Director of Programs and Community Engagement

The Downtown Alliance seeks a creative and enthusiastic professional to serve as its Director of Programs and Community Engagement. The mission of the Alliance for Downtown New York is to provide service, advocacy, research, and information to advance Lower Manhattan as a global model of a 21st-century Central Business District for businesses, residents, and visitors. We nurture relationships with district businesses, restaurants, and hotels to develop cultural, arts, and events programs for a diverse audience.

We are looking for a creative, communicative, and highly organized individual who will drive the strategy, design, and execution of an array of programming initiatives for the Alliance as a producer and facilitator of events in the following verticals:

• Lead responsibility for its major cultural programming initiative: LM LIVE https://downtownny.com/about-us/services/lm-live/
• Designing and producing occasional professional development events that take advantage of the varied expertise found among Lower Manhattan's many professional communities
• Assisting in a series of periodic evening events focused on small business concerns. These are to be developed in partnership with the Alliance's Director of Small Business Engagement
• Developing a familiarity with the Alliance's twice-yearly food festivals, Dine Around Downtown and Lunch Box, and assisting the team that produces those festivals as needed
• Producing any number of other thematic events or series to be decided upon with consultation and approval from the Senior Vice President for Communications and Marketing
• Be available to assist with other Alliance programming not under their direct supervision as needed.

We seek someone who has a dynamic understanding of culture and how it animates economic development and placemaking, and the personal skills necessary to access, develop, and maintain a robust network of contacts with culture makers, newsmakers, professionals, and companies throughout Lower Manhattan, New York City, and the nation.

You should have a keen interest in the latest happenings and conversations within and about film, books, food, art, small businesses, current events, and the tech, media, and creative industries. You must have your finger on the pulse of the cultural zeitgeist and be enthusiastic about creating relevant in-person events around a wide variety of topics.

The position demands a highly organized individual with an entrepreneurial spirit who enjoys meeting and connecting with others and is eager to leave their mark on work that will inspire and inform the many communities that make up Lower Manhattan. You are as comfortable with the physical labor needed to set up an event as you are dealing gracefully with high-profile VIPs. The position will work within a highly collaborative communications team and include some supervisory responsibilities for an associate who works in support of this programming vertical.

A working understanding of all the audio-visual demands of event production is required.

This full-time position regularly includes evening hours.

This role includes the following responsibilities:

• Producing a regular schedule of events from start to finish. Between 12 and 15 events annually.
• Maintaining key relationships within the cultural, business, and residential communities of Lower Manhattan
• Being able to manage subcontractors as well as partner and venue relationships
• Outreach to and securing of talent: speakers, artists, community leaders, and presenters
• Manage program budgets
• Manage staff as needed for events
• Coordinate with colleagues and outside partners on event promotion, including generating content for ticketing pages, pre- and post-event emails, content for website, and social media
• Forge new relationships and create partnership proposals that may lead to sponsorship and coordinate such relationships.
• Some working familiarity with digital tools like WordPress, Salesforce, Eventbrite, Canva, or Adobe Creative Suite.

Benefits:

The Alliance for Downtown New York, Inc. offers a very competitive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan, commuter benefit, life insurance, long term disability insurance, tuition assistance, paid time off, and Citibike membership. Salary range is $90,000 to $95,000, commensurate with experience.

To Apply:

Send your resume and a cover letter to jobs@downtownny.com.

The Alliance for Downtown New York is an equal opportunity employer.

The Alliance for Downtown New York, Inc. offers a very competitive benefits package including health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan, commuter benefit, life insurance, long term disability insurance, tuition assistance, paid time off, and Citibike membership.