Festival Director

Socket.dev; West Valley (WA); On-site; USD 79,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Socket.dev is seeking a Festival Director to lead West Valley City's signature, large-scale annual festival. You will oversee the entire event lifecycle from master planning to on-site execution, coordinating partners, sponsors, vendors, and safety.

Ideal candidates have 5+ years in big festival production, a degree in event management or related field, excellence in negotiation and leadership, and the ability to manage multi-year master plans and budgets.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant professional experience in large-scale event planning, directing, and/or implementation.
• Bachelor's Degree in Event Management, Hospitality, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred, but not required.
• A combination of education and work experience may be substituted one for the other on a year-for-year basis.
• Must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language.
• High-level negotiation and contracts capability to communicate directly with national partners, corporate executives, and City leadership.
• Possess a valid Utah driver's license or have the ability to obtain one.
• Professional certifications in Event Management (e.g., CSEP, CMP) or crowd safety management are highly desirable.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the director and project manager for the City's signature, large-scale annual festival.
• Build, maintain, and execute the comprehensive multi-year master plan, production timeline, and operational scripts for the entire festival footprint.
• Research best practices for cultural festivals, food festivals, arts events, destination events, and community celebrations to inform festival planning and improvement.
• Design the physical site layout, crowd flow maps, electrical/water infrastructure networks, and waste management plans for a massive-scale outdoor venue.
• Direct all real-time, on-site event operations, managing the rapid setup, live execution, and complete teardown of the festival marketplace and stages.
• Lead meetings with City Police, Fire, Public Works, and Risk Management to build and execute mass-gathering security and traffic control plans.

Skills

Event management

Leadership

Negotiation

Budgeting

Crisis management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Event Management, Hospitality, Business Administration, or related field

Job description

Description

Come join a team dedicated to making a positive impact in our community, where the well-being of our residents is always our top priority. We offer flexible scheduling options (based on position) and foster professional growth through comprehensive training programs and learning opportunities. Shape your future in a career that empowers you to make a difference and thrive in a collaborative, purpose-driven environment.

The Festival Director is responsible for the conceptual creation, strategic planning, operational execution, and long-term local, regional, and national growth of West Valley City's signature, large-scale annual festival. The Director leads the entire event lifecycle from master planning, site layout, infrastructure build-out, partner relationships, sponsor cultivation, vendor procurement, marketing, public-safety coordination, and financial accountability.

Starting Pay: $79,000.00 - $138,000.00 - Open to exceeding the top of the payband for an exceptional candidate with proven track record of directing, national-scale event production experience.

Benefits: Full Benefits; health, dental, vision, life insurance, paid time off, paid holidays, parental leave, pet insurance, tuition reimbursement

Retirement: Utah Retirement Systems, pension and/or 401(k)

Schedule: Flexible 40 hour work week

FLSA Status: Exempt

Application Deadline: Open until filled

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Executive Event Planning & Execution:

• Serve as the director and project manager for the City's signature, large-scale annual festival.
• Build, maintain, and execute the comprehensive multi-year master plan, production timeline, and operational scripts for the entire festival footprint.
• Research best practices for cultural festivals, food festivals, arts events, destination events, and community celebrations to inform festival planning and improvement.
• Design the physical site layout, crowd flow maps, electrical/water infrastructure networks, and waste management plans for a massive-scale outdoor venue.
• Direct all real-time, on-site event operations, managing the rapid setup, live execution, and complete teardown of the festival marketplace and stages.

Logistics, Permitting, & Public Safety:

• Lead meetings with City Police, Fire, Public Works, and Risk Management to build and execute mass-gathering security and traffic control plans.
• Work with City departments to coordinate resources and event needs.
• Identify staffing and volunteer needs.
• Secure all necessary municipal, county, and state health, structural, and operational permits.
• Work with WVC business licensing and state tax commission.
• Contract and oversee third-party logistics firms, heavy equipment operators, stage production crews, and structural engineers.

Local & National Procurement & Asset Management:

• Identify and work with local food vendors and restaurants that will participate in the festival.
• Identify and work with local entertainment acts, community groups, non-profits and partners.
• Scout, negotiate, and legally contract with high-volume food vendors, regional and national commercial merchants, and entertainment acts.
• Build out highly competitive sponsor packages and pitch national brands, corporate donors, and tourism boards to secure elite multi-year funding partnerships.
• Control the festival's full multi-year business plan, ensuring strict adherence to public-sector procurement laws, ethical standard compliance, and revenue-generation goals.

Analytics & Quality Control:

• Establish data-driven key performance metrics evaluating visitor satisfaction, economic impact, and vendor profitability.
• Manage comprehensive post-event audits to fix operational bottlenecks, streamline multi-million-dollar budgets, and expand national visibility.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Directly exercise supervision over contracted event management firms, seasonal staff, third-party operators, and large-scale volunteer networks assembled to execute the festival.

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Education and/or Experience

• Possess five (5) or more years of relevant professional experience in large-scale event planning, directing, and/or implementation.
• A Bachelor's Degree in Event Management, Hospitality, Business Administration, or a related field is preferred, but not required.
• A combination of education and work experience may be substituted one for the other on a year-for-year basis.

Language Skills

• Must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills in the English language.
• High-level negotiation and contracts capability to communicate directly with national partners, corporate executives, and City leadership.

Certificates, Licenses, and/or Registrations

• Possess a valid Utah driver's license or have the ability to obtain one.
• Professional certifications in Event Management (e.g., CSEP, CMP) or crowd safety management are highly desirable.

Other

• Deep, practical knowledge of commercial vendor logistics, heavy event infrastructure (power distribution, structural staging), and complex mass-gathering safety regulations.
• Proven track record of pitching, closing, and managing high-dollar corporate sponsorships and municipal event partnerships.
• Mastery over fast-paced, high-stress, real-time crisis management during live multi-day outdoor productions.
• Ability to work independently.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• This is a highly active operational role. The employee must be able to stand and walk for extended periods, work outdoors in varying weather conditions, and lift up to 50 pounds.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, talk, and hear.

Work Environment

Shifts between a professional office environment and on-site event grounds. Expect non-traditional hours including late nights, early mornings, and full weekends, especially during peak festival production cycles.

Any position in which the employee handles currency, has access to computer terminals, is responsible for the care or instruction of children, has access to building master control or key systems, has access to the personal information or identifying information of another person, has access to the financial information of the employer or another person, or works in an area of the City which has been designated as a security sensitive area, such as a server or evidence room; and is in a position of trust that requires restraint and the ability to keep a high level of confidentiality. Employees in security sensitive positions will be required to successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per BCI Standards. Employees in security sensitive positions are required to self-report convictions of a Class C Misdemeanor or above.