Arts and Culture Manager

Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Resorts Collection a former cultural institution and much-beloved boarding school is undergoing an extensive transformation to awaken the property’s storied and romantic history, dating back to the 16th century. Auberge’s third European destination, Collegio is a delight for design lovers and gourmands alike. Three adjacent original buildings feature 83 rooms, an original chapel and theater, a library, two restaurants and a bar which was once the school’s principal’s office. Surrounded by old growth cyprus and soaring oak trees, the resort’s grounds boast expansive lawns, five levels of terraced Baroque gardens, a pool and garden bar and restaurant. Come here for relaxation or adventure – and leave utterly enchanted.

Job Description

Role Summary

Join our team as the Arts & Culture Manager and become one of the authors of our story. This individual will embark on a brand-defining and buzz worthy program of authentic activities and experiences that create beloved traditions, drive local traffic and showcase the abundance of natural beauty, culinary bounty and cultural treasures that Tuscany offers its visitors. This role will be responsible for initiating, facilitating, and guiding well-designed and creatively curated programming for our guests and team members. The unique activities and experiences at Collegio alla Querce combine activities, classes, amenities, off-site adventures, product selection, partner alignment, and activation of our unique spaces. This role is integral to establishing and maintaining thematic stories and elements that influence and guide Collegio alla Querce’s guest experience.

Core Responsibilities

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of everything that needs to be done! Within the Auberge family, our people always find new ways to look after the business, their guests, and their team members. Within this, the key responsibilities for this position are:

1. Programming Execution: Execute programming plans for seasonal, monthly and weekly calendars for the property, based on core positioning & brand. Planning, project managing, talent curation and collaborating with inter-departmental teams to establish standard operating procedures for core programs. Assist in the development of daily rituals that bring the resort’s spirit alive for its guests and the community (as applicable).
2. Weekly Programming Calendar Project Management: Project manage weekly programming ensuring the success of daily programming offerings. This includes creating a project plan and timelines with key operational leaders on property, outlining next steps and tasks needed to execute the experience, managing cross functional and inter-departmental communication, setting the right cadence for meetings, finalizing details, and ensuring we meet our deadlines. Manage the weekly programming calendar ensuring coordinating with all necessary third party partners or performers. Ensure the monthly/seasonal calendar is ready for marketing and the itinerary design team at least 2-3 months in advance.
3. Signature Event Production: Project manage one of a kind events and partnerships on property inclusive of managing outside vendors and partners, driving setup, ensuring alignment across inter-departmental teams, and evaluating event success afterwards.
4. Networking: Manage a database of community leaders information to ensure anyone from the property can reach out to important partners locally. Establish and maintain relationships with local partners and vendors to initiate and enhance our unique brand story with reliable, bookable activities, adventures, and programming.
5. Community Engagement: With such a storied history, this much loved establishment will foster relationships with former alumni and local residents to ensure the hotel remains a much loved destination for the community.
6. Training: Manage experience resources on the internal team member website. Maintain cooperative relationships and open lines of communication with leaders of operational departments to ensure concept execution of programming and product offerings. Participate in team member daily rallies to discuss weekly programming offerings. Champion training around activities and experiences.
7. Design: Support the curation of design elements as needed for programming for use in resort spaces. Creating, teaching, documenting and standardizing presentation and execution of programming. Activating holiday events with well-designed and intentional ways to create relevant, unprecedented, and memorable guest experiences. Manage the sampling, ordering, and fulfillment of operating supplies & equipment for weekly programming.
8. Improvement: Identify opportunities to further improve, customize, or personalize a guest's experience based on guest feedback and strategic opportunities. Identify processes to further deepen being experience led at the property level. Periodically analyze experience program performance in terms of revenue, expenses, ROI to refine the overall program and assess popularity of individual experiences to evolve and iterate the best loved ones.
9. Confidentiality: Maintain confidentiality and security of specified resort information, correspondence, reports and files.

Qualifications

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 5+ years of work experience in events/hospitality operations field, and previous project management or creative production experience.
• Originally from the region or long-term resident that is actively engaged in the community.
• Extensive breadth and depth of knowledge as relates to the Florence and the surrounding Tuscan luxury market and catering to a luxury-minded audience.
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent: in Design, Marketing, Public Relations, Operations, or Hospitality.
• Be a natural entrepreneurial leader with a positive demeanor and a sense of adventure.
• Ability to multi-task and coordinate multiple projects at once.
• Discerning eye for design and style.
• Demonstrated excellence in a creative/event project or program management role.
• Basic data analysis to evaluate pricing, profitability, and performance.
• Strategic time management to focus & prioritize projects that will provide the biggest impact.
• Ability to plan/program ideas that bring the property identity to life from initiation to execution; adapt and revise plans as developments necessitate in real time.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and make decisions that are aligned with the goals and objectives of the property.
• Ability to professionally represent the resort and interact with guests in a polished, responsible, and timely manner.
• Ability to act as a leader with the property operations teams on all things related to guest experience and design elements. Communicate information to operational departments accurately and in a timely manner.
• Must be both “Team” focused, and a self-motivated, adaptable, innovative, and independent worker.
• Creative and proactive thinker and problem-solver with high-level organizational, research, and product-sourcing skills.
• Computer-literate: ability to confidently and effectively navigate a variety of programs, including but not limited to Google Suite, HMS, Unifocus, Trip Advisor, Yelp, OpenTable, and social networking platforms.
• Proven professional networking, partnership sourcing, and negotiating skills.
• Ability to take on new responsibilities and roles as the position demands, both administratively and operationally.