Position Overview
The Events and Community Manager is an integral member of First Light’s team of managers, bringing the store to life for our community and responsible for activating and enlivening the shop through compelling, best-in-class events and programming. Alongside First Light’s founding partners and management team, this role will help define event and programming strategy and will be responsible for the production and execution of First Light’s events and programming while stewarding a robust membership program that attracts, engages, and retains members. The role blends high-level relationship management, hands-on production, and community cultivation, serving as a public-facing representative of First Light’s brand, values, and ethos.
Core Responsibilities
Events Strategy, Programming & Production
- In collaboration with leadership, review, evaluate, and respond to publisher event grids, inbound event inquiries, and partnership proposals, balancing editorial alignment, capacity, and business goals.
- Design and produce a dynamic calendar of in-store and off-site events, ongoing programs, and special activations that align with First Light’s brand, values, and financial goals, with particular attention to member engagement and community impact.
- Develop, manage, and track event budgets with care and accountability, ensuring cost-effectiveness, clear financial planning, and positive return on investment across ticketed events, book sales, and partnerships.
- Build and sustain strong working relationships with publishers, publicists, authors, venues, and community partners, while actively expanding partnerships with local organizations, institutions, and cultural collaborators.
- Oversee all aspects of event production, including venue booking, staffing, run-of-show documentation, author handling, A/V coordination, and on-site logistics, as well as coordinating book sales for off-site or partner-sponsored events.
- Host, supervise, and introduce events—both in-store and off-site—including large-scale programs with high-profile authors, artists, and public figures, serving as a confident, thoughtful, and steady public-facing representative of First Light.
- Bring a personal, hospitality-forward approach to every event: welcoming authors and guests, anticipating needs, setting the tone in the room, and ensuring that attendees feel cared for, comfortable, and eager to return.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with bookselling, marketing, operations, and leadership teams to ensure seamless execution, clear communication, and consistent brand standards.
- Manage the events staffing, including bookselling staff who regularly host in-store readings and several part-time event staffers.
- Coordinate and oversee recurring programs and long-term partnerships, including book clubs, pop-ups, and ongoing series.
- Lead coordination with food and beverage vendors for in-store and courtyard pop-ups, including sourcing partners, managing logistics, and ensuring alignment with First Light’s values and guest experience.
- Track event performance and produce post-event debriefs and regular reports, including ticket sales, book sales, expenses, attendance, and qualitative feedback.
- Maintain ongoing awareness of publishing trends, forthcoming titles, and cultural moments relevant to event and programming opportunities.
Community & Membership Strategy
- Serve as one of the public faces of First Light, actively engaging with members and the broader community in-store, at events, and through programming.
- In partnership with leadership, design, evaluate, and refine membership strategies to drive long-term growth, engagement, and retention.
- Plan and support member-specific activations, including exclusive events, early access opportunities, and benefit-driven programming.
- Support member relations and communications, responding to a wide range of inquiries with care, professionalism, and warmth, while planning proactively 6–12 months ahead to anticipate needs and opportunities.
Qualifications & Skills
- Deep interest in and fluency with books, publishing, and literary culture.
- 3–5+ years of experience in event management, community engagement, membership programs, or a related field.
- Proven ability to manage complex events from concept through execution.
- Strong relationship-building skills with authors, publishers, partners, and internal teams.
- Excellent organizational, budgeting, and analytical skills, with comfort managing multiple timelines and priorities.
- Confident public speaker and host, comfortable representing First Light in public-facing settings.
At First Light, events are one of the primary ways we serve our community. Author conversations, cultural talks, book clubs, children’s story times, chess nights, live music, and courtyard pop-ups are all part of how the shop comes alive—most often within our walls, and sometimes beyond them. As Events and Community Manager, you’ll shape and steward these gatherings with care, clarity, and consistency, balancing thoughtful planning with a strong sense of presence in the room.
This role is for someone who values hospitality without fuss, believes in the power of books and conversation to bring people together, and understands that meaningful community programming is built over time. If you’re drawn to creating well-run, welcoming spaces where ideas are shared and neighbors return again and again, we’d be glad to hear from you.
Apply for this position by sending a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to jobs@firstlightaustin.com.