Assistant Manager Sport Hosting

at  The City of Vancouver

QUALIFICATIONS

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline (such as public relations or business administration) preferred
• Minimum 6 years’ experience in related field
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in leadership, managing projects and contractors
• Direct experience working with event right holders, organizers, planner and associations
• Significant experience leading marketing and communication projects
• Experience developing and managing technical budgets
• Experience managing sport events involving a mix of staff, contractors and volunteers
• Significant experience with project management and scheduling for multi-faceted projects
• A working background that includes communication with government, not-for-profits, First Nations and community sport organizations. Must have a good understanding of the technical requirements, deliverables and solutions for multiple forms of sport disciplines and levels of competition.
• Clear level of understanding of the regional, provincial, national and international sports organizations and their hierarchy

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• be a self-starter and critical thinker
• a background working in a fast-paced, multi-level, project based environment with an emphasis on timelines and delivery
• ability to work in a collaborative and customer service focused manner
• be an excellent communicator, excellent verbal and written communications skills
• have proven ability to demonstrate strong interpersonal and communication skills; ability to work effectively with a wide range of internal and external contacts; effectively manage (City’s contact with community event organizers and volunteers)
• provide direction and subject matter leadership related to developing and executing strategic marketing and communications plans
• have working knowledge of the approval requirements for large scale public events
• be able to manage, prioritize, and execute multiple projects at time
• be action oriented, self-motivated and possess a demonstrated commitment to extraordinary results, personal integrity and team success
• have proven ability to develop project management, verbal, written, presentation, facilitation and interpersonal skills and be persuasive, consultative and a decision maker

Where operationally appropriate and subject to change, the City of Vancouver has a Flexible Work Program. This program allows staff to work remotely 1 – 4 days a week from locations that are a daily commutable distance from their work at a City worksite. At this time this position is eligible to be part of the Flexible Work Program.
The City of Vancouver has a COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination Policy. All external applicants applying to the City of Vancouver are required to be fully vaccinated as a condition of hire and subject to this policy as a condition of ongoing employment. Candidates may only be exempted from this requirement if they request and are approved for an accommodation based on a reason related to a Human Rights Code ground (such as disability). Such a request must be made during, not after, the recruitment process.
Business Unit/Department: Office of the City Manager (1010)
Affiliation: Exempt
Employment Type: Temporary Full Time
Position Start Date: February, 2023
Position End Date: December, 2026
Salary Information: Pay Grade RNG-070: $77,367 to $96,699 per year

MAIN PURPOSE AND FUNCTION

The Assistant Manager will report directly to the Manager, Sport Hosting Vancouver and will ensure that the objectives of the Sport Hosting Vancouver Action Plan and the Community Sport Hosting Grants are effectively developed and delivered, working collaboratively with the Sport Hosting Vancouver external partners (Destination Vancouver and the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association) and local community sport organizations to build community capacity and attract sport events that have significant economic and social return. Involved in all phases of bid development, including planning, execution, content writing and strategy. Assembles and manages working bid committees to successfully deliver event bids on time, within budget and to a high level of quality. Experienced in event planning and sports marketing and has advanced knowledge of all facets of sport and event tourism. Responsible for building strong relationships with local sport organizations, community associations, venue partners and local First Nations. Major responsibilities include but not limited to; partnership coordination, event management, external government relations, budget tracking, program development, marketing and communications, media relations, assisting with City Council reporting and preparing internal and public presentations.
This position reports directly to and works closely with the Manager, Sport Hosting Vancouver and collaborates with Senior City and Park Boardstaff to ensure delivery of the City’s sport hosting objectives. Acting as a conduit between the City, Vancouver Park Board, sport and business community, other key contacts include Destination Vancouver, PavCo, UBC, Vancouver Hotel Destination Association, PNE, senior levels of Government, First Nations, funding agencies, event right holders, local community sport groups and the public.

