Manager - Retail Experience and Place Activation

Hines; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Hines seeks an on-site Manager of Retail Experience & Place Activation to lead asset-level activations, campaigns, and events that bring the retail brand and destination vision to life. You will work with Property Marketing, Leasing, and Property Management to drive foot traffic, tenant performance, and customer engagement through high-quality on-site execution.

You will translate strategy into hospitality-driven experiences, partnering with local retailers and partners to deliver activations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in events, marketing, hospitality, PR, business administration, or related field.
• Four or more years of experience in event planning required, ideally exposure to retail marketing and activation.
• Excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills.
• Must be a self-starter, able to manage multiple projects simultaneously with minimum supervision.
• Proficiency with budget creation and management.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products.
• Experience with Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and/or InDesign, a plus.

Responsibilities

• Execute asset-level strategies, campaigns, and initiatives.
• Support execution of the annual plan and approved budget.
• Manage local calendars for campaign timing and on-site readiness.
• Coordinate on-site execution of creative, digital, and traditional channels with Central Marketing and vendors.
• Plan and execute events, activations, seasonal programming, and grand openings.
• Coordinate vendors, logistics, timelines, permits, and on-site operations.

Skills

Event planning

Budget management

Marketing coordination

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in marketing/hospitality/PR/business

Tools

Canva

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

InDesign

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

When you join Hines, you will embark on a career journey fueled by vision and guided by leaders who set the standards of our industry. Our legacy is rooted in innovation and excellence, earning us a spot on Fast Company’s esteemed annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies, as well as recognition as one of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Companies to Work For in 2024. Discover endless opportunities to grow and make your mark at Hines.

Responsibilities

The Manager of Retail Experience & Place Activation serves as the on-site lead, responsible for executing approved asset strategies, events, and placemaking initiatives that bring the retail brand and destination vision to life. This role partners closely with Property Marketing, Leasing, and Property Management to drive foot traffic, customer engagement, and tenant performance through high-quality on-site execution, while providing critical local insight and feedback to inform broader marketing efforts. They translate strategy and standards into tangible, hospitality-driven interactions that foster community, elevate satisfaction, and support asset performance. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Execute approved asset-level strategies, campaigns, and initiatives.
• Support execution of the annual plan and approved budget.
• Manage local calendars to ensure alignment with campaign timing and on-site readiness.
• Coordinate on-site execution of creative, digital, and traditional channels in partnership with Central Marketing and external vendors.
• Plan and execute events, activations, seasonal programming, and grand openings.
• Coordinate vendors, logistics, timelines, permits, and on-site operations to ensure polished execution.
• Partner with property management team members and tenants to deliver experiential moments that drive traffic and sales.
• Support execution across retail, mixed-use, and destination programming, including evenings and weekends as required.
• Deliver customer-facing experiences, activations, and communications that enhance the customer journey and reinforce destination positioning.
• Serve as a visible on-site presence during key moments, fostering hospitality and community.
• Share customer feedback and insights to inform experience enhancements.
• Serve as the primary on-site partner to tenants for experience delivery
• Foster strong relationships with retailers, community partners, and local organizations.
• Enable tenant participation in approved activations and destination moments.
• Ensure all on-site experiences, events, signage, and collateral are executed in accordance with approved brand and place standards.
• Flag risks, deviations, or local sensitivities that could impact brand integrity and elevate for guidance as needed.
• Ideate with and approve third party agency’s local content calendars by capturing and publishing authentic, on-site content reflecting events, tenant moments, and day-to-day experiences.
• Ensure local content aligns with brand, campaign, and messaging priorities, reinforcing place and destination positioning.
• Share local content insights and learnings to inform ongoing planning.
• Provide regular reporting on event performance, traffic, and customer engagement.
• Share qualitative, on-the-ground insights and recommendations to inform optimization.
• Support data collection and post-event analysis as required.
• Create and manage the asset level budget in consultation with Property Marketing
• Manage processing of approved invoices related to events and experiences.
• Track event-related expenses and manage budget forecasting.
• Manage relationships with local agencies, vendors, and event partners.
• Work with property level PR agency to deliver on approved releases and media moments
• Partner with Corporate Communications teams to ensure consistency and alignment with broader corporate initiatives.
• Support on-site execution of approved media moments, brand events, and PR activations.
• Flag local opportunities or sensitivities that may impact communications.
• Partner with Corporate Communications teams to ensure consistency and alignment with broader corporate initiatives.
• Partner closely with Property Marketing and Asset-Level teams to refine event strategies and campaign direction to improve performance.
• Serve as the on-site lead, translating strategy into high-quality, locally relevant experiences.
• Act as a two-way conduit between on-site teams and Marketing, sharing insights, feedback, and opportunities from the ground.

Qualifications

Minimum Requirements include:

• Bachelor’s degree events, marketing, hospitality, public relations, business administration, or related field from an accredited institution.
• Four or more years of experience in event planning required, ideally exposure to retail marketing and activation.
• Excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills.
• Must be a self-starter, able to manage multiple projects simultaneously with minimum supervision.
• Proficiency with budget creation and management
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products.
• Experience with Canva, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and/or InDesign, a plus.
• Proficiency with all forms of digital communication and social media platforms.
• Above-average ability to organize, manage time, understand and set priorities, and multi-task while maintaining deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal, analytical, organizational, and time management skills, consistent attention to detail, and the ability to deal effectively with people at all levels.
• High energy, versatile, and self-directed.
• Unwavering commitment to integrity, the firm’s Guiding Principles, and our Leadership Principles.
• Ability to lift 25lbs.
• Ability to stand and walk up to several hours per day, including climbing stairs.
• Ability to work occasional nights and weekends for special event management.
• This is an on-site position at the property management office(s).

Closing

At Hines, we strive for excellence as a leading global real estate investment manager, driven by our by our belief that real estate is fundamentally about people. Our diverse portfolio spans $93.2 billion¹ of assets across such property types as living, office, retail, mixed-use, logistics and life science projects – all designed to enhance value, connection and inspiration. Our strategic approach integrates local expertise with global knowledge, taking calculated risks aligned with our convictions to exceed expectations and tailor solutions to our clients' needs.

While our projects are renowned for enhancing cities and pioneering sustainable practices, we recognize that the true driving force behind Hines' success is our 5,000 dedicated employees in 30 countries who draw on our 65-year history to build the world forward. This is why we prioritize investing in our people, offering comprehensive training, competitive compensation, robust benefits and generous vacation packages. By centering our focus on the growth and wellbeing of our team, we cultivate an inclusive environment where everyone, including our clients, can thrive.

Hines is proud to be named to Fast Company’s prestigious annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024. ¹Includes both the global Hines organization and RIA AUM as of December 31, 2023.

We are an equal opportunity employer and support workforce diversity.

No calls or emails from third parties at this time please.