Senior Operations Coordinator

The Idea Hunter; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Health and dental

Cell phone allowance

Team in-person day per month

Job summary

The Idea Hunter in Toronto is seeking a Senior Coordinator to own our most complex corporate programs from handoff to on-site execution, coordinating vendors, timelines, logistics, and client communications. You will mentor Operations Coordinators, manage 5–10 programs per month, and travel within Ontario with occasional overnights.

The role requires schedule flexibility for evenings and weekends, with a hybrid setup for planning and on-site work.

Qualifications

• 2 to 3 years in event coordination delivering corporate programs end to end, live and virtual.
• Ability to run complex programs without supervision and know escalation needs.
• Experience managing out-of-town, multi-day programs including accommodations and venues.
• Willingness to travel evenings, weekends, with a valid driver’s licence and passport.
• Strong Excel and Google Sheets for project management; familiarity with AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude).

Responsibilities

• Run the most complex programs end to end without supervision.
• Be the on-site escalation point when issues arise.
• Mentor Operations Coordinators and set the standard for how a file is run here.
• Lead corporate retreats and out-of-town programs across Ontario and beyond.
• Manage destination logistics: room blocks, ground transport, venues and excursions.
• Build and manage supplier relationships in markets without a standing bench.
• Serve as the main on-site contact for the full duration of the program.
• Receive confirmed projects from sales, review scope, and connect with clients on next steps.
• Maintain Capsule CRM with all milestones and communications.
• Provide status updates to clients to ensure proactive information flow.
• Produce runs of show, BEOs, and on-site cue sheets for events.
• Coordinate shipping, receiving, and inventory for swag/kits, track courier numbers.
• Lead onsite events including AV coordination and photography notes.
• Act as floor captain: supervise load-in, rehearsals, cueing, and strike.
• Host virtual green-room calls and oversee streaming for webinars/hybrid events.
• Collect client and vendor feedback within 48 hours and log insights for improvement.
• Draft a short post-event report highlighting wins and lessons learned.

Skills

Event coordination

Excel & Sheets

On-site event management

Travel readiness

AI tools familiarity

Vendor coordination

Education

CMP / PMP (nice to have)

Project management certifications

Tools

Capsule CRM

Job description

The Idea Hunter is an award-winning corporate event planning agency based in Toronto with over 24 years of experience producing unforgettable experiences. Known for our trendsetting approach, we constantly evolve to stay ahead of the curve in the events industry. Our client roster spans Fortune 500 giants to high-growth startups, including brands like the Toronto Blue Jays, MLSE, and Sun Life, each trusting us to bring their events to life in bold and creative ways.

While we are best known for our entertainment and interactive experiences, we also produce full-scale events from concept to execution. That means no two days are the same, and every project offers something new, whether it is a brand launch, executive retreat, virtual tournament, or high-impact social activation.

This is a senior coordination role. You are the person we hand the hardest files to. You run programs end to end without supervision, you are the escalation point when something breaks on site, and you set the standard the Coordinators learn from.

Reporting to the Operations Manager, you will manage 5 to 10 programs per month, from single evening activations to multi-day corporate retreats and out-of-town programs, coordinating vendors, timelines, and logistics while mentoring Operations Coordinators.

Where this sits on our team: Coordinator, then Senior Coordinator, then Associate, then Senior Associate, then Operations Manager. This role is the Senior Coordinator seat.

Expect weeknight and weekend travel inside the GTA and occasional overnight stays at retreat venues (roughly 20 to 25 nights per year). This role almost always requires schedule flexibility for evenings, weekends, and travel.

OUR CULTURE

We live our mission through three core values:

Elevate Experiences Through Strategic Creativity. We are partners, not order-takers. Every event starts with intent and ends with emotion.

Exceed Expectations: Every Detail, Every Time. We anticipate challenges, own solutions, and hold ourselves and our vendors to top-tier standards.

Evolve Through Continuous Growth. Curiosity, feedback, and learning power our personal and company growth.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING EACH DAY?

Owning the Hardest Files

• Run our most complex programs end to end without supervision, from the sales handoff through to the post-event wrap.
• Act as the escalation point on show day. When a vendor fails, a room changes, or a timeline collapses, you are the person who solves it and tells us afterwards.
• Mentor Operations Coordinators. Review their run of show documents, sit with them on their first difficult client call, and set the standard for how a file is run here.

Destination and Multi-Day Programs

• Lead corporate retreats and out-of-town programs across Ontario and beyond for groups of 20 to 100+.
• Own destination logistics: room blocks, ground transportation, offsite venues and excursions, meals, and delegate movement across a multi-day agenda.
• Build and manage supplier relationships in markets where we do not have a standing bench.
• Serve as the main point of contact onsite for the full duration of the program.

Event Onboarding and Client Care

• Own the handoff. Receive each confirmed project from sales, review scope, and connect with our clients on the next steps to bring their event to life.
• Maintain Capsule CRM with all project milestones and email communication.
• Send clients status emails as required to keep them proactively informed.

Vendor and Logistics Coordination

• Produce comprehensive runs of show, BEOs, and onsite cue sheets for every event.
• Manage shipping, receiving, and inventory for swag and kits, and track courier numbers and shipping status.

On-Site and Virtual Execution

• Lead events onsite, including tech check, talent and AV coordination, and capturing photos and notes for the internal team.
• Act as floor captain on show day. Supervise load-in, rehearsals, cueing, and strike.
• Host virtual green-room calls and oversee streaming technology for webinars and hybrid events.

Post-Event Wrap and Analytics

• Collect client and vendor feedback within 48 hours and log insights for continual improvement.
• Draft a short post-event report highlighting wins and lessons learned.

WHAT MAKES YOU A FIT

Must-Have

• 2 to 3 years in event coordination delivering corporate programs end to end, live and virtual
• Proven ability to run complex programs without supervision, and the judgment to know what to escalation and what to solve
• Experience running an out-of-town, multi-day program end to end, including accommodations, ground transportation, and offsite venues
• Comfort travelling evenings and weekends, with a valid driver's licence and passport
• Strong Excel and Google Sheets skills for project management, plus experience using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude for task automation

Nice to Have

• Background at a DMC, incentive house, or destination management team. This is the strongest signal we look for and the experience that most rounds out our team.
• Experience mentoring or training junior coordinators
• Project management (PMP) or event planning designation (CMP), complete or in progress
• Experience running hybrid and virtual event platforms

WORKING CONDITIONS AND PERKS

• Competitive base salary with an 8% annual performance bonus
• Hybrid: remote for planning work, on site for events, and at least one in-person team working day per month
• Weeknight, weekend, and some overnight travel for events
• Health and dental, cell phone allowance

WHAT WE WILL ASK YOU FOR

Shortlisted candidates will be asked to speak to the following. Please have examples ready.

• A multi-day or out-of-town program you ran end to end. Tell us the group size, the moving parts, and what went wrong.
• A time a vendor failed you on site. Tell us what you did in the moment and what you changed afterwards.
• A coordinator you trained or mentored, and what they could do at the end that they could not do at the start.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Equal Employment Opportunity at The Idea Hunter (TIH): TIH is committed to an inclusive, diverse and equitable workplace, and is further committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of any protected characteristic including: race, color, genetic information, creed, national origin, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, lawful alien status, ancestry, age, marital status, protected veteran status or disability. Hiring decisions are based upon TIH's operating needs, and applicant merit including, but not limited to, qualifications, experience, ability, availability, cooperation, and job performance.