Location
Description
ABOUT THE CITY
We offer a wide range of meaningful career opportunities with potential for growth, training and development, competitive salaries, flexible work schedules, paid time off, and robust benefits. The Redwood City team is guided by excellence, integrity, service, collaboration, inclusion, and innovation. Inherent in these values is a great organizational culture based on trust, strong and supportive leadership, respect, risk-taking, empowerment, and effective communication.
The community is known for its inclusivity, strong engaged neighborhoods, and civic pride. The City works diligently to maintain positive and productive relationships with community partners, together providing outstanding services, programs and opportunities for residents and businesses. This mix of tradition and progress, community and diversity, makes Redwood City an extraordinary place to work and call home. If you’re looking to grow your career as a part of a hard-working and fun Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department team that fosters innovation, creativity and collaboration, we hope you’ll apply.
About the role:
The Parks, Recreation & Community Services Manager – Arts & Events is responsible for overseeing the City’s signature community events, cultural programming, and public art initiatives that celebrate Redwood City’s diverse community and vibrant downtown. This position manages the planning, coordination, and production of a wide range of public events including festivals, concerts, cultural celebrations, and arts programming that bring people together and foster community pride.
In addition to event management, this role provides critical support to the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Community Services on all public art initiatives. The Arts and Events Manager serve as the staff liaison to the Arts Commission, manages website content related to the Commission and public art, and leads the implementation and updating of the City’s Public Art Master Plan. The position also ensures compliance with the Percent for Art Ordinance, including public art permit application management, maintaining detailed records of all art in public places (45.070 Section C), and overseeing the recognition and promotion of public art throughout the city.
The Arts and Events Manager collaborate closely with the Economic Development Manager and works with developers as new commercial projects over 50,000 square feet come on board, ensuring compliance with public art requirements.
More broadly, this role involves negotiating, preparing, and managing contracts and agreements with vendors, performers, artists, and community partners, while ensuring compliance with City policies and maintaining strong inter-agency collaboration.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be a creative, organized, and collaborative professional with experience in managing large-scale community events, arts programming, and public art initiatives. They will bring both vision and attention to detail, balancing the excitement of producing vibrant cultural events with the administrative expertise required to manage contracts, budgets, and ordinance compliance.
This role calls for someone who thrives in dynamic, fast-paced environments and can successfully lead teams while building strong partnerships with artists, nonprofits, cultural organizations, developers, and other City departments. The ideal candidate will also demonstrate confidence in public engagement, including presenting to City Council, the Arts Commission, and community stakeholders.
Experience with public art programs—such as managing compliance with Percent for Art ordinances, maintaining public art records, and updating long-term planning documents like the Public Art Master Plan—is highly valued.
Familiarity with grant funding, sponsorship development, and arts promotion is also an asset.
Most importantly, the ideal candidate is passionate about using arts and culture to strengthen community connections and celebrate the diversity of Redwood City.
What you’ll do, at a glance:
As Redwood City’s Arts and Events Manager, you’ll:
- Plan, direct, and oversee the City’s community events, festivals, and cultural programs.
- Manage the City’s Public Art App
- Manage website content related to the Commission, Public Art and Special Events
- Provide technical, permitting and event related assistance.
- Lead and support staff, contractors, and volunteers to deliver high-quality events and public art initiatives.
- Manage event schedules and supervise event staff.
- Lead marketing and outreach efforts to promote arts and cultural initiatives.
- Manage budgets, contracts, and sponsorships while ensuring compliance with City policies.
- Serve as staff liaison to the Arts Commission and Parks and Arts Foundation
- Guide the implementation of the Public Art Master Plan.
- Build strong partnerships with artists, cultural organizations, community groups, and developers on projects that enhance Redwood City’s creative landscape.
- Promote and maintain records of public art, and support recognition of the City’s cultural assets.
- Collaborate across City departments and with regional partners to ensure safe, inclusive, and well-coordinated events and programs.
- Ensures compliance with safety and environmental standards and regulations related to public events.
- Perform other duties as assigned
Benefits
See job flyer
Special Instructions
Submit your application via: www.CalOpps.org by Friday, October 10, 2025 by 11:59 pm. In person oral board interviews are tentatively scheduled on Wednesday, October 29, 2025.
A City application, a cover letter and responses to the supplemental questions are required. Applications must be filled out completely. Failure to complete the application, attach a cover letter and responses to the supplemental questions will disqualify the applicant from the recruitment process. Failure to list work experience, and education or training or stating “See Resume” in the work experience section of the application will be considered an incomplete application and subject to disqualification. Resumes may be attached separately, but resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a City application.
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