Mission
Houston Pets Alive! (HPA!) is a lifesaving organization dedicated to saving the lives of at-risk dogs and cats and helping them find safe and loving homes. HPA! works with shelters, fosters, adopters, volunteers, and community partners to improve outcomes for animals throughout the Houston community.
Position SummaryHPA! is seeking a creative, highly organized, and highly capable Communications & Marketing Manager to lead the planning, execution, and day-to-day management of the organization’s events, activations, and in-person experiences.The ideal candidate is an experienced operational executor who can independently manage events from initial planning through day-of execution and post-event follow-up. This role is responsible for creating meaningful experiences that connect community members, adopters, supporters, partners, and donors with HPA!’s mission.This position owns the execution of adoption events, fundraising events, partner events, community activations, and HPA!’s largest annual events. The role also coordinates HPA!’s participation in media appearances and other public-facing opportunities, ensuring that staff, animals, materials, and logistics are prepared for successful execution.Working closely with the Marketing Strategist, this position ensures that HPA!’s events and in-person experiences are strategically aligned, professionally executed, visually engaging, and effectively documented and promoted.
Key ResponsibilitiesEvent Strategy & Planning
- Lead the planning and execution of adoption, fundraising, partner, community, and organizational events
- Own event timelines, project plans, and deliverables from concept through completion
- Develop event plans aligned with organizational goals and audience needs
- Coordinate with internal departments to identify event needs, priorities, and responsibilities
- Manage event budgets and track expenses
- Identify opportunities to improve the attendee, adopter, donor, volunteer, and partner experience
- Ensure events are organized, welcoming, mission-driven, and professionally executed
Event Management & Logistics
- Manage all logistical aspects of events, including venues, vendors, staffing, supplies, schedules, setup, and breakdown
- Coordinate event venues and site logistics
- Coordinate vendors, entertainment, activities, and other event partners
- Develop and maintain event timelines and production schedules
- Coordinate event supplies, equipment, signage, displays, and materials
- Coordinate event staff and volunteers
- Manage event setup and breakdown
- Anticipate and resolve logistical challenges before and during events
- Serve as the primary point of contact for event logistics on-site
- Ensure events operate smoothly and professionally from beginning to end
Adoption Events
- Lead the planning and execution of HPA! adoption events
- Coordinate animals, staff, volunteers, supplies, and event logistics
- Work with internal teams to determine event goals and animal participation
- Ensure adoption events create a welcoming and engaging experience for potential adopters
- Coordinate event materials, displays, signage, and branded elements
- Evaluate event performance and identify opportunities for improvement
Fundraising Events
- Lead the planning and execution of HPA! fundraising events
- Manage event logistics, timelines, vendors, staffing, and attendee experience
- Coordinate fundraising activities, auctions, raffles, activations, and other event components
- Work with Development and Marketing teams to support fundraising goals
- Ensure donor and sponsor experiences are professional, engaging, and mission-aligned
- Assist with post-event reporting and evaluation
Partner & Community Activations
- Coordinate HPA!’s participation in partner events, community events, pop-ups, and activations
- Serve as the primary point of contact for event logistics and on-site execution
- Coordinate HPA! staff, volunteers, animals, materials, and supplies
- Ensure HPA!’s presence is professional, engaging, and aligned with organizational goals
- Build strong working relationships with event partners and community organizations
- Identify opportunities to create meaningful community experiences and increase awareness of HPA!
Experiential Marketing
- Develop and execute engaging in-person experiences that connect audiences with HPA!’s mission
- Create opportunities for attendees, adopters, donors, volunteers, and community members to meaningfully interact with HPA!
