Event Operations Manager

Job Description

Job Description

National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. , a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization based in Washington, DC, is currently seeking an Event Operations Manager.

Company Description

The National Cherry Blossom Festival produces and promotes the nation’s greatest springtime celebration and is dedicated to promoting the beauty of nature and international friendship through year-round programs, events, and educational and entertainment initiatives that enhance our environment, showcase arts and culture, and build community spirit.

Position Description

The Event Operations Manager is responsible for leading the operational planning and onsite logistics for National Cherry Blossom Festival events. This role owns site operations, permitting, infrastructure, health and safety, transportation, traffic management, load-in/load-out, equipment and supply management, and onsite operational execution.

The Event Operations Manager works in close partnership with the Senior Event Manager, Festival Production & Programming Delivery, who leads event production execution, programming delivery, run-of-show development, event pods, and production contractor coordination. Together, these roles ensure Festival events are both production-ready and operationally sound .

This is an operations-forward role focused on making sure Festival events can be executed safely, legally, efficiently, and professionally across public spaces, venues, parks, streets, and partner locations.

Reports to: Vice President

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Event operations and site logistics

• Develop and manage operations-specific plans and timelines for Festival events.
• Own official site plans, site layouts, and asset management documents.
• Manage venue and site logistics for indoor, outdoor, public-space, park, street, and partner-hosted events.
• Coordinate infrastructure needs including tents, tables, chairs, fencing, barricades, sanitation, radios, waste management, power distribution, parking, transportation, and traffic-related needs.
• Manage the operational elements of food and beverage logistics, including load-in, placement, service access, waste, and site coordination.
• Maintain inventory of Festival equipment, supplies, and materials in storage.
• Manage the collection, distribution, return, and storage of event materials and supplies.
• Lead load-in and load-out planning and execution for assigned events.
• Coordinate operational signage needs, including parking, directional, health and safety, vendor access, and required permit signage.
• Establish and manage the Event Operations Center in cooperation with Festival staff, contractors, volunteers, and public safety partners.
• Monitor and resolve onsite operational and logistical issues during events.
• Conduct operations closeout after events, including inventory checks, vendor follow-up, issue logs, and recommendations for future improvement.

Permitting, agency coordination, and public-space compliance

• Acquire documentation, approvals, permits, and applications required by District of Columbia agencies, National Park Service, venues, public-space authorities, and other relevant entities.
• Build and maintain a permit and agency coordination tracker.
• Track permit deadlines, submission requirements, approval conditions, onsite posting requirements, and agency follow-up.
• Serve as a primary operational liaison with permitting agencies, venue representatives, public-space partners, and site authorities.
• Maintain copies of required permits and ensure proper permits and required signage are posted onsite.
• Coordinate operational requirements with the National Park Service, including events and programs presented in partnership with NPS.
• Advise internal teams on public-space, site, access, traffic, and operational constraints that may affect event plans.
• Escalate agency, permit, or compliance concerns to the VP and relevant internal leads in a timely manner.

Health, safety, transportation, and traffic management

• Develop, coordinate, and implement health and safety plans for Festival events in partnership with safety vendors, public safety partners, agency representatives, and Festival leadership.
• Develop and implement transportation and traffic management plans in coordination with appropriate vendors and agencies.
• Coordinate plans related to street closures, vehicle access, parking, pedestrian flow, vendor access, emergency access, crowd flow, and site circulation.
• Support weather monitoring, severe weather planning, and operational contingency planning.
• Coordinate accessibility planning in partnership with the Accessibility Coordinator and relevant Festival staff, including accessible routes, viewing areas, seating, restrooms, signage, guest communications, and onsite support.
• Identify and escalate safety, site, traffic, weather, crowd management, infrastructure, or public-space concerns that may affect event execution.
• Ensure operational plans support safe guest, vendor, performer, sponsor, volunteer, media, and staff movement throughout event sites.
• Participate in event-day go/no-go or modification discussions when site, weather, safety, or operational issues arise.

Operations vendors, equipment, and inventory

• Manage operations vendors, supplies, equipment, storage, asset movement, and onsite logistics.
• Coordinate infrastructure vendors, including tenting, fencing, barricades, sanitation, radios, transportation, waste management, power, parking, traffic, and related operations vendors.
• Develop operational vendor timelines, arrival windows, site access plans, credentialing needs, and load-in/load-out schedules.
• Ensure operations vendors understand site rules, permit requirements, access points, safety expectations, and event-day procedures.
• Coordinate with Finance and Business Operations on vendor paperwork, purchase orders, invoices, contracts, certificates of insurance, and