Events Manager (Onsite)

Kitty Hawk Kites, Inc.; Kill Devil Hills (NC); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental plan

Vision plan

401K plan

Retail discounts

Recreational discounts

Job summary

Kitty Hawk Kites is seeking an experienced Events Manager to lead planning and delivery of signature festivals, community activations, sponsorship programs, Kids Days, and in-store experiences. This role owns the event portfolio from concept to closeout, including timelines, budgets, staffing, and marketing milestones.

Reporting to the Director of Marketing, you will coordinate with Marketing, Retail, Recreation, Warehouse and Operations, ensuring events are on-brand, financially responsible,

Qualifications

• 3+ years of progressive experience in event management, hospitality, tourism, recreation, retail, or guest-experience-driven environments.
• Demonstrated experience independently planning and executing multiple events with budgets, timelines, logistics, vendors, partners, staff, and on-day problem-solving.
• Experience supervising, scheduling, training, and coaching employees, seasonal staff, interns, or volunteers.

Responsibilities

• Own the annual events calendar and event portfolio, including signature festivals, recurring programs, community activations, sponsorships, retail events, and partner-led opportunities.
• Develop event strategies, scopes, timelines and milestone schedules, budgets, staffing models, site and logistics plans, marketing requirements and success metrics.
• Maintain events boards and source-of-truth documents, establishing owners, milestones, dependencies, approvals and escalation paths.
• Lead cross-functional planning with Marketing, Creative, Social Media, Retail, Recreation, Warehouse, Operations, Finance, and leadership.
• Build and maintain relationships with sponsors, tourism partners, community organizations, municipalities, vendors and local businesses.
• Hire, train, schedule, coach and supervise the Events Coordinator, seasonal staff, interns and volunteers; provide on-site leadership during events.
• Oversee event materials, equipment, promotional inventory, transportation, storage, distribution and reconciliation; ensure safety and on-brand activation.
• Track event expenses and deliver timely post-event recaps covering attendance, engagement, sponsor fulfillment, feedback, issues and lessons learned.

Job description

KITTY HAWK KITES Events Manager

Job title
Events Manager

Location
Nags Head, NC 27959 (on-site; local and regional event travel required)

Job type
Full-time

Benefits to select
Health, Dental, Vision, 401K, Retail and Recreations Discounts

Schedule
Variable schedule; early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and peak-season dates required

For more than 50 years, Kitty Hawk Kites has helped visitors experience the Outer Banks through outdoor adventure, destination retail, signature festivals, and joyful guest experiences. We are a family-run, multi-brand company with a fast-moving seasonal business and a high standard for service, quality, safety, and follow-through. Our purpose is to “Teach the World to Fly”.

We are hiring an experienced, highly organized Events Manager to lead the planning and delivery of Kitty Hawk Kites signature festivals, community activations, sponsorship programs, Kids Days, and in-store experiences. This role owns the event portfolio from concept and partnership development through timeline and milestone planning, execution oversight, and post-event evaluation.

Reporting to the Director of Marketing, you will translate event priorities into clear plans, budgets, staffing assignments, marketing milestones, and operating standards. You will lead the Events Coordinator, seasonal Events Team Members, interns, and volunteers; coordinate across Marketing, Retail, Recreation, Warehouse, and Operations; and ensure every activation is safe, on brand, financially responsible, and welcoming to guests and community partners.

Our business

• Ecommerce: a Shopify business serving customers nationwide with kites, gear, apparel, and other products.
• Recreation and tours: bookable Outer Banks adventures, including hang gliding, watersports, boat and jet ski rentals, dolphin tours, kayak tours, kiteboarding, parasailing, and fishing experiences.
• Retail stores: 30+ destination locations where guests browse, book, and buy across Kitty Hawk Kites and its family of brands.

What you will do

• Own the annual events calendar and event portfolio, including signature festivals, recurring programs, community activations, sponsorship commitments, retail events, and partner-led opportunities.
• Develop event strategies, scopes, detailed timelines and milestone schedules, budgets, staffing models, site and logistics plans, marketing requirements, success measures, and contingency plans from concept through closeout.
• Maintain the Events 2026 source-of-truth board and detailed event boards in Monday.com; establish clear owners, milestones, dependencies, approvals, readiness status, next marketing milestones, and escalation paths.
• Lead cross-functional planning with Marketing, Creative, Social Media, Retail, Recreation, Warehouse, Operations, Finance, and leadership so event messaging, promotion, signage, inventory, demonstrations, staffing, permits, vendors, and content capture are coordinated.
• Build and maintain relationships with sponsors, tourism partners, community organizations, municipalities, vendors, and local businesses; represent Kitty Hawk Kites in planning meetings and community functions.
• Manage sponsorship and community-partnership deliverables, donation requests, event listings, partner communications, agreements, fulfillment, and follow-up in coordination with marketing leadership and Finance.
• Hire, train, schedule, coach, and supervise the Events Coordinator, seasonal Events Team Members, interns, and volunteers; set clear expectations and provide decisive on-site leadership during events.
• Oversee event materials, equipment, promotional inventory, transportation, storage, distribution, and reconciliation; ensure demonstration products and safety supplies are ready before deployment.
• Track event expenses and results and deliver timely post-event recaps covering attendance, engagement, sponsor fulfillment, guest feedback, operational issues, content captured, lessons learned, and recommendations.

What you bring

• 3+ years of progressive experience in event management, hospitality, tourism, recreation, retail, community programming, experiential marketing, or another guest-experience-driven environment.
• Demonstrated experience independently planning and executing multiple events, with accountability for budgets, timelines, logistics, vendors, partners, staff, and day-of problem-solving.
• Experience supervising, scheduling, training, and coaching employees, seasonal staff, interns, or volunteers; able to communicate expectations clearly and hold others accountable.
• Strong project-management and reporting skills, including working knowledge of Monday.com or a comparable platform, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, spreadsheets, shared files, and budget tracking.
• Excellent relationship-building, written communication, negotiation, judgment, and follow-through, with a guest-first and safety-conscious approach suited to a highly seasonal business.
• Able to work on-site in Nags Head, travel to Kitty Hawk Kites locations and event sites, and work a flexible schedule that includes early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and peak-season dates. A valid driver’s license and reliable transportation are required.

Physical requirements

• Ability to remain on your feet for extended periods and work indoors and outdoors in variable weather conditions.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or move event materials and equipment weighing up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Ability to load and unload supplies, bend, reach, climb, and assist with tents, tables, signage, and other event equipment.

Pay and benefits

• Compensation will be based on experience and the final approved employment structure.

Kitty Hawk Kites, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Department: Kitty Hawk Kites

This is a management position

This is a full time position