POSITION TITLE: Program Assistant - Events Assistant (Hourly)
REQUISITION #: req5842
DEPARTMENT: Cultural Services
LOCATION: GARDENS ON SPRING CREEK
BENEFIT CATEGORY: Variable Hourly View Classifications & Benefits
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Part-Time Hourly
HOURLY RATE: $16.00 - 20.00 per hour (based on relevant experience)
SELECTION PROCESS: Application deadline is 3:00 p.m. MT on 1/23/2023.

The City of Fort Collins is a bias-conscious employer. We ask that you please avoid the use of photos when submitting a resume and/or an application for employment. You will receive an email acknowledgment when you have successfully submitted an application. Your completed application will be forwarded to the hiring manager. You will be notified if you are selected for further testing or interviews. Please keep your contact information up-to-date. The status of your application will be updated in your applicant profile. Post-offer background check required.

Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they can perform every job description task. We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background. The City may consider an equivalent combination of knowledge, skills, education, and experience to meet minimum qualifications. If you are interested in applying, we encourage you to think broadly about your background and skill set for the role.

The Community: The City of Fort Collins sits nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains alongside the banks of the Cache La Poudre River. At 5,000 feet in elevation, residents enjoy a moderate, four-season climate, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year. With 174,800 residents, Fort Collins is Colorado’s fourth-largest city and spans 57 square miles. With the 20 year growth projection, the City of Fort Collins is expected to reach 255,000 residents.

The first people who hunted in this region arrived approximately 11,000 years ago, and Northern Colorado remains an integral part of the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations. European-American trappers and traders arrived by the early 1800s but rarely established permanent settlements. Gold and silver discoveries in the Colorado mountains in the mid-1800s and the prospect of land for farming and ranching attracted people from eastern cities and across the globe to the Colorado Territory, including what would become the town of Fort Collins; an agricultural colony that emerged from its founding days as a military fort. The expansion included the sugar beet industry's growth, which brought new residents whose descendants still live here today, including Mexican-American families from southern Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, as well as Germans from Russia. Since 1879, Fort Collins has been the home of the state’s land grant institution, Colorado State University, which currently enrolls 34,000 students. Along with the university, the city’s major high-tech and manufacturing companies and breweries attract new residents from all over the country and world. The community’s overall social diversity continues to grow.

There are abundant outdoor recreation opportunities available to the many residents who enjoy healthy lifestyles. The nearby Horsetooth Reservoir is a key attraction, as is the Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway. The Downtown district provides many venues for live music, shopping, dining, and nightlife within the city. Fort Collins is widely considered the Craft Beer Capital of Colorado. The City has a strong appreciation for arts, culture, and entertainment. Various national organizations and magazines recognize Fort Collins as one of the best places to live in the nation.

The City’s long list of acknowledgements includes:

• No. 2 Best Tasting Drinking Water in North America: American Water Works – June 2021
• No. 5 Best Remote-Ready Cities: Livability.com Jan 2021
• Top 30 Creative Small Cities: CVSuite – May 2020
• No. 18 Safest Cities in America: SafeWise – April 2020
• No. 1 Best Place to Live: Livability.com March 2020
• No. 9 Most Fitness Friendly Places: SmartAsset – Dec 2019
• No. 7 Safest Driving Cities: Allstate – June 2019
• No. 4 Best U.S. Cities to Raise a Family: MarketWatch – April 2019
• No. 9 Best Performing Cities: Milken Institute – Jan 2019
• No. 3 U.S. Cities with Highest Economic Confidence: Yahoo – Nov 2018
• No. 2 Brain Concentration Index: Bloomberg – Nov 2018
• No. 1 City in America for Cycling: PeopleForBikes-May 2018
• Outstanding Achievement in Local Government Innovation Award: Alliance for Innovation-April 2018
• The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-Nov 2017
• 18th Best City for Career Opportunities: SmartAsset – Sep 2017
• 3rd Best College Town to Live in Forever: College Ranker – July 2017
• 25 Best Towns Ever: Where to Live Now: Outside Magazine – June 2017
• No. 1 Stable and Growing Housing Market: Realtor.com-June 2017
• 11th Happiest City in America: Yahoo! Finance - March 2017
• No. 9 Top 150 Cities for Millennials Report: Millennial Personal Finance - Feb 2017
• No. 2 Best Cities for Small Business Owners: ValuePenguin – Feb 2017

Why Work For the City of Fort Collins?

