Senior Manager, Event Operations

Job Description

Full-Time; Permanent

Date Updated: September 11, 2026

Who we are…

The Pacific National Exhibition is an iconic institution in BC, famous for bringing generations of people together to celebrate and build memories. This 116-year-old, non-profit organization has an annual operating budget of over $70 million dollars and generates revenue through four activity streams: the 15 day annual summer Fair which averages more than 700,000 people annually, Playland amusement park which welcomes 400,000 guests annually including Fright Nights, and a busy year-round portfolio of events including concerts, trade shows and film, cultural and community events. In total we bring over 2 million people through the site each year. The fourth activity stream is park care and facility maintenance. The PNE is proud of the work it does at Hastings Park and has a vibrant team that is passionate about events, guest experience and delivering memorable experiences.

At the PNE, we strive to create an environment that reflects our organization’s core values: Enthusiasm, Excellence and Evolution. With a focus on these core values, we are committed to achieving our mission which is to “Deliver Memorable Experiences” for all who interact with the PNE whether it is our guests, our employees or the community.

We are looking for a collaborative, strategic senior leader to take on the role of Senior Manager, Event Operations within the Event Operations team at the PNE. This role provides senior venue and event operations leadership across an integrated portfolio of year-round events, Fair operations, tenant activity, concerts, festivals, trade shows, film activity, and community events. Accountable for day-to-day operational delivery, financial stewardship, risk management, team leadership, and event-day decision-making, the Senior Manager ensures consistent service standards, safe and efficient event execution, and a high-quality guest and client experience across the organization.

The Senior Manager, Event Operations reports to the Director, Event Operations and serves as a senior operational owner for event delivery across the integrated portfolio. The role has direct people-management responsibility and also provides functional oversight of event operations team members who report to other leaders, particularly in relation to scheduling, work prioritization, escalation management, operational standards, and event-day decision-making. Acting with a high degree of autonomy, this position makes frequent, high-impact decisions to manage operational, financial, safety, and reputational risk, while escalating strategically when decisions exceed defined authority or materially affect organizational priorities.

Why join our Team?

• Exhilarating and fun-loving culture
• Flexible work environment
• Be a part of the growth of one of Vancouver’s most iconic institutions.
• Join a diverse, passionate, and enthusiastic team.
• Ranked in the top 20 as one of BC’s most loved brands – BC Business 2017

What will you do this year?

In your role as the Senior Manager, Event Operations, your primary accountabilities will be to:

Leadership & Administration

In conjunction with the Director, Event Operations, provide senior operational leadership for the integrated event operations portfolio by setting standards, optimizing processes and technology, aligning resources, and enabling event managers to deliver consistent, accountable, and high-quality event operations.

This role combines direct people leadership with functional oversight across the broader Event Operations team, including authority to assign coverage, set operational priorities, resolve escalations, and make event-day decisions within defined operational and financial parameters.

• Model the PNE’s core values and lead the team in upholding CART principles: Communication, Accountability, Respect, and Trust.
• Provide day-to-day direction, coaching, and performance management for a team of event managers; build capacity through hiring, onboarding, training, and succession planning.
  • Provide scheduling direction and functional oversight for event operations team members across reporting lines, ensuring consistent standards, appropriate coverage, and clear escalation pathways.
  • Own event coverage planning and scheduling across the integrated event operations portfolio; balance workload, complexity, and risk to ensure appropriate leadership on every event.
  • Partner with Sales to align event bookings and client commitments with available operational resources; identify capacity constraints early and recommend options to mitigate delivery risk.
  • Manage a 3–6 month Work Planning Dashboard to forecast event volume, resourcing needs, and leadership coverage; use it to proactively manage constraints, risks, and trade-offs, escalating risks and opportunities.
  • Maintain a resourcing strategy that optimizes internal capacity and leverages subcontracted duty managers as required to meet event coverage standards.
• Own operational planning deliverables and governance for Year Round Events, ensuring corporate planning timelines are met including contracts, budgets, reporting, and standard operating procedures. Support Manager, Fair Programs & Event Operations in operational planning deliverables for Fair.
• Provide financial stewardship for Fair and Event Operations, including budget planning, client estimates, service negotiation, cost controls, financial discretion within approved parameters, variance review, final invoicing, settlement, and post-event analysis in partnership with Sales and Finance.
• Lead cross-functional coordination across departments (e.g., Sales, Ticketing, Finance, Park Operations, Security, Guest Experience, and Facilities) to ensure consistent standards and seamless delivery.
• Develop and model positive client relationship standards with production managers, tradeshow producers, concert promoters, tour management and other PNE stakeholders.
• Lead operational readiness, risk management, and emergency response planning for events, including health & safety, alcohol service, labour relations, incident command, incident response, and post-event corrective actions in alignment with policies and regulatory requirements.
  • Make frequent, high-impact operational decisions to protect service quality, client commitments, and guest experience, escalating strategically rather than routinely.
• Lead the department in the utilization and best practices in Momentus, including data quality, workflow adoption, and reporting discipline.
• Ensure timely internal and external communication to the department, organization, and external stakeholders; act as the primary escalation point for event operations issues.

