Senior Programs, Events & Community Manager
19 hours ago
Manhattan
Senior Programs & Events Manager New York, NY | Full-Time | In-Person Create Experiences That Leave a Lasting Impact The Kabbalah Centre is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to helping individuals create lasting transformation through the study and practical application of authentic Kabbalistic wisdom. Our New York Centre is one of the organization’s flagship locations, serving thousands of students annually through educational programs, holiday experiences, leadership initiatives, donor events, and community gatherings. We are seeking a highly organized, ambitious, and hospitality-minded Senior Programs & Events Manager to help bring these experiences to life. This is a unique opportunity for someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, can think strategically about participant experience and event flow, and is equally strong at executing details in real time. You will work closely with the Centre Manager, teachers, vendors, volunteers, and internal teams to ensure seamless execution of programs and events that support learning, connection, and community. For the right person, there is significant opportunity for growth, ownership, and increased responsibility within a global organization. The Opportunity This role serves as a key operational leader for in-person programming and events at the Centre. You will take ownership of in-person program production, ensuring that experiences are thoughtfully planned, coordinated, and executed from concept through completion. While you will work collaboratively with staff, volunteers, vendors, and leadership, you will be responsible for ensuring that all moving parts come together successfully. Programs range from weekly classes and workshops to holiday experiences, donor events, Shabbat gatherings, retreats, leadership programs, and large-scale events serving hundreds or even thousands of participants. This role combines event production, hospitality, operations, logistics, vendor management, and on-the-ground leadership into one highly visible position. What You’ll Own In-Person Program & Event Production • Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of in-person classes, workshops, programs, and events, • Oversee on-site execution and participant experience, ensuring programs run smoothly from start to finish, • Develop event timelines, run-of-show documents, staffing plans, and logistical frameworks, • Coordinate vendors, volunteers, AV support, hospitality teams, kitchen staff, and other operational partners, • Serve as the primary operational lead during events and programs, responsible for real-time execution, troubleshooting, and problem-solving, • Conduct post-event reviews and identify opportunities for continuous improvement Hospitality & Participant Experience • Create welcoming, thoughtful, and meaningful experiences for participants and guests, • Oversee hospitality, catering, room setup, signage, event presentation, and overall participant experience, • Ensure rooms are properly prepared and that ambience, flow, and guest experience meet a consistently high standard, • Identify opportunities to elevate quality, atmosphere, hospitality, and participant experience across programs and events, • Partner with vendors and service providers to maintain a high standard of execution and presentation Partnerships, Vendors & Venues • Build and maintain strong relationships with venues, vendors, sponsors, and community partners, • Support venue sourcing and coordination for major programs and special events, • Assist in developing sponsorship, partnership, and in-kind support opportunities that strengthen programs and events, • Coordinate partner and sponsor deliverables when applicable Operational Leadership • Partner closely with the Centre Manager to execute organizational priorities, • Translate ideas into clear plans, timelines, staffing needs, and deliverables, • Manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail, • Monitor budgets and provide thoughtful, cost-conscious recommendations, • Ensure strong communication, accountability, and follow-through across stakeholders, • Anticipate challenges before they arise and proactively create solutions Who We’re Looking For You may come from hospitality, events, event production, conference services, catering, guest experience, nonprofit programming, education, retreats, venue operations, or similar environments. What matters most is that you are: • Highly organized and exceptionally dependable, • Hospitality-minded and service-oriented, • Ambitious, coachable, and eager to grow, • Comfortable taking ownership and making things happen, • Calm under pressure and effective in fast-moving environments, • Naturally attentive to details that others miss, • Skilled at coordinating people, resources, and moving parts, • Able to think at a high level about experience flow while executing with precision in real time, • Energized by bringing order to complexity and creating exceptional experiences You may be especially successful in this role if you: • Anticipate needs before they become problems, • Take initiative without waiting to be asked, • Enjoy being the person others rely on to make things happen, • Take pride in creating experiences that feel seamless, thoughtful, and meaningful Qualifications • 3-7 years of experience in event production, hospitality operations, event management, program coordination, conference services, or related fields, • Experience managing logistics for in-person events or recurring programs, • Experience coordinating vendors, volunteers, service providers, or cross-functional teams, • Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills, • Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, • Experience working with budgets and financial tracking preferred, • Comfortable working evenings and weekends as needed Growth Opportunity This role is ideal for someone who has built a strong foundation and is ready for greater ownership, responsibility, and leadership. We care far more about judgment, work ethic, hospitality instincts, execution ability, and growth potential than having the perfect résumé. For the right person, there is significant opportunity to expand responsibilities and grow within a global organization. Schedule This is an in-person role based in New York City. Programs and events frequently take place during evenings and weekends, including Shabbat and holiday experiences. Flexibility is required based on programming needs. If you enjoy live events, hospitality, meaningful work, and environments where no two weeks are the same, we’d love to hear from you.