May 02, 2012 (Toronto, ON) – The Organizing Committee for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games is seeking a Vice President, Venue Management. The Pan American Games is one of the world’s largest international multi-sport events, held every four years for athletes of the 42 member nations of the Pan American Sport Organization (PASO).

The Games comprise a mix of Summer Olympic Games sports, as well as traditional Pan American sports. The Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games (TO2015) will draw more than 10,000 athletes and officials and feature 48 sports in 17 municipalities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe area. The Toronto 2015 Pan American Games will take place July 10-26 and the Parapan American Games August 7-14.

Application Deadline: May, 18, 2012

Position: Vice President, Venue Management

Job Description: Reports to: Senior Vice President, Sport & Venues

Number of Direct Reports: 8 plus a team with a significant number of volunteers

General Accountability
Lead the development and execution of the strategies and plans within the venue management and spectator experience functions, taking into consideration the requirements for operating the Toronto 2015 test event and Games venues (competition, training and non-competition), to ensure that client group needs and services are met, and that operational plans and procedures are developed and then implemented for all venue activities.

Key Job Responsibilities
Venue Management
Working with other TO2015 functional areas (e.g., sport, infrastructure, overlay, transportation, legal, technology, etc.), effectively lead the Venue Management team in coordinating the planning, organization and management of the venues, ensuring the flawless delivery of all elements of the venue operations. More specifically, but not limited to, the following:
• Games Venue Plan – finalize the Games venue plan taking into consideration the core principle of clustering to enhance the athlete and spectator experience and maximize the operational efficiency in the delivery of services to Games constituents.
• Facility/Venue Agreements – lead the development and negotiation of facility/venue agreements, as required, for all test event and Games venues (competition, training and non-competition) with venue owners/management.
• Integrated Delivery Model – lead the implementation of a multi-functional integrated operational planning approach for the development of venue operating plans for the test events and Games.
• Risk Management – in conjunction with the Enterprise Risk Management function, lead the Venue team’s development of risk management plans for each venue, cluster of venues and precinct.
• Venue Concept of Operations – finalize the development of the Venue Concept of Operations and lead its implementation through an organization wide Model Venue Exercise to validate the management of operations at all Games venues.
• Venue General Managers (VGMs) – a key component of the venue management plan will be the recruitment, assignment and management of a VGM, either a full-time staff member or volunteer, for each Games venue, cluster of venues or precinct based on operational efficiencies.

Spectator Experience
• Spectator Services – plan and deliver spectator services at all competition and selected non-competition Games venues including management of spectator pedestrian flows and spectator marshalling, access monitoring, ticket taking, ushering, spectator information, lost and found, and other services as required.
• Service Delivery Levels – lead the management of spectator service delivery levels to ensure the delivery of a consistent and quality spectator experience at all competition and selected non-competition Games venues.
• Spectator Information – work with the TO2015 Communications function in the development of spectator information so as to influence spectator behaviour in a way that facilitates Games operations and enhances the spectator experience at the Games (e.g., information booths, publications, websites, etc.).
• Urban Domain – work with other TO2015 functional areas and host municipalities to organize, plan and implement a coordinated approach to handling all operational issues related to the respective urban domains that complement the TO2015 Games-wide operational and venue specific plans.

Service to Partners and Stakeholders
• Foster strong and meaningful relationships with key government, sport and venue partners and stakeholder groups, as well as the public and private owners and operators of the Games venues, who are important partners in the delivery of a successful Games.
• Ensure that the needs and expectations of the Games constituent groups are exceeded and any conflict is quickly and satisfactorily resolved.

Venue Management Operations and Team
• Work with the senior management team within the Sport and Venues division and Finance to develop and implement the division’s annual operating plan and team objectives.
– Provide regular forecasts and reporting on results to ensure the venue management program is delivered on time and on budget.
• Work with the Sport Organizing Committees (SOCs) to ensure that the Field of Play and venue services provided are based on International Federation technical requirements and athletes’/coaches’/technical officials’ needs, including accessibility issues for the Parapan Am Games, if relevant.
• Work with the Human Resources Division to create and execute an effective delivery model for the venue management function, including both staff and volunteer components, and ensure excellent interdepartmental relationships.
– Recruit, motivate and manage a team of approximately 30 full-time professionals to develop them into highly effective contributors and ensure excellent interdepartmental relationships.
– Execute the volunteer recruitment program for each venue and develop and implement the onboarding program specific to volunteers at venues to ensure they receive clear direction and support to deliver their responsibilities.

Internal Contacts All levels of staff and management within TO2015 and the Sport Organizing Committees (SOCs).

External Contacts
• Private and public facility owners and operators
• Suppliers and vendors• Relevant government agencies, departments, and ministries
• Key government, sport and venue partners and stakeholders, including the Pan American Sport Organization (PASO), International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs), National Sport Federations (NFs), International Sport Federations (IFs), Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC), etc.

Educational/Technical Requirements
• Related post-secondary education; ideally within venue management or operations
• Strong knowledge and understanding of the world of venue management and operations within the environment of major national/international Games and/or events
• Significant venue management experience in one or more leadership roles responsible for planning and executing a major event (preferably multi-sport); international experience would be an asset
• Sound knowledge of and proven practical experience in planning, budgets, cost control management and resource allocation
• Strong contract development, negotiation and management experience
• Project management experience, ideally within the sport sector
• Knowledge of PSO, NF and IF roles and responsibilities, as well as the Ontario sport system, would be an asset

Personal Requirements
• Passionate about sport and its contribution to society
• Strong business acumen and a high level of integrity
• Results oriented with a sense of urgency; ability to work effectively within tight timelines and budget constraints
• Able to operate in an ambiguous, fast paced, complex environment without significant structure or definition and effectively balance competing stakeholders and agendas
• Can operate equally well in strategic and tactical mode; ability to translate strategic direction into well defined operational plans for staff and teams
• Highly self-motivated, self-directed, and attentive to detail and quality
• Strong interpersonal skills and effective at building relationships with senior leaders and key partners/stakeholders, with a customer focus
• Excellent communication skills – verbal/written/presentations
• Strong team leadership skills with a focus on coaching, mentoring, and providing feedback to staff to optimize their performance; effective delegator to deliver the results
• Creative problem-solver with highly developed diagnostic and troubleshooting skills; able to size up and solve complex problems and conflicts quickly and effectively
• Lead and drive change in a positive manner and able to operate effectively as a change agent and under pressure
• Work with other staff, volunteers and stakeholders, as required, to exude a “can do” attitude; extensive experience working in a team-oriented, collaborative environment
• Bilingualism (English/French) and/or the ability to communicate (oral and written) in Spanish would be significant assets

Diversity
TO2015 is committed to employment equity and encourages applications from Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, members of visible minority groups and women.

Application Process If you wish to apply for this position, please submit your resume through our Employment Opportunities section of our TO2015 website. Please ensure you reference this position when completing your application. You may access French or Spanish versions of this posting by selecting these languages when you first enter our website.