The Jax Riverfront Alliance is now seeking a full-time Programming & Events Director.

Jacksonville is standing on the edge of unparalleled transformation, and we want YOU to help lead the charge. The St. Johns River is our city’s greatest asset, a cornerstone of our identity well on its way to reaching its full potential as a world-class destination. The Jax Riverfront Alliance (JRA) has arrived to bridge that gap, serving as a pivotal public-private partnership working together with the City of Jacksonville to create a vibrant, interconnected network of parks that unites neighborhoods, celebrates the river, and offers welcoming spaces to gather, enjoy nature, and build community. By joining us on the ground floor, you aren’t just taking a job; you are joining a movement to reclaim the heart of our city and deliver the vibrant, connected riverfront experience Jacksonville has long imagined.

While the Jax Riverfront Alliance is currently in an energetic startup phase, our mission is built on a rock-solid foundation of national best practices and expert analysis. We have moved beyond the drawing board and are currently in the middle of an aggressive scaling-up phase, professionalizing our staff and systems to assume full operational responsibility for several park assets in 2027, beginning with the priority spaces at Riverfront Plaza and Riverfront Music Garden — the heart of our city and riverfront’s front porch. This is your chance to build a legacy from the ground up, backed by the city’s top civic leaders and a data-driven roadmap to excellence.

With a national search currently underway for a CEO experienced in urban park systems management and execution of a formal partnership agreement with the City, the Jax Riverfront Alliance will be launching publicly later this year. At its full function in the near future, the organization will be responsible for maintenance of riverfront parks, programming of these public spaces, management of riverfront venues, and marketing of the riverfront experience.

Position Summary

This position will contribute to the voice and soul of the Jax Riverfront Alliance and our relationship with the community. The Programming & Events Director is responsible for enlivening the riverfront by planning and executing a year-round calendar of public programs and activations. This role is essential to the JRA’s mission of creating a vibrant, connected, and experiential riverfront. The Director will oversee a range of activities from in-house programs (e.g., movie nights, yoga, and others) to third-party events (e.g., fitness classes and markets) ensuring all programming is high-quality and accessible to a broad range of users.

Responsibilities

  • Develop seasonal and long-term programming calendars. Focus on both active programming (events) and passive engagement (sustainable, everyday use).
  • Manage all on-the-ground aspects of event production, including load-in/load-out, vendor coordination, clean-up, and troubleshooting, as well as programming assistants.
  • Oversee permitting and registration efforts for all programming; navigate the JRA’s streamlined permitting process, which allows JRA-led events to operate with greater flexibility than standard municipal codes.
  • Collaborate closely with partners such as (but not limited to) the City of Jacksonville (COJ) Parks, Recreation, and Community Resources (PRCS) Department, the Downtown Investment Authority, Downtown Vision, Inc., the Jacksonville Performing Arts Center, and other downtown and cultural stakeholders and events producers so that events successfully complement and amplify one another.
  • Using community relationships with stakeholders and partners, actively recruit, register, and permit third-party activators, events, and vendors.
  • Develop and refine scalable event playbooks and standard operating procedures to ensure consistent, high-quality execution as the park network expands.
  • Hire and supervise part-time event personnel and/or volunteer coordination with direction and supervision from leadership, including but not limited to contractors, hired staff, and volunteers.
  • Assess and implement opportunities for alcohol sales in the Riverfront Project Area in line with the engagement calendar. This includes managing liquor liability and ensuring all events comply with Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) regulations.
  • Proactively manage relationships with neighborhood leaders and cultural groups to ensure park programming reflects Jacksonville’s full demographic mosaic.
  • Develop and manage programmatic budgets, coordinating with the development team to identify and pursue sponsorship opportunities for branded events and activations.
  • Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for every activation and produce monthly impact reports to measure what programs are successful and what opportunities exist for improvement.
  • Act as the primary liaison for permit compliance, ensuring that programming adheres to core safety, noise, and accessibility standards to maintain trust with municipal partners.
  • Participate in, refine, and implement the JRA’s Security Plan addressing crowd control and safety precautions tailored to specific in-house event needs.
  • Design and manage a rotating portfolio of temporary-style food and beverage amenities—such as coffee carts, ice cream stands, and mobile bar carts—to drive sustainable, everyday usage of the riverfront, identifying strategic locations along the riverfront for these mobile activations. Directly oversee the logistics of these units, including site placement, vendor scheduling, and compliance with concession agreements and health safety protocols, and integrate these pop-ups into the broader programmatic calendar to support visitors’ passive engagement.
  • Coordinate closely with the Facilities and Marketing teams to ensure smooth delivery of high-quality events and programming.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

  • Excellent time management, communication, and organization.
  • Strong interpersonal skills and experience working at a team-oriented organization.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment that requires good solid judgement on the organization’s behalf.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Current driver’s license with clean driving record.
  • “Roll up your sleeves” approach and willingness to pitch in on all tasks required for project success.
  • Willing to make and receive unscheduled calls to people and vendors you don’t know, talk to strangers, and represent the organization professionally while doing so.
  • Experience with managing multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Ability to work both independently without direct supervision as well as part of a collaborative team.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft tools including Microsoft Office and Excel, as well as Google Suite including Gmail, Drive, and Sheets.
  • Relationship building between vendors, stakeholders, and community members is essential.

