About the Role
Gather COLA is a community gathering space, open-air food hall, bar, and event venue in Columbia’s BullStreet District. We are hiring a Director of Gather COLA to lead the everyday experience of the property and help make Gather one of Columbia’s favorite places.
This is not a traditional General Manager role. It requires strong operations, communication, organization, and follow-through, but also energy, hospitality instincts, creativity, and pride in the details. The right person can run the place without making it feel “managed.”
Position Summary
The Director of Gather COLA will be the day-to-day leader and key connection point between ownership, vendors, guests, performers, event partners, service providers, and the broader Columbia community.
This role is responsible for vendor relations, weekly programming, live music, football/tailgating activations, private events, property management, merchandise, website/content updates, and social media coordination. Gather will work with outside partners on larger seasonal events; this position focuses on making the regular Gather experience strong, organized, visible, and on-brand week after week.
Key Responsibilities
- Serve as a primary day-to-day contact for vendors and help keep them informed, supported, and aligned with Gather’s goals.
- Coordinate weekly programming, live music, recurring promotions, family activities, seasonal activations, and football/tailgating weekends.
- Support private event inquiries, planning, setup coordination, vendor communication, and guest experience.
- Oversee the everyday appearance, function, and atmosphere of the property, including cleanliness, maintenance, signage, furniture, lighting, sound, bathrooms, trash, and other operational needs.
- Work with staff, vendors, service providers, and ownership to resolve issues promptly and professionally.
- Coordinate website updates and work with our social media lead to ensure events, vendors, live music, private events, and Gather moments are being captured and promoted.
- Assist with merchandise ideas, ordering, display, inventory, and sales coordination.
- Maintain useful systems, calendars, checklists, and communication rhythms that make the property easier to operate.
- Be visibly present on-site during key business hours, events, private events, football weekends, and other important guest-facing moments.
What Success Looks Like
- Vendors feel supported, informed, and proud to operate at Gather.
- Guests feel welcomed, energized, and inclined to return.
- Weekly programming, football weekends, live music, and private events are well-planned, promoted, and executed.
- The property looks clean, safe, cared for, and on-brand.
- Ownership has confidence that Gather COLA is being actively led, not passively managed.
The goal is simple: Run the place. Build the culture. Grow the fanbase.
Who Should Apply
The right person may come from hospitality, restaurants, events, live music, sports, tourism, nonprofit programming, campus life, marketing, community partnerships, property management, or another background that proves they know how to bring people together and make things happen.
We care less about a perfect resume and more about energy, organization, follow-through, good judgment, hospitality instincts, and pride of ownership. We are looking for someone who strives to do things differently and better.
Required Qualifications
- Strong communication and organizational skills
- Demonstrated ability to lead, coordinate, manage, or execute meaningful responsibilities
- Strong hospitality instincts and guest-first judgment
- Ability to manage multiple priorities without losing the details
- Ability to work with vendors, guests, performers, partners, service providers, staff, and ownership
- Proactive problem-solving ability, reliable follow-through, and comfort being a visible on-site presence
- Ability to work evenings, weekends, events, and seasonal peak times as needed
Preferred Experience
Preferred but not required: hospitality management; restaurant, bar, brewery, market, food hall, or venue operations; event coordination; private event sales; live music or entertainment coordination; property management; social media, marketing, or brand coordination; community partnerships; sports, tourism, nonprofit programming, or campus activities.
Bonus points for experience with Toast or other POS systems, event management platforms, Canva, Squarespace/Wix/Webflow/SpotHopper, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Google Business Profile, Mailchimp, or vendor/performer coordination.
Compensation, Benefits & Schedule
Base salary is $65,000-$80,000, depending on experience, fit, and demonstrated ability. The position also includes a performance-based bonus opportunity tied to measurable business goals such as private event growth, programming execution, vendor satisfaction, traffic-driving initiatives, property presentation, and overall performance.
Benefits include individual health insurance and 14 days paid vacation annually.
This is a full-time, on-site leadership role. The schedule will vary based on business needs, events, programming, football weekends, private events, and seasonal activity. This is not a Monday-through-Friday desk job; the Director of Gather COLA should expect to be present during important guest-facing moments.
Pay: $65,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- What is one thing Gather COLA should do weekly that would make people want to come back?
- Tell us about a time you made something more fun, more organized, more profitable, or more memorable.
- What Columbia-area brand, school, team, nonprofit, business, personality, or community group should Gather COLA be partnering with more intentionally?
- Optional but encouraged: send us a short video introducing yourself. It does not need to be polished. We care more about energy, clarity, creativity, and authenticity than production quality.
Work Location: In person