- Ensure HPA!’s physical presence at events and activations is visually engaging, welcoming, and brand-aligned
- Coordinate interactive experiences, displays, promotional materials, and branded elements
- Identify opportunities to bring HPA!’s mission to life through experiential activations
- Collaborate with the Marketing Strategist to ensure experiential initiatives support broader marketing campaigns
Public Relations & Media
- Draft press releases and media advisories
- Pitch stories to local media outlets
- Maintain relationships with local media contacts
- Identify compelling story angles tied to rescue, clinic services, fundraising, events, and community initiatives
- Develop media messaging and talking points
- Coordinate with internal teams to prepare for media opportunities
- Track and document media coverage
- Maintain an organized archive of media coverage and press materials
- Execute interviews and media appearances
- Serve as the primary logistical contact for on-site media opportunities
- Coordinate HPA! representatives, animals, transportation, schedules, and materials for media appearances
- Prepare staff and animals for public-facing opportunities
- Attend media appearances as needed to support successful execution
- Ensure HPA! is professionally represented during television, radio, print, and other media opportunities
- Identify opportunities to create engaging visual and experiential moments for media coverage
Sponsorship & Partner Fulfillment
- Coordinate fulfillment of event sponsorship and partner benefits
- Manage sponsor signage, branding, activations, recognition, and other event deliverables
- Ensure sponsor commitments are accurately and professionally executed
- Coordinate sponsor and partner participation in events
- Serve as a point of contact for sponsors and partners regarding event logistics
- Track sponsor deliverables and identify outstanding needs
- Collaborate with the Marketing and Development teams to ensure sponsor expectations are met
Event Marketing & Content Coordination
- Work closely with the Marketing Coordinator to ensure events are effectively promoted
- Provide event timelines, schedules, participant information, and logistical details needed for marketing
- Coordinate access for photography, videography, and content capture
- Identify key event moments, participants, stories, and opportunities for the Marketing Coordinator to capture
- Ensure the Marketing Coordinator has appropriate access to animals, staff, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and attendees for content creation
- Coordinate event-related marketing needs while maintaining primary ownership of event execution
- Support the collection of information needed for post-event storytelling and promotion
Event Evaluation & Reporting
- Track event attendance, participation, revenue, expenses, and other relevant metrics
- Conduct post-event evaluations and identify opportunities for improvement
- Gather feedback from attendees, volunteers, partners, sponsors, and internal teams
- Provide post-event summaries and recommendations
- Maintain organized event records, timelines, vendor information, and other relevant documentation
Marketing & Administrative Support
- Assist with organizational marketing and experiential initiatives as needed
- Help manage event timelines, assets, deliverables, and project documentation
- Maintain organized event files and records
- Coordinate with internal departments to keep event-related projects organized and moving forward
- Provide general administrative support related to events, activations, and community experiences
Qualifications
- Minimum of 2 years of professional experience in event planning, event management, experiential marketing, community engagement, or a related field required
- Proven experience planning and executing events from concept through completion
- Strong project management and organizational skills
- Experience managing vendors, venues, volunteers, partners, and event logistics
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills
- Highly comfortable and confident on camera
- Strong executive presence and the ability to command a room without being overbearing
- Ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to independently identify problems and develop solutions
- Comfortable working evenings, weekends, and nontraditional hours as required for events
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively with cross-functional teams
- Experience working in nonprofit or mission-driven organizations is a plus
- Passion for animal welfare and understanding of nonprofit operations is a plus
Skills
- Strong event planning and project management skills
- Exceptional organizational and time-management skills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Strong vendor and partner relationship management skills
- Ability to manage event budgets and expenses
- Ability to coordinate multiple people, timelines, and logistics simultaneously
- Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
- Comfortable working in fast-paced, high-pressure environments
- Strong attention to detail
- Ability to remain calm and solutions-oriented during live events
- Strong understanding of audience experience and experiential marketing
- Ability to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends
- Bilingual (English/Spanish) is a plus
What Success Looks Like
- HPA! events are well-planned, organized, mission-driven, and professionally executed
- Events provide meaningful and engaging experiences for adopters, donors, volunteers, partners, and community members
- Barktoberfest and other major events are successfully executed with strong attendance, engagement, and fundraising results
- Event logistics are managed proactively and effectively
- Vendors, partners, sponsors, staff, and volunteers have clear expectations and strong support
- Sponsorship and partner commitments are fulfilled accurately and professionally
- HPA! is consistently well-represented at community events and public-facing opportunities
- Media appearances are organized, professional, and successful
- The Marketing Coordinator has the access, information, and opportunities needed to capture high-quality event content
- Post-event information and reporting are organized and consistently maintained
- Events continue to improve based on performance data and feedback
This is NOT the Role if
- You are looking for a primarily desk-based marketing role
- You prefer supporting events rather than owning them
- You are uncomfortable being responsible for logistics, timelines, vendors, and day-of execution
- You become overwhelmed by changing priorities or unexpected challenges
- You prefer highly structured environments where plans rarely change
- You are uncomfortable working evenings, weekends, and nontraditional hours
- You do not enjoy working directly with partners, vendors, volunteers, staff, and the public
- You are looking for a role focused primarily on social media, content creation, or digital marketing
Compensation starting at $65,000 annually.
Benefits:
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
Work Location: In person
