Manager, Operations, Fair

We are Edmonton’s Destination Management and Marketing Organization (DMMO). We also manage two of Edmonton’s award-winning venues, the Edmonton Convention Centre and the Edmonton EXPO Centre. We help tell Edmonton’s story, elevate the Edmonton experience, and drive inbound visitation and economic impact in the visitor economy.

Working together in a one-team approach aligned by our core values, Explore Edmonton’s business units’ market and sell Edmonton as a year-round destination to visit, work, and play in while also developing products and experiences that have a uniquely Edmonton flavour. And by incorporating the management of the city’s two award-winning venues into Explore Edmonton, we are uniquely positioned to attract major events, meetings, and conventions to our city, generating greater economic impact. While Explore Edmonton’s mandate is focused on generating inbound visitation, what we do and how we do it also enhances and amplifies the quality of life for Edmontonians. The people who live here are our greatest ambassadors, so making it easier for them to love our city makes it easier for us to sell it.

The Community Initiatives and Agriculture (CIA) team is the arm of Explore Edmonton Corporation that stewards legacy events like K-Days, and Farmfair International. We are also a team of urban agriculture enthusiasts that continue to make an impact with projects and programs geared to agriculture education, community partnerships, and sustainability.

There is no better example of our work in the community to connect people to food and farming within the city limits than at the Explore Edmonton Urban Farm, and no better way to show our commitment to the quality of life of Edmontonians than through the events that our team of Community Volunteers support not just for Explore Edmonton, but for our attraction’s partners all around Edmonton, every year.

And, for good measure, we always throw in a healthy dose of entertainment like the new Edmonton Pro Rodeo, the last stop on the road to the Canadian Finals Rodeo.

The Community Initiatives and Agriculture team at Explore Edmonton is looking for a Manager, Operations Fair to join their team!

Reporting to the Director, Fair, the Manager, Operations Fair, is responsible for overseeing the overall event operational and logistics planning and execution and drafting requirements, across the Community Initiatives and Agriculture portfolio. They will also manage operational aspects of the CIA events and projects to ensure that they completed on time and on budget. This position is responsible for big picture thinking and ensuring that our events will apply the industry’s most innovative ideas, tactics, suppliers and contractors to continuously improve and introduce best practices to our events.

The ideal candidate will be responsible for:

• Directly responsible for oversight, management, and continuous improvement of all CIA events operations.
• Coordinate and lead the development of key operational programming areas for all the CIA events, while keeping in consideration the events and organizations key objectives.
• Responsible for tracking expenses, variance reporting, and submitting and paying all purchase requisitions and invoices on a timely basis.
• Participates in operational meetings to support other Business Units operational needs (Food & Beverage, Marketing, Events, Corporate Partnerships, Finance, Business Technology, Facilities, etc.) to maintain communications about upcoming events.
• Implement SOP and Best Practices, and pro-actively develop, test and share process improvements for operational planning.
• Contract Management, including sourcing, development, negotiations, review, and fulfillment. Initiates all contract requirements for contractors, vendors, suppliers, competitors, request clarification or contract requirements from the department, stakeholders, etc. if necessary. Contracts include entertainment, attractions, community partners, exhibits not covered within sales team, contractors, etc.
• Works with internal and external team on all event layouts and developed them using AutoCAD. Is also responsible for all layout management.
• Reviews the analysis & evaluation of current/historical contractors, suppliers to identify trends and opportunities for future opportunity development and areas for additional leveragability, as well as alignment with our operational standards and event KPI’s
• Reviews existing contractors, suppliers, and operational framework, solicit feedback from stakeholders and suggest improvements/changes to be made in order to improve profitability, customer satisfaction and community engagement.
• Stay well-informed of current developments & trends in all relevant industry / looking at all opportunities for improvement and any leading any implementation based on the results of research completed.
• Organize internal and external meetings including booking meeting space, printing of agendas and handouts, taking minutes, providing any necessary information and distributing materials.
• Contribute to the updated monthly variance reporting.
• Ensure compliance with OHSA, DOT and Safety Requirements
• Oversees and manages contractor safety policies and procedures.
• Ensure Damage and Loss reports are documented in adherence with company practices.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Post Secondary Education requirements.
  • Completion of a Certificate course in Drafting using AutoCAD.
  • Post-Secondary Education such as Bachelor of Recreation, Sports & Tourism or Certification in Event Management/Coordination & Tourism, or other related discipline
• 7 – 10 years experience in an operational environment inclusive of management/supervisory functions
• Minimum of 5 years experience in large event coordination and management, and operations and logistics
• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in drafting, experience with event specific drafting an asset
• Experience working with external stakeholders, Community Groups and volunteer committees.
• Minimum of 5 years in a position supervising staff, or volunteers
• Strong proficiency with MS Office Suite of Applications (Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Word, Teams, Sharepoint) and contact database input and management are required.
• Experience with CRM and Project Management planning software ( Zoho, Microsoft Project)
• Ability to lift and move up to 50 lbs
• Flexibility to work overtime where required.
• Leadership style that promotes engagement and accountability within the values of the organization.
• Passionate and engaging leader who openly invites and exchanges ideas, shares information and welcomes diverse perspectives with a “big picture” mindset.
• Able to evaluate when a decision must be made by someone at a higher level
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
• Provide strong customer service skills when dealing with external stakeholders.
• Strong organization skills, detail-oriented, ability to multi-task, and pro-active with good prioritization skills
• Problem solving and critical thinking skills.
• Self motivated, flexible, and adaptable
• Ability to work independently and perform effectively in a team environment
• Ability to work under pressure and with time sensitive deadlines.
• Ability to handle multiple talks and prioritize goals.

If this role piques your interest, please submit your cover letter and resume to let us know how you feel you could make an impact along with your resume. Please submit your interest no later than March 22, 2023.

Explore Edmonton encourages, supports, and celebrates a diverse and inclusive work environment. We strive to create a workplace that reflects the city we promote and where our employees feel safe and supported every day.