NPO Manager, Party

Position Summary

The NPO Manager, Party is a member of a four-person New Park Opening team that opens each new Lava Island park. The Manager arrives on site 1-2 weeks before opening with the NPO GM, the NPO Manager, Café, and the NPO Manager, Park & IT, and stays through the grand opening and the first 2-3 weeks of stabilized operation.

This role brings deep party operations fluency to every opening. The Manager is responsible for party room readiness, service hall readiness, party team hiring input, party training, execution through the opening, and the standard of the party experience through stabilization. The Manager must be able to run Lava Island parties to standard from day one and produce capable Party Leads at the new park before handoff.

The role functions in a manager-on-duty capacity during deployments, supervising the team and making operational decisions in real time. Over time, the long-term aim is for NPO Managers to develop dual-fluency across their partner areas; on entry the role specializes in party.

Internal partners: NPO GM, the other NPO Managers on the team (Café and Park & IT), the other NPO team's Managers, the Senior GMs, Leadership Training, the incoming party leadership at each new park, MCS field leadership at the handoff point, the HQ Creative team, the HQ party booking team, the local marketing team supporting the grand opening, and HQ HR, IT, and marketing support teams.

External partners:
Limited. Occasional coordination with local event suppliers or vendors during the opening window.

• Arrive on site 1-2 weeks before opening with the NPO team. Confirm the party rooms and service hall are ready to operate to Lava Island standards.
• Complete setup work outside the scope of MCS, including party room staging, service hall setup (the corridor behind the party rooms that supports party operations), gift cart and supply readiness, and delivery flow.
• Support the HQ Creative team with balloon bouquet color selection for each party room. Each room's paint palette drives the five-color bouquet mix; coordinate on-site with Creative to lock the palette.
• Confirm safety standards are met across party operations; surface anything that needs HQ or vendor support to the NPO GM early.

• Interview party candidates alongside the NPO GM; provide input on hiring decisions (NPO GM has final say). Build a party team with the right shape and depth for the park's opening volume and party calendar.
• Lead on-site training across the full party flow: check-in, room cleaning and reset, deliveries, gift cart and supply management, hosting, and the Party Lead role.
• Teach Lava Island party standards: the party schedule and flow, the key moments of the host experience, room reset between groups, and guest experience standards in the party rooms.
• Build the new park's Party Lead bench. Train and develop crew members against the established party crew and Party Lead training trackers so the park has capable Party Leads in place by the time the NPO team hands off.

• Lead the party team through grand opening week as the on-shift leader. Make real-time decisions on party schedule and flow, room timing and reset, gift cart and supply coverage, and guest issue resolution. Hold the line on hospitality and pace under high volume.
• Serve as Manager on Duty on assigned shifts during the deployment. Hold team members accountable to performance expectations and Lava Island standards during shifts.
• Remain on site 2-3 weeks post-open. Continue to coach the team, address performance and attendance issues in real time, and refine party operations.
• Walk the incoming party leadership (typically the OM or AM responsible for parties) through the team, current state of operations, and any open items before departing.

• Adapt to the unexpected. Find the party solution on the ground when the standard approach does not fit; push issues that require HQ support to the NPO GM and the right HQ team quickly and clearly.
• Coordinate closely with the NPO Manager, Café on party food timing and cross-area handoffs, and with the NPO Manager, Park & IT on overall flow.
• Partner with the HQ party booking team on initial party scheduling and volume at the new park. Provide tactical input on what the team can support through opening and stabilization, and adjust as the team develops capability.
• Coordinate with the local marketing team on party promotions and grand opening events.
• Model the Lava Island standard at all times in front of the team, the incoming leadership team, and any external partners on site.

Work environment and travel:
Active party operations environment during deployments. Fully traveling, 4-6 weeks per opening. Rental car, lodging, and per diem per the NPO Field Policy. Upon first arrival the park is still an active…