Social Connector
San Diego Chess & Social
Part-time | $25 per hour | 4–15 hours per week
Multiple locations throughout San Diego County
San Diego Chess & Social is hiring outgoing, socially intuitive people to help run our weekly events and make them welcoming, organized, and easy to join.
This is not a traditional event-hosting role. Social Connectors actively work the room—welcoming guests, noticing when someone needs help joining in, and thoughtfully connecting attendees with compatible people, games, and groups.
Locations and Schedule
Our current weekly events include:
- North Park: Tuesdays, 6:30–9:30 PM
- Chula Vista: Wednesdays, 6:30–10:00 PM
- Encinitas: Wednesdays, 6:30–9:00 PM
- Pacific Beach: Thursdays, 6:30–10:00 PM
Shifts generally begin approximately one hour before the event for setup and end after breakdown is complete.
Applicants do not need to be available for every location. Please indicate which locations and evenings you can reliably work. Consistent weekly availability is strongly preferred.
What You’ll DoWork the Room
- Welcome new guests and explain how the event works
- Circulate throughout the event and interact with dozens of attendees
- Notice anyone standing alone, wandering, or unsure where to go
- Pair attendees with appropriate people, games, tables, or groups
- Introduce new attendees to multiple people during their first visit
- Use friendly regulars and open groups as landing spots for newcomers
- Check back briefly to make sure introductions worked
- Exit conversations naturally and continue circulating
- Help maintain a welcoming, inclusive, and comfortable atmosphere
- Report inappropriate, disruptive, or uncomfortable behavior to event leadership
Your role is not to carry every conversation or become part of every interaction. Your role is to make a thoughtful introduction, help the interaction begin naturally, and move on.
Support Check-In
- Welcome attendees as they arrive
- Check in members and ticket holders quickly and accurately
- Use digital membership and ticketing systems
- Answer basic questions about admission, memberships, and upcoming events
- Help walk-in guests purchase admission or become members
- Keep the line moving and avoid getting pulled into long conversations
- Resolve basic check-in issues and communicate larger problems to event leadership
Setup and Breakdown
- Arrive approximately one hour before the event
- Set up chessboards, pieces, clocks, signs, wristbands, and check-in materials
- Arrange the room so games are visible and easy to join
- Keep equipment and event areas organized
- Break down the event and properly store equipment
- Coordinate professionally with venue staff and other team members
What Success Looks Like
A successful Social Connector:
- Helps new attendees meet several people during their first visit
- Makes thoughtful pairings rather than random introductions
- Quickly notices when someone needs help entering the room socially
- Interacts with many attendees rather than staying with one person or group
- Keeps check-in organized and efficient
- Helps the event begin and end smoothly
- Makes attendees feel welcomed without becoming the center of attention
You May Be a Great Fit If You
- Are naturally outgoing, warm, and comfortable approaching strangers
- Quickly recognize which people may get along
- Enjoy making introductions and helping people enter unfamiliar social settings
- Can speak with dozens of different people during one evening
- Know how to leave a conversation gracefully and continue working
- Notice people who appear uncomfortable, excluded, or uncertain
- Can be engaging without dominating conversations
- Are observant, dependable, energetic, and punctual
- Can remain professional in a relaxed social environment
- Are comfortable using basic digital check-in and ticketing systems
- Can reliably work at least one recurring weekday evening
Experience in hospitality, events, nightlife, community building, membership organizations, customer service, student activities, or social programming is helpful but not required.
No chess experience is required. Social awareness, judgment, energy, reliability, and the ability to read a room matter much more.
About San Diego Chess & Social
San Diego Chess & Social operates recurring social chess events throughout San Diego County. Our events bring together hundreds of members and guests who want to play games, meet people, and become part of an active in-person community.
To apply, please submit a résumé and briefly indicate:
- Which locations and evenings you can reliably work
- Any relevant hospitality, events, customer service, or community-building experience
- Why you believe you would be effective at approaching people and making thoughtful introductions
Pay: $23.00 - $25.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
