Weekend Event Planning Jobs in Rutherford, NJ (NOW HIRING)

Summary

Willdan Lighting and Electric (WLE), a subsidiary of Willdan, is looking for an Events Manager in our New York, NY office to support the New York City Accelerator program that promotes the adoption of energy efficient building upgrades in NYC. The NYC Accelerator is designed to drive forward the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets designated in Local Law 97 - the country's most ambitious building decarbonization law. The Events Manager will lead the planning, coordination, execution, and tracking of NYC Accelerator's event strategy to support program outreach, engagement, education, and partner coordination. This is a hybrid position.

This role is responsible for managing both NYC Accelerator-hosted events and participation in external industry events, while ensuring all event activity aligns with broader campaign and outreach priorities. The Events Manager will serve as the operational lead for event logistics, event-based outreach strategy, and cross-team coordination related to field activation and stakeholder engagement.

This position will work closely with the Outreach Lead, Outreach Specialists, program partners, and external stakeholders to ensure events are strategically selected, effectively executed, and contribute to measurable program engagement outcomes.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Event Strategy & Planning
  • Develop and maintain an annual NYC Accelerator event calendar.
  • Identify and evaluate event opportunities aligned with program priorities and target audiences.
  • Recommend participation strategies for conferences, expos, webinars, workshops, community events, and industry engagements.
  • Coordinate event timelines, milestones, and internal planning processes.
  • Align event strategy with broader outreach campaigns and engagement initiatives.
• Event Execution & Logistics
  • Lead planning and execution for:
    • NYC Accelerator-hosted events.
    • External conference participation.
    • Partner events.
    • Community outreach activations.
    • Service Provider engagement events.
  • Manage event logistics including:
    • Venue coordination.
    • Registration processes.
    • Staffing coordination.
    • Vendor coordination.
    • Materials and collateral management.
    • Run-of-show development.
    • Day-of-event operations.
  • Ensure events are professionally executed and aligned with NYC Accelerator branding and messaging standards.
• Event-Based Outreach & Engagement
  • Ensure event support:
    • Lead generation.
    • Program awareness.
    • Stakeholder engagement.
    • Service Provider recruitment and retention.
    • Coordinate event-related outreach and follow-up activities.
    • Support attendee engagement before, during, and after events.
    • Collaborate with Outreach Specialists on communications, promotions, and attendee tracking.
• Service Provider Expo Management
  • Lead planning and execution of the annual Service Provider Expo.
  • Coordinate across:
    • Service Providers.
    • Internal NYC Accelerator teams.
    • Outreach and marketing partners.
    • Vendors and venues.
  • Manage timelines, deliverables, logistics, and stakeholder coordination for expo execution.
• Carbon Challenge Support
  • Support Carbon Challenge-related events and engagement activities, including tracking RSVPs, and managing logistics.
  • Coordinate participant communications and event logistics.
  • Assist with recruitment, retention, and engagement strategies.
  • Ensure Carbon Challenge events align with broader NYC Accelerator outreach initiatives.
• Event Tracking & Reporting
  • Own and maintain centralized event tracking systems.
  • Coordinate reporting with Outreach Specialists and Outreach Lead.
  • Identify trends, gaps, and opportunities for improving event performance.
  • Track:
    • Event participation.
    • Leads generated.
    • Engagement outcomes.
    • Follow-up status.
    • Program impact metrics.

Job Requirements / Qualifications

• 3-5+ years of experience in event management, outreach, marketing, or stakeholder engagement.
• Event planning and execution skills.
• Experience managing complex events with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Experience coordinating logistics, timelines, and vendor relationships.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with CRM, event tracking, or project management systems preferred.
• Experience working with sustainability, energy efficiency, decarbonization, workforce development, or public-sector programs is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Event planning and execution.
• Stakeholder coordination.
• Outreach and engagement strategy.
• Project management.
• Process development.
• Reporting and tracking.
• Cross-functional collaboration.
• Public-facing communications.

EEO Non-Discrimination and ADA Reasonable Accommodation Statement
Willdan is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, religious creed, color, age marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, religion, military service or veteran status, disability, medical condition, childbirth and related medical conditions, genetic testing, reproductive status or any other classification protected by federal, state or local laws and ordinances. Willdan does not discriminate on the basis of physical or mental disability where the essential functions of the job can be reasonably accommodated. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. If you need reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify us.

Willdan Lighting & Electric participates in E-Verify.