Event Sales Manager

About the California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences is a globally renowned scientific and cultural institution located in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Home to a world-class planetarium, aquarium, research center, and natural history museum—all under one living roof—our mission is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration.

Our extensive collections span plants, animals, fossils, and cultural artifacts from across the globe and throughout history. We are a diverse team of leading biodiversity scientists, educators, storytellers, designers, and communicators who work collaboratively to advance knowledge and inspire action through science and storytelling.

When you join the California Academy of Sciences, you become part of a mission-driven community that values curiosity, collaboration, and innovation. Whether you're working behind the scenes in research or engaging the public on the museum floor, your work will help connect people to the natural world and empower them to protect it.

About the Opportunity

The Event Sales Specialist is responsible for generating revenue for the Academy via sales of the Academy's event spaces. This is a full-time position that reports to the Director of Sales and is responsible for the promotion and sales of Academy event spaces.

Organizational Culture
Join a team dedicated to the Academy’s mission, vision and values! Currently, the Academy has a new strategic plan including three initiatives – Hope for Reefs, Thriving California, and Islands 2030 – that leverage biodiversity science, environmental learning, and collaborative engagement to regenerate fragile ecosystems around the world. Learn more at https://www.calacademy.org/about-us/major-initiatives.

We hope you are inspired by what we do and are excited to contribute to our mission. The mission of the California Academy of Sciences is to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. The Academy is looking for candidates who do great work, and we know they may come from a number of different backgrounds and experiences. We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every qualification for the position.

This position is based in San Francisco, California. The specific onsite/hybrid schedule for this position is listed below. This position is part of a bargaining unit represented by Cal Academy Workers United, and will be subject to the terms and conditions of that contract.

Key Responsibilities

• Achieve approved fiscal year revenue goals
• Prospect and develop new business: including outside sales calls, attending local tradeshows, and industry networking events 
• Develop, maintain, and grow an ongoing sales pipeline by researching target prospects within assigned business channels
• Ensure timely follow-up with clients, before and after sales calls, tradeshows, and respond to incoming leads within 24 hours
• Manage the sales process from initial contact through preparing, sending, and ensuring full execution of the contract
• Schedule client site visits and networking meetings to market Academy event spaces
• Develop strong ties with key customers and accounts, and be proactive in understanding the trends and issues likely to impact the market
• Manage accounts to their fullest potential of revenue production; cross-selling other sales department products or programs
• Work with the Sales & Marketing Assistant to develop eMarketing campaigns to develop new leads
• Track all sales activities, contracts, and client interactions utilizing Salesforce
• Analyze sales trends and pipeline data to forecast revenue and identify opportunities for growth and process improvement
• Have a good working knowledge of all event spaces and public areas of the Academy
• Ensure all events-related financial records are accurately processed by the Event Services Coordinator in Salesforce CRM and with Accounting
• Follow all Academy safety regulations
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications: A successful candidate will have the following:

Experience, Skills and Abilities

• 3-5 years direct sales experience in event rental sales, hospitality, or corporate or social sales
• Ability to work evenings and weekends at times 
• Ability to travