time, exempt position with a typical schedule of Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Due to the nature of special events, flexibility is required, and the schedule will vary based on organizational needs. Evening and weekend work is expected to support events and programs. When additional hours are worked outside the typical schedule, the work schedule may be adjusted, as operational needs allow, to provide flexibility while ensuring business needs are met. Scheduling expectations and event-related responsibilities will be discussed in greater detail during the interview process.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Event Planning and Management

Plan, organize, coordinate, and execute a variety of fundraising, stewardship, community engagement, and school-wide events.Develop event timelines, budgets, logistics, and implementation plans to ensure successful execution.Create and maintain policies, procedures, and best practices for the planning and execution of special events.Serve as the primary event liaison for internal school events and events hosted by external organizations.Maintain detailed event records, timelines, planning documents, budgets, vendor information, and post-event evaluations.Attend and oversee all assigned events to ensure activities are executed according to plan and to resolve issues as they arise.Remain onsite through event conclusion to oversee breakdown, cleanup, and restoration of facilities.Volunteer and Staff Coordination

Provide guidance to volunteers and staff participating in event planning and execution.Coordinate assignments and responsibilities to ensure efficient event operations.Foster a collaborative, positive, and service-oriented event team environment.Catering and Hospitality

Collaborate closely with NFSSE's Executive Chef to plan and coordinate catering for both internal and external events.Coordinate food service logistics, scheduling, and communication for catered events.Identify and pursue opportunities to expand daytime catering services that support organizational revenue goals.Community Engagement and Facility Rentals

Coordinate events that promote the school's mission, strengthen community relationships, increase volunteer engagement, and cultivate prospective donors.Manage facility rental requests from external organizations, including scheduling, contracts, logistics, communication, and compliance with school policies.Ensure facility users follow established guidelines and maintain positive relationships with community partners.Project Management

Independently manage multiple event projects simultaneously while meeting deadlines and maintaining high-quality standards.Anticipate challenges, develop contingency plans, and proactively resolve issues.Evaluate event outcomes and recommend improvements for future events and processes.Qualifications

Education & Experience

Bachelor's degree in Event Management, Hospitality, Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.Minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in event planning, project management, fundraising events, hospitality, or a related field.Experience working in a nonprofit, educational, or mission-driven organization is preferred.Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Exceptional organizational, planning, and project management skills.Ability to successfully manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.Excellent attention to detail and strong problem-solving abilities.Strong interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills.Demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal supervision while collaborating effectively with teams.High level of initiative, flexibility, and professionalism.Ability to remain calm under pressure and adapt quickly to changing priorities.Strong judgment, discretion, and ability to maintain confidentiality.Ability to build productive relationships with staff, volunteers, vendors, donors, community partners, and guests.Ability to sit or stand for extended periods; perform repetitive motions; push, pull, bend, stoop, reach, and walk; and lift up to 20 pounds.North Florida School of Special Education (NFSSE) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer and Drug-Free Workplace. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

This position requires a Level 2 background screening through the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse as mandated by Florida Statute 435.12. For more information, please visit the Clearinghouse Applicant Education and Awareness website: https://info.flclearinghouse.com/

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $54,000.00 - $57,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Dental insuranceHealth insuranceHealth savings accountLife insurancePaid time offRetirement planVision insuranceWork Location: In person