2026 Sports and Special Events Director - City Manager's Office

Job Description:

2026 Sports and Special Events Director - City Manager's Office

Description

Our diverse and inclusive workforce of more than 7,000 employees play a key role in the success of San José, the heart of the Silicon Valley. All City of San José employees work together as one team to make San José a vibrant, innovative, and desirable place to live and work. Visit here to learn more about our One Team Leadership Values and Expectations, including quality and excellent customer service and here to learn more about San José.

About the Department

The Office of the City Manager provides strategic leadership that supports the Mayor and City Council in making public policy decisions and ensures the organization delivers cost-effective services that meet the needs of our community with the highest standards of quality and customer service. The City Manager’s Office also serves to guide fiscal and change management, the building and development of our workforce, and the development of long-term, data-driven strategies to invest in the City’s future. The City Manager's Office provides strategic leadership that supports the Mayor and the City Council and motivates and challenges the organization to deliver high quality services that meet the community's needs.

Position Duties

About the Position


The City Manager's Office is seeking to fill one temporary Director position (2026 Sports and Special Events Director) for a duration of 12 months. This position is not eligible for benefits.

The annual salary range for this position is $202,412.86 - $327,870.92. The final candidate’s qualifications and experience will determine the actual salary.

Join us as the driving force behind San José's most anticipated events of 2026! Reporting to the Deputy City Manager responsible for planning and development, the 2026 Sports and Special Event Director will lead efforts to bring world-class events like the FIFA World Cup, Super Bowl 60, and NCAA Men’s West Regional Basketball Tournament to life, all while shaping a legacy of community pride, economic impact, and regional influence. We are looking for an innovative leader who thrives in dynamic environments, values diversity, and is passionate about creating lasting benefits for our vibrant city and its people. If you are ready to make an impact in a role where collaboration, creativity, and strategic vision meet, we invite you to apply and help us showcase San José on the world stage.

Position Duties & Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
Develop and implement a comprehensive strategy for the planning and execution of major sports, and entertainment events, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and objectives.

Programming
Oversee all aspects of program planning, including venue selection, logistics, budgeting, scheduling, and stakeholder engagement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
Collaborate with internal teams, sponsors, partners, and governing bodies to ensure seamless event execution and stakeholder satisfaction.

Resource Management
Develop and manage budgets, ensuring efficient allocation of resources and adherence to financial targets.

Risk Management
Identify potential risks and challenges associated with event planning and develop mitigation strategies to ensure successful outcomes.

Performance Evaluation
Establish metrics and KPIs to evaluate event success, providing insights and recommendations for future improvements.

Community Engagement
Engage with local communities and stakeholders to promote events and enhance community relations.

Compliance: Ensure all events comply with relevant regulations, safety standards, and best practices in event management.

Marketing: Develop channels, marketing strategy and tactics to ensure broad participation from local, regional, and international audiences.

Sponsorship: Prepare sponsorship packages that raise necessary funds to support events, activations.

1. Drive Strategic Alignment and Execution
Develop, spearhead, and implement a comprehensive strategy, the planning and operational delivery of high-impact sports and entertainment events, ensuring alignment with City-wide goals to maximize economic returns, elevate community engagement, and enhance City branding, in conjunction with key partners.

2. Cultivate High-Value Partnerships
Forge and maintain strategic alliances across public, private, and community sectors, leveraging partnerships to expand event reach, build inclusivity, and enhance city influence within regional and national networks.

3. Ensure Cross-Departmental Collaboration
Collaborate with City departments to ensure seamless event execution and stakeholder satisfaction.

4. Oversee Financial Stewardship and Accountability
Lead fiscal planning, resource allocation, and budgetary oversight to optimize efficiency, maintain transparency, and ensure financial discipline, with clear, data-driven reporting on ROI and outcomes.

5. Elevate Community Engagement and Public Perception
Champion City-led outreach initiatives to promote inclusivity and foster community pride, while driving a sophisticated public relations strategy that positions the City as a premier destination for marquee events.

6. Measure Outcomes and Embed a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Establish metrics and KPIs to evaluate event success, providing insights and recommendations. Implement a structured post-event review process to extract insights, refine future strategies, and sustain long-term community and economic benefits beyond the event horizon.

