Christkindl Markt Event Operations Coordinator

The Grand Rapids Downtown Market is home to one of the Midwest's premier holiday traditions: the Christkindl Markt. Inspired by the beloved European Christmas markets, the Christkindl Markt welcomes hundreds of thousands of guests each holiday season for shopping, food, entertainment, and festive experiences that celebrate community and create lasting memories.

The Downtown Market is seeking an enthusiastic, organized, and professional Christkindl Markt Event Operations Coordinator to join our Christkindl Markt team! As the Event Operations Coordinator, you will play a vital role in creating memorable experiences for guests by supporting the planning and execution of the Christkindl Markt with efficiency, professionalism, and exceptional hospitality. You'll work closely with vendors, staff, city departments, contractors, and community partners to help ensure every detail comes together seamlessly, from year‑round planning to daily event operations during the holiday season.

At our Christkindl Markt, we value individuals who bring energy, collaboration, resourcefulness, and a positive attitude. We strive to provide exceptional experiences while ensuring our guests, vendors, seasonal staff, and community partners feel welcomed, supported, and cared for.

We embrace a high-level, passionate, fun, and engaging set of service standards that encapsulates the magic of the holiday season. Behind every festive moment is a dedicated team committed to delivering an unforgettable experience, and we're looking for someone who shares that passion.

Everything we do is guided by our core values:

• Integrity
• Respect
• Proactivity
• Fun

As our Christkindl Markt continues to grow, we're excited to add a Christkindl Markt Event Operations Coordinator to our team. This role is instrumental in bringing the event to life, from supporting year‑round planning and administration to serving as a Manager on Duty during the holiday season. You'll work alongside the General Manager while collaborating with vendors, seasonal staff, city departments, contractors, and community organizations to help ensure every detail comes together seamlessly.

We value individuals who take ownership of their work, embrace challenges, and genuinely enjoy serving others. If you love bringing order to complexity, solving problems, and making memorable experiences happen behind the scenes, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

You could be the right person for this important seat if you:

• Are inspired by our mission, our core values, and the opportunity to help create one of West Michigan's most beloved holiday traditions. You enjoy creating experiences that bring people together and positively impact the community.
• Thrive in a fast‑paced, ever‑changing environment. You enjoy balancing administrative responsibilities with hands‑on event operations and understand that no two days look exactly alike.
• Have a bachelor's degree (or equivalent professional experience) in Event Management, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Communications, or a related field, along with at least 2–3 years of administrative or event operations experience. Whether coordinating logistics, vendors, or staff, you understand what it takes to keep large‑scale events running smoothly.
• Are exceptionally organized. You naturally keep projects, people, and information on track while managing multiple priorities, deadlines, and moving pieces without letting important details fall through the cracks.
• Are confident using technology to stay organized and communicate effectively. You're highly proficient with Google Workspace and comfortable working with spreadsheets, shared drives, databases, calendars, and other digital tools that support event operations.
• Have outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Whether you're answering guest inquiries, working with vendors, coordinating with city departments, or supporting seasonal staff, you communicate with professionalism, warmth, and clarity.
• Excel in a fast‑paced environment. You enjoy balancing multiple responsibilities, adapting to shifting priorities, and solving problems in real time while remaining calm, organized,…