Little Island seeks an Events and Hospitality Manager to join the team. The Events and Hospitality Manager is responsible for overseeing the food and beverage program, events, and hospitality experience at Little Island. This role manages the park’s food and beverage operator (Union Square Events), ensures quality, profitability, and compliance of concessions, and develops creative partnerships and activations that enhance the visitor experience.
The Events and Hospitality Manager also leads the planning and execution of special events from concept and strategy through vendor management, production, and evaluation. They work collaboratively with internal departments and external stakeholders, positively representing Little Island while ensuring smooth, high-quality experiences for all visitors.
This highly collaborative position reports to the Chief Operating Officer.
What You’ll Do
Vision and Strategy
- Partner with the COO, Executive Director and Producing Artistic Director to set the vision for food and beverage operations and visitor experiences.
- Serve as a tastemaker and advisor on food and beverage trends, informing program design and seasonal activations.
- Proactively identify opportunities to elevate hospitality and visitor engagement across food and beverage, and events.
Partnership Management & Operations
- Oversee all aspects of Little Island’s food and beverage operations, serving as the primary liaison with Union Square Events.
- Ensure operators and vendors deliver quality, excellent customer service, profitability, and are in alignment with Little Island’s mission and values.
- Collaborate with the operator’s General Manager on hiring, training, and staff development to ensure consistent service standards.
- Partner with Facilities and Park Operations to ensure food service facilities, equipment, and waste systems are safe, clean, and fully operational.
- Track permits and ensure compliance with city/state regulations and Little Island’s lease terms.
- Maintain clear communication and systems with Finance, HR, Marketing & Communications, Facilities, and Artistic Programming to align operations with organizational goals.
Events & Activations
- Lead planning, logistics, and execution of events including opening night celebrations, DJ nights, food and beverage pop-ups, and internal organizational events.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to define event goals, budgets, and desired outcomes.
- Develop relationships and manage vendor procurement, negotiations, and contracts; oversee production schedules, staffing, and on-site execution.
- Serve as on-site point of contact for vendor site visits and event execution, ensuring compliance with safety, accessibility, and hospitality standards.
- Partner with Communications and Marketing on event promotion and guest engagement.
- Conduct post-event evaluations to measure success and recommend improvements.
Financial & Administrative Oversight
- Manage and monitor the food and beverage pro forma, ensuring profitability and operational efficiency.
- Establish financial reporting systems in partnership with the operator and Finance team; support annual audits as needed.
- Prepare and monitor budgets for food, beverage, and events; track expenses and ROI.
- Analyze sales, visitor data, and feedback to inform menu, pricing, program decisions and day to day operations in service to the financial health of the Food and Beverage program.
- Maintain accurate records of contracts, invoices, and event data.
What You Bring
- 5-7 years managing food & beverage, hospitality, or events operations, including experience supervising teams and vendors.
- Established relationships within and understanding of the Food and Beverage landscape in NYC.
- Strong project management and organizational skills, with ability to manage multiple priorities independently.
- Proven track record of financial oversight, budgeting, and data-driven decision-making.
- Excellent communications and collaboration skills; able to work effectively across all levels of the organization and represent Little Island with external partners.
- Ability to foster a positive, professional, and inclusive work environment.
- Flexible schedule, including evenings, weekends, and holidays during peak season.
- Enthusiasm for creating memorable experiences in a public park setting and for contributing to a culture of collaboration, problem-solving, and excellence.
- Ability to work primarily onsite in an outdoor park environment, in all weather conditions.
- Comfort with extended periods of walking or standing during events and high season operations.
- Ability to occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds (e.g., event supplies, equipment).
- Ability to move between multiple areas of the park, including stairs and uneven surfaces.
- Must be able to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by the event and hospitality schedule.
- Authorization to work in the U.S.
For application and full job description including benefits details please visit: https://littleisland.org/careers/
