Events Manager 

About Hot Bread Kitchen 

Since 2008, Hot Bread Kitchen has empowered New Yorkers who face barriers to economic opportunities through transformative careers in New York City’s food industry. We offer small business development programs, culinary skills training, and job placement, bolstered by individualized, wraparound supportive services. Our small business program, HBK Incubates, supports entrepreneurs as they transform their food businesses into sustainable income sources. Culinary Fundamentals, our award-winning culinary training program, provides access to high-quality jobs for those starting their careers in the food industry. Our upskilling programs enable incumbent workers to gain further skills, leading to higher wages and career advancement. We work diligently alongside our network of over 200 food employer partners and more than 250 nonprofit and government partners to ensure our graduates are set up for success both at home and in their careers.

The Opportunity 

Hot Bread Kitchen seeks a full-time Events Manager to support the organization’s fundraising event strategy. You will be part of a high-performing development team responsible for Hot Bread Kitchen’s $12+ million philanthropic revenue. Our events and programs vary in format and size, and include an annual benefit, serving as our premier fundraising event. Hot Bread Kitchen events are not stuffy galas—no rubber chicken dinners here! As a nonprofit embedded in the food and hospitality industries, our guests describe our events as creative, diverse, delicious and mission-inspiring. The successful candidate will have experience managing events end to end, working with event production consultants, and excellent project management skills. The role will report to the Senior Director of Individual Giving. 

 

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The Events Manager is responsible for project managing and implementing a diverse portfolio of fundraising and engagement events with the following responsibilities:

 

Event Management

  • Work with the Senior Director of Individual Giving to develop the planning, budgeting and on-site execution of a portfolio of Hot Bread Kitchen’s events: The Annual Breadwinners Benefit (held each Spring; raised $1.2m in 2025), Ristorante Hot Bread Kitchen  (held 4 times per year; an in-house dinner prepared by our members, primarily used as a donor cultivation event), intimate donor events such as cooking classes, fundraising events hosted by Hot Bread Kitchen’s Young Professional Committee (1-2 times per year currently, with opportunities for growth) and other events as they arise with the growth of the program. 

  • Serve as point of contact and manage external event consultants (event production, auctioneer, scriptwriter, etc.), and serve as internal project manager and staff liaison between event consultants and internal teams.

  • Develop and manage event timelines and budgets, using team-wide tools and systems. 

  • Support Development Team with identifying, segmenting, and coordinating donor lists for invitations and fundraising requests.

  • Track event fundraising and engagement data in Salesforce, and use the database to report accurate, real-time progress. 

  • Work with event consultants on reporting such as guest lists, sponsors, RSVP tracking

  • Conduct post-event evaluations and implement improvements for future events.

  • Complete all administrative tasks on time including maintaining a working record of events procedures and logistics, managing invoicing.

  • Partner with the Brand team and event production consultant(s) to support brand experience, including overall storytelling, decor and rentals, collateral, and food experience.

  • Support team on other events throughout the year as needed, such as project managing or assisting with webinars, panels, and culinary events. 

  • Provide post-event revenue reporting analysis, and manage post event tax-acknowledgement letters.

  • Manage in- kind event sponsors.

 

Fundraising

  • Support senior development team to secure Honorees and Co-Chair committee, which includes developing and maintaining prospecting lists, gift pyramids, and preparing solicitation and stewardship correspondence. 

  • Support the Brand team to develop sponsorship packages, decks, save-the-dates, invitation, journal ads, and post event follow up.

  • Ensure event benefits offered to donors are upheld. 

  • Refine systems for event revenue tracking, guest lists and RSVPs (in Salesforce when possible).

 

PREFERRED SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

  • Passion and a commitment to Hot Bread Kitchen’s mission and core programs.

  • 3-5 years and demonstrated track record of successful event planning and project management experience.

  • Events-based fundraising experience for mission-driven organizations strongly preferred.

  • Excellent organizational, interpersonal, written, and verbal communications, and a commitment to follow-through.

  • The flexibility to work event-related hours.

  • Experience working with CRM and digital project management tools (we use Salesforce, Slack, Asana and Google Workspace).

  • Self-motivated problem solver with the ability to handle and prioritize multiple projects, meet deadlines, work independently and with staff at all levels, and be a team player.

  • Bachelor’s Degree required.

 

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES

  • Project Management — Organizes and tracks multiple initiatives, deadlines, and deliverables to ensure successful execution of fundraising activities.

  • Results driven - achieve goals in a timely manner and when necessary will adapt to various solutions and take the initiative to develop a new solution.

  • Collaboration- Works with others to achieve common goals and desired results. Connects with people from a variety of backgrounds and develops relationships to advance work. 

  • Persuasive communication- Displays verbal and written communication that influences and inspires others. 

  • Flexible- Adapts to changes while remaining focused on goals. Welcomes and works with changing environments. Mindful of blind spots and open to feedback.

  • Detail oriented - verifies important details, ensures there are no surprises or gaps in needed information, has the ability to think a few steps ahead to answer potential questions about the data or project. Aims to leave things better than they found them. Checks work with others, plans time to review for errors and addresses errors quickly and learns from them. 

 

OUR VALUES

We are driven by a feeling of commitment to support our members, teammates, and partners. Our culture of equity comes from the many cooks in our kitchen and the diversity of perspectives we each bring. We believe that respect goes a long way in making people feel welcome, accepted, and celebrated. We seek out opportunities for connection and become a stronger team by being in community and prioritizing candor over consensus. The pace of our work and velocity of change can be quick; our entrepreneurialism helps us take optimistic risks and pursue inventive solutions

LOCATION 

This is a hybrid position, with flexibility to work remotely. Regular in-person attendance required when departmental needs arise (weekly) and for events. Our facility, located in Manhattan (Chelsea A/C/E/L), is open in line with city, state, and organizational guidelines. 

 

COMPENSATION 

This is a full-time position with a salary range between $72,000 - 80,000. Hot Bread Kitchen's comprehensive benefits package includes health/vision/dental insurance (eligible from day one), 401K contributions, paid office closure days  (including holidays, and staff appreciation days, and a one week holiday break at the end of the year), flexible and generous vacation and sick time, paid parental leave, and a sabbatical program (after 5 years of service). Our organizational culture is inclusive, entrepreneurial, flexible, and civically-minded (learn more about our culture on hotbreadkitchen.org/careers)

To Apply

  • Please include a cover letter and experience-aligned resume including your pronouns.

  • Apply here  at Hot Bread Kitchen’s Applicant Tracking System.

 

Due to the volume of applications, only complete applications sent via email will be considered. Applications sent via LinkedIn or other third party sites will not be accepted or reviewed.

Hot Bread Kitchen is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants based on race, religion, color, disability, medical condition, legally protected genetic information, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity or expression, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), age, veteran status or other legally protected characteristics. Any applicant with a mental or physical disability who requires an accommodation during the application process should contact hr@hotbreadkitchen.org to request such an accommodation.