Event Operations

• Partner with the facility sales team to define operational scope, support service negotiation, validate resourcing assumptions, and ensure timely, accurate operational inputs for client quotes and estimates.
• Oversee the planning and execution of a wide range of complex PNE events including concerts, festivals, sporting events, community events and tradeshows, ensuring consistent delivery across venues and event types.
• Serve as the senior venue representative on event days as required, providing escalation leadership, resolving high-impact issues, and balancing competing operational priorities.
• Set and approve event staffing models and deployment plans; coordinate public safety, facilities, maintenance, load-in/load-out, and all other event operations to deliver safe and efficient events.
• Ensure adherence to venue policies and procedures with respect to health and safety, alcohol management, customer service, emergency response, and labour relations; lead operational incident response and post-event corrective actions.
• Ensure venues are prepared in accordance with contract requirements and client expectations, including quality control of event specifications, production schedules, and operational run-of-show documentation.
• Work closely with the Ticketing Department on event builds, venue configuration, and other ticketing matters to optimize guest experience and operational flow.
• Oversee event billing, final invoicing, and settlement processes with Sales and Finance, ensuring timely documentation, accurate reconciliations, and clear ownership of follow-ups.
• Lead operational relationships in a unionized environment, including coordination with IATSE and other labour partners to maintain service levels, cost discipline, and compliance.
• Oversee vendor selection, onboarding, performance, and payment readiness for exterior vendors; ensure clear scopes, service standards, and issue resolution.

Fair Operations

In collaboration with the Manager, Fair Programs & Event Operations, lead in day-to-day readiness, cross-functional coordination, and operational continuity between Fair and year-round event delivery. This role supports alignment across portfolios but is not the enterprise owner of the Fair portfolio; final accountability for Fair planning, delivery, and daily operations rests with the Manager, Fair Programs & Event Operations.

• Oversee the daily Fair duty manager calendar, ensuring cross-functional teams are scheduled and that appropriate Venue Managers are assigned, including coverage of 110 Duty Manager shifts.
• Oversee completion, quality control, and distribution of daily event details to internal departments and external stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and readiness for each operating day.
• Oversee Momentus integration into Fair operations, including workflow adoption, data quality, and coordination with internal partners to ensure system readiness.
• Oversee Summer Night Concert operations, including budgeting, cost controls, and financial reconciliation/settlement in partnership with Sales and Finance.
• In partnership with Fair Operations Managers, ensure Fair load-in and load-out are integrated with year-round events by supporting resourcing, layout, and asset planning to maximize efficiency and minimize operational conflicts across portfolios.

What else?

• 7-10+ years of progressive experience in live events operations, including demonstrated people leadership (leading managers and/or complex teams).
• Demonstrated strength in event financial management, including budgeting, client estimates, service negotiation, cost controls, settlement, final invoicing, financial discretion, and variance analysis.
• Experience with event management, venue management, booking, scheduling, or CRM systems; Momentus/Ungerboeck experience is considered an asset.
• Experience leading operational readiness, risk assessment, emergency response, incident command, and post-incident review in a venue, festival, or live-event environment.
• Diploma, certificate or degree in Event Management, Business Administration or a relevant discipline or an equivalent combination of education & experience.
• Ability to work an event-based schedule which includes weekends, late nights, extended hours, and extended event weeks.
• Proven record of building and sustaining strong relationships with the general public, industry partners and internal and external business stakeholders.
• Experience leading operations in a similar venue and/or multi-venue environment is considered an asset.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional planning, create operational tools, and implement standards that improve efficiency, service quality, and guest experience.

• Successful candidates must undergo a Criminal Record Check.

Who are you?

• Detail-oriented
• Strong organizational skills
• Eager self-starter
• Motivated by fast paced environments.
• Skilled at problem-solving
• Effective communicator
• Committed to striving for excellence.

Where and when to APPLY?

Applications can be submitted via the PNE website at www.pne.ca/jobs and will be accepted until the role is filled.

Preference will be given to candidates who submit their resume/cover letter before Sunday, October 11. We look forward to hearing from you!

Additional Information

The PNE's compensation offerings are in alignment with a pay-for-performance pay philosophy that recognizes individual, and teamwork performance. The role is a permanent, full-time position with a typical salary range of $90,000 - $100,000 per annum. The starting salary will be based on the successful candidate’s competencies, including but not limited to knowledge, skills, experience, and internal pay structures. As a part of the PNE's total compensation package, this position may be eligible for other benefits subject to program eligibility requirements.