Qualifications

  • Proven ability to create community-centered and inclusive programming that serves many socioeconomic audiences.
  • Proven ability to use attendance data and qualitative feedback to evaluate program ROI and make data-driven recommendations for calendar adjustments.
  • Positive and welcoming hospitality approach with park visitors.
  • Evening and weekend availability is required to support the riverfront’s peak activation times.
  • Passion for a vibrant and active Downtown Jacksonville riverfront.

Minimum Education and Experience

  • Associate of Arts (AA) degree and high school diploma.
  • Demonstrated event planning, cultural programming, placemaking, or related public-facing program management experience.
  • Excellent project management skills with creative problem-solving approaches and ability to meet timelines and deadlines, some which are overlapping.
  • Strong project management and logistics skills; ability to manage multiple stakeholders, projects, and event-planning logistics in a fast-paced urban environment.
  • Experience with digital storytelling, especially social media and electronic direct mail.
  • Experience managing program staff is preferred.

Ideal Education and Experience (Minimum Requirements Plus:)

  • Bachelor’s degree.
  • Master’s in Urban Placemaking and Management from the Pratt Institute.
  • Three to five years’ related work experience.
  • Experience managing liquor liability and navigating ABT-equivalent permitting for public venues or festivals are strongly preferred.
  • Experience in directing external vendors for graphic design or website needs.
  • Familiarity with downtown and surrounding neighborhoods is preferred.

Physical Requirements and Work Environments

  • Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and walk long distances in outdoor, all-season weather conditions.

Location: Jacksonville, Florida

Position Type: Full-Time Equivalent – Exempt 

Flexible Reporting & Organizational Growth

The JRA is currently in a scaling-up phase, transitioning from a young organization to a professionalized staff. Consequently, the reporting structure for this role will evolve:

Near-Term: Initially, the Programming & Events Director will report to the Interim Director, Board Chair, and Board of Directors.
Transition: Reporting will transition to the permanent CEO upon hire.

Long-Term: As the organization grows and completes its staffing plan, oversight may shift to a VP or other similar role to ensure alignment between programming and site management.

Pay & Benefits

  • Annual Salary Range: $75,000 to $110,000; We are open to candidates with a range of experience levels for this role. Compensation will be based on each candidate’s qualifications, relevant experience, and overall fit for the position. Candidates with additional expertise, specialized knowledge, or demonstrated success in similar roles may be eligible for compensation toward the higher end of the posted salary range.
  • As part of the total compensation package, employees receive a company-funded benefits contribution to support the purchase of health insurance and other benefits that best meet their individual needs.
  • Our office is located in downtown Jacksonville, right in the heart of all the action.
  • The position offers some flexibility in hours and remote work, in coordination with the team.
  • Generous paid time off and holiday structure.
  • Benefit structure may grow as the organization grows.

To Apply

Please submit an application HERE or send a résumé with cover letter via email to:  ecumiskey@dynamiccorp.com.

No phone calls or texts please.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All employees may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

The Jax Riverfront Alliance is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Recruitment, placement, and promotions are conducted without regard to an individual’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical handicap, veteran status, or sexual orientation, or any other classification protected by Federal, State, and local laws and ordinances. We will consider qualified candidates with criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of Florida law. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply.

Position published 7/31/26

About Us

Jacksonville’s downtown riverfront is envisioned as a world-class destination: a vibrant, interconnected network of parks that unite neighborhoods, celebrate the river, and offer welcoming spaces to gather, enjoy nature, and build community. More than green space, these public spaces are a catalyst for economic growth, cultural vitality, healthy living, and resilience—supporting a thriving, dynamic city now and for generations to come. The Jax Riverfront Alliance will become the City’s trusted partner in the operation, maintenance, programming, and long-term planning of destination riverfront public spaces; identify and secure a diversified portfolio funding sources to sustain riverfront activation; establish partnerships with key public, private, and community stakeholders; determine key performance metrics for success and implement robust data collection; and build a new public-private partnership model based on proven approaches from other communities while leveraging the momentum and opportunities unique to Jacksonville.

Over the years, the City of Jacksonville has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to expand water access and enhance public parks, matched by significant private-sector investment and robust community engagement to create a dynamic mixed-use destination along the St. Johns River. The Jessie Ball duPont Fund’s 2022 Activation Plan for Downtown Jacksonville’s Riverfront, informed by robust community and stakeholder input, outlined a bold vision for activating and placemaking along the riverfront. Building on that work, a steering committee of 19 public, private, and civic leaders collaborated throughout 2025 to identify and design a public-private partnership structure to manage the Downtown riverfront, culminating in the formation of the Jax Riverfront Alliance in August 2025.

Our structure is grounded in best practices from some of the nation’s most vibrant and celebrated public spaces, adapted deliberately for Jacksonville’s unique character and needs. This dedicated, place-based, independent, nonprofit organization is here to work with the City of Jacksonville to ensure the riverfront reaches its full potential as an exceptional destination.