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the efforts of, and participate with, the Manager, Sport Hosting Vancouver in the planning and development of the Sport Hosting Vancouver Action Plan and administration of the Sport Tourism Development Fund
• Lead the development and execution of sport event bid proposals through the coordination of working bid committees and participation on host committees
• Build community sport hosting capacity through the development of event assets and tools including: bid support, site inspections, accommodation and facilities coordination, funding assistance (Community Sport Hosting Grant Program & Sport Tourism Development Fund - major events), marketing and communication tools, volunteer recruitment and event promotion
• Collaborate with all City of Vancouver departments to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization as it relates to Council priorities including the Greenest City Strategy, Healthy Living, Vancouver Economic Strategy, Vancouver Sport Strategy, Vancouver Sport Hosting Action Plan, and the City’s response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action
• Promotes the development of management practices to continually improve effectiveness and efficiencies of Sport Hosting Vancouver
• Manage proactive relationships with event organizers in advancement of a dynamic event community; assist event organizers:
• To work through municipal and provincial approval processes
• To ensure all required documentation is secured in a timely manner
• To connect and align with City’s available marketing programs
• To develop strategies to help promote events
• To sustain and strengthen the City’s relationship with local First Nations
• Position to the City to respond effectively to significant unplanned special events and/or tournament and festival opportunities that provide a significant benefit to the City
• Works with local sport organizations to initiate and provide more sport participation and volunteer opportunities for local citizens
• Provides input in the development of a dynamic event landscape through the use of policies, procedures, guidelines, processes and grant allocations to support existing events and attract significant new events to Vancouver

Industry Relations

• Establishes and maintains effective working relationships with the Vancouver Sport Hosting partners and services providers
• Acts as they key point of contact for community sport stakeholders, responding to requests and inquiries, directing inquiries to the appropriate resources and/or making industry connections as appropriate
• Coordinates communication and activities of the Sport Hosting Vancouver partners and event right holders
• Produces, distributes and researches relevant content for the sporthostingvancouver.ca website and the @sporthostingvan twitter account
• Attends meetings of the Sport Hosting Vancouver partnership and other necessary sport hosting regional and national meetings
• Maintains partnerships and communications with related organizations including the Vancouver Park Board, Sport Tourism Canada, viaSport, Government of BC – Ministry ofTourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, Sport BC, MoreSports, Community Sport Associations, and local First Nations
• Actively collects information and relevant updates pertaining to sport hosting trends, developments, research, funding, events and other information to be able to respond to community inquiries

Project Development, Management and Implementation

• Develops and implements the City’s sport hosting and tourism assets including development of a work plan, identification of short and long-term objectives and strategies, timelines, budgets, deliverables and performance measurement indicators
• Leads the development, promotion, and distribution of tools and resources to stakeholders and community sport partners
• Develops and manages bid templates and proposals
• Monitors timelines, contracts and budgets throughout the bidding process
• Ensures sport hosting initiatives remain relevant and continue to assist stakeholders with their sport hosting needs

Marketing & Communications

• Lead the Sport Hosting Vancouver communications strategy, including internal and external presentations, social media, website, and reporting
• Effectively utilizes all existing communication tools and tactics and implements new methods as well, to ensure that messages are communicated effectively to internal and external audiences;
• Manages and maintains content representing Sport Hosting Vancouver
• Ensures accuracy of sport tourism content on the City website, Vancouver.ca, and other communication channels, as required
• Managers all content for sporthostingvancouver.ca
• Responsible for development, handling and distribution of sensitive information to senior management in a timely manner
• Work closely with the City and Park Board Communication teams to align event initiatives and promotions with all communication platforms within the City
• Responsible for marketing and promotion of the Vancouver Community Sport Hosting Grant Program, including the recognition plan of the City and Park Board when grants are awarded
• Develop marketing strategy for branding Vancouver as a premier events destination
• Responds in a timely manner to all community inquiries through website, emails and 411

Event Management

• Leads successful planning, coordination, promotion, delivery and review of the City’s participation at sport tourism industry events (such as the Sport Tourism Canada’s annual conference)
• Plans and creates promotional collateral for use at industry events
• Represents the City of Vancouver at sport/event related conferences to promote Vancouver as a sport hosting destination when necessary

Administration & Reporting

• Oversees the Vancouver Community Sport Hosting Grant program and reports to Council on funding recommendations from applicants
• Prepares reports for the City Management Team, City Council, Park Board Commissioners and other Sport Stakeholders as requested
• Drafts and prepares internal and external presentations and public workshops as required
• Provide regular briefings which update Council and staff on major event milestones
• Chairs and/or facilitates public and staff meetings as required
• Tracks budgets and contracts, and processes invoices
• Prepares RFPs/RFQs and contracts related to sport tourism initiatives
• Updates databases and maintains client management systems
• Ongoing research including:
• Data collection and tracking of economic and social impact of sport events
• Collecting information and relevant updates pertaining to sport tourism industry trends, developments, research, funding, events and other information to keep informed on worldwide competition and best practices
• Other duties/responsibilities as assigned