The Ideal Candidate
The Administration expects to onboard an experienced executive that can immediately engage across City departments and coordinate with external partners such as the Bay Area Host Committee, the San José Sports Authority, Sharks Sports and Entertainment, San José Earthquakes, Team San José, San José Downtown Association, San José State University, and other key partners to execute on strategic initiatives that maximize the impact of these 2026 sporting events. As the Bay Area Host Committee is expected to be regionally focused, active City engagement will be critical to drive events and programming into San José. The ideal candidate will have proven/successful experience in leading major events, driving sponsorship campaigns and marketing strategy.

Minimum Qualifications

Education
A bachelor’s degree in sports management, event planning, public administration, business administration, or a related field.

Experience
Ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience that demonstrates proficiency at the management and policy making levels of a corporate or public organization responsible for a complex range of programs and activities, including five (5) years at a management and policy-making management level.

Preferred Qualification
A master's degree in sports management, event planning, public administration, business administration, or a related field.

License
Possession of a valid State of California Driver’s License is required.

Job Competencies
Job Expertise
Demonstrates knowledge of and experience with applicable professional/technical principles and practices including public policy and administration management, business management and private sector decision-making, Citywide and departmental procedures/policies and federal and state rules and regulations. Experience staffing a Council or advisory committee is desirable.

Coalition-Building
Develops networks and builds alliances; engages in cross-functional activities.

Leadership Acumen
Evaluates priorities to ensure the 'true' top priorities are handled satisfactorily; sets clear goals for the employees and the work unit.

Political Skill
In taking action, demonstrates an understanding and consideration of how it will impact stakeholders and affected areas in the organization.

Program Management Expertise
Ensures support for projects and implements agency goals and strategic objectives.

Strategic Decision Making
Identifies and understands issues, problems, opportunities; uses effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing appropriate solutions.

Strategic Foresight
Supports, promotes, and ensures alignment with the organization’s vision and values; understands how an organization must change in light of internal and external trends and influences; builds a shared vision with others and influences others to translate vision to action.

Effective Communication
Communicates and listens effectively and responds in an timely, effective, positive and respectful manner; written reports and correspondence are accurate, complete, current; well-organized, legible, concise, neat, and in proper grammatical form responds to statements and comments of others in a way that reflects understanding of the content and the accompanying emotion; asks clarifying questions to assure understanding of what the speaker intended, ensures consistent communication takes place within area of responsibility.

Other Qualifications

Form 700 Requirement
This position requires disclosure of outside investments, real property interest, income, and business positions. You must complete and file an "Assuming Office Form 700" with the City Clerk's Office within the first 30 days of employment with the office.

How To Apply
Selection Process
To be considered for this position, please provide a comprehensive resume to Human Resources Analyst Jennifer Macias at Jennifer.Macias1@sanjoseca.gov. Applications will be screened in relation to the skills and qualifications. Those candidates deemed to have the most relevant qualifications will be invited to interview. A final selection will be made upon completion of comprehensive reference and background checks.

This position will be closing at 11:59 PM on November 25, 2024.

If you have any question about this recruitment, please contact Jennifer Macias, via email at Jennifer.Macias1@sanjoseca.gov.

Benefits Information

On the next page of this job posting, you will find benefits information for the City of San Jose. However, please be aware that this position is not eligible for benefits.

Additional Information:

Employment Eligibility: Federal law requires all employees to provide verification of their eligibility to work in this country. Please be informed that the City of San Jose will NOT sponsor, represent or sign any documents related to visa applications/transfers for H1-B or any other type of visa which requires an employer application.

Please note that applications are currently not accepted through CalOpps or any other third party job board application system.

This recruitment may be used to fill multiple positions in this, or other divisions or departments. If you are interested in employment in this classification, you should apply to ensure you are considered for additional opportunities that may utilize the applicants from this recruitment.

Please allow adequate time to complete the application and submit before the deadline or the system may not save your application. If your online application was successfully submitted, you will receive an automatic confirmation email to the email address you provided. IF YOU DO NOT RECEIVE THE CONFIRMATION, please email CityCareers@sanjoseca.gov and we will research the status of your application.

The City of San Jose offers a wide range of core health benefits including Medical, Dental, Vision, Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Disability, and Savings Plans. Please visit the City's benefits pagefor detailed information on coverage, cost, and dependent coverage.

For information on the City’s Retirement Plan(pension for full-time employees), please visit the Office of Retirement Services website. You will be able to view information based on different Sworn/Federated job classification.

In additional to the benefits above, there is an additional perks siteto explore further benefits of working for the City of San Jose like paid leave, educational reimbursements, and holiday pay are specific to the job classification and union membership.

Closing Date/Time: 11/25/2024 11:59 PM Pacific

Salary:

$202,412.86 - $327,870.92 Annually