Positions available

Event Manager

Festival of Seas 2024

Position to start: August 19th
Term of employment: 3-month contract
Location: Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Manager: Director of Advancement – Kate Holden
APPLICATION CLOSING DATE: 5^th August 2024

SUMMARY

CCMI’s key strategic goal is to become the premier research institution in the region, unlocking the clues to coral reef resilience and bringing relevant science to society. We seek extraordinary employees to help us bring to focus the positive changes that can occur when we reduce human impact on the planet. With this in mind, we seek to hire a mature, experienced professional to lead the planning of the annual Festival of Seas gala, which is the organisation’s largest local fundraiser of the year.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The primary responsibility is to assist in planning, managing, and overseeing a successful Festival of Seas gala. As CCMI’s largest fundraiser each year, we put on a highly-anticipated event that raises funds to underpin our critical work for coral reefs throughout the year. This year, the event theme is Coral Reef Horizons, and there will be a heavy visual storytelling component. In addition to the typical gala activities, CCMI is running a photography contest where members of the community are invited to submit their photos for consideration. Winners will be announced at Festival of Seas, and many photographs will be displayed as part of the gala décor.

The successful applicant will:

• Plan and execute the Festival of Seas dinner and auction event (250-350 attendees) in coordination with Advancement team members
• Keep event under budget and on schedule
• Reach out to potential sponsors, donors, and attendees to secure their support of the event
• Help deliver a communications plan to convey important information about the gala across multiple channels
• Maintain accurate records of income, expenses, and other aspects of the gala (eg: auction item information, sponsorship recognition, etc)
• Work with local vendors to create and execute a successful event
• Recruit, train, and supervise event volunteers
• Ensure Festival of Seas event day is successfully carried out
• Create a post-event report for Director of Advancement
• Lead post-event wrap up

Skills

Applicants must have the following skills:

• Strong organizational and management skills
• Proficiency in word, excel, powerpoint, adobe, and understand print process
• Self-starting
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment
• Ability to plan and execute an event that has many moving parts
• Exceptional communication skills
• Ability to work as a team player who can work with a range of different stakeholders in a positive and passionate way.
• Ability to reflect and consider ways to improve
• Experience adhering to a budget

Preferred qualifications:

• More than three years event management experience
• Experience with online auction software, in particular Classy Live
• Creativity and ability to plan a memorable event experience for guests
• Familiarity with event trends and developments
• Have a good professional network established in the Cayman Islands

Terms:

Salary: USD $50K per annum, prorated for term of contract

• The role is based on Grand Cayman and will be working from home
• There will be a US $40 per month utilities/phone payment, and a laptop will be provided
• This is a full-time role, five days a week (45 hours), Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm
• The Advancement Team is expected to work flexible hours during events and peak periods, including weekends and evenings.

To apply

Send your complete resume/CV and a cover letter that highlights your event planning experience, as well as the names the contact information for two references from previous events you have planned (we will not contact them without confirmation from you) to Robyn at rlarkin@reefresearch.org no later than 5pm on Monday 5^th August for consideration. This position is only available to those currently located in the Cayman Islands.