• Potential for paid personal leave and paid holidays

- Employee Assistance Program: counseling, legal, and financial assistance

- Wellness program, workout facilities

- Personal & professional learning opportunities plus potential for career mobility

- Collaborative work environment

SUMMARY: The Events Assistant supports the coordination and execution of public and private events, manages private event rental inquiries, and provides administrative support to the Event Department. This position reports to the Senior Events Coordinator and works closely with private event clients, volunteers, and other Gardens departments to facilitate smooth and efficient event operations. This is a part-time position averaging approximately 28 hours per week annually, with hours fluctuating between approximately 20 to 35 hours per week based on the season. This position will be scheduled for regular weekday administrative office shifts in addition to weekend and evening event shifts.

This position is newer to The Gardens and is part of a newly restructured and growing department. Duties and processes may evolve over time based on the needs of the department.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The Gardens on Spring Creek is the community botanic garden of Fort Collins. The mission of The Gardens is to enrich the lives of people and foster environmental stewardship through horticulture. The Friends of the Gardens on Spring Creek is a non-profit organization that supports The Gardens through fundraising and advocacy.

The facility includes a Visitor’s Center and 12 acres of gardens. A detailed description of the Gardens on Spring Creek and its programs can be found at www.fcgov.com/gardens.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of the primary functions of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive:

• Works with rental clients to provide tours, answer questions, and handle the booking and contracts for weddings, meetings, corporate gatherings, birthday parties, and other private rental events.

• Manages day-of execution of private rental events.
• Assists the execution of public community events and fundraisers.
• Supports event coordination efforts, including corresponding with vendors, preparing and organizing supplies, compiling survey and reports, responding to general inquiries, and other duties.
• Manages the Event Department calendar and physical resources.
• Serves as hospitality coordinator during concert events; responsible for managing dressing room and catering for artist and crew teams.
• Provides instruction, training, and supervision to event volunteers and interns.
• Functions independently or as part of a team, depending on the scale of the event.
• Assists with physical setup and teardown of events as needed.
• Works together with volunteers and staff from all departments to provide a high-quality event experience for all Gardens visitors.

SUPERVISION: This position will train and supervise volunteers and interns.

City Competencies

• Demonstrated cultural competence to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of diverse identities, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong learning orientation. Leverages all resources and is creative in ways of learning for self to continue adapting to changing issues and trends.
• A desire and ability to understand the diverse needs of internal and external customers, and to create experiences and deliver services that exceed their expectations.
• A desire and ability to utilize digital tools for organizational information, individual, and teamwork.

QUALIFICATIONS: The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the necessary functions of this position.

• Strong project management and organizational skills, preferably related to event coordination.
• Proficient in using and learning computer systems and programs – this position will use email, calendars, spreadsheets, booking databases and layout planning programs frequently.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Excellent customer service skills; comfortable working with clients in a sales environment.
• Ability to work under pressure while maintaining professionalism and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to prioritize, multi-task and problem-solve in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite.
• Flexible availability and willingness to work weekends, evenings, holidays, and weekdays.
• Positive, self-motivated, and flexible when faced with challenges, ambiguity, or evolving situations, both during events and related to a new position and growing department.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A minimum of one year experience in events or project management; Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from a four-year college or university in hospitality or a related field preferred; High School diploma or equivalent required.

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Ability to read and interpret internal operating policies and protocols, business correspondence, articles, manuals, and instructions. Ability to write business correspondence. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

REASONING ABILITY: Ability to solve practical problems and deal with concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS: Valid driver's license.

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. While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be regularly required to talk; sit; stand; walk; and use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; lift and/or move items up to 25 pounds; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

WORK ENVIRONMENT: The facility has a dynamic event schedule. Employee will be asked to work variable hours including morning, afternoon, and evening shifts, both during the week, weekends, and some holidays. Work will be performed in both a standard office environment and in outdoor settings. Event shifts are primarily outdoors in all seasons and weather conditions which may include rain, snow, and extreme hot and cold temperatures. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs and activities and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call (970) 221-6535 for assistance.

Notice Regarding Medical and/or Recreational Marijuana Use:
Because the possession and use of marijuana, whether for medical use or otherwise, constitutes a federal offense and because the City is a drug free workplace, the City will not accommodate the medical use of marijuana and enforces written policy prohibiting working for the City while marijuana is in the body. The fact that state law recognizes medical marijuana as a prescribed, or otherwise permitted, medication does not alter or otherwise change this policy.

The City of Fort Collins is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are considered for positions for which they have applied without regard to gender (regardless of gender identity or gender expression), race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age 40 years or older, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy or other characteristics protected by law. For the purpose of this City policy “sexual orientation” means a person’s actual or perceived orientation toward heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality.

POST OFFER BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIRED.

Note: Some information in your application may be public information under the Colorado Open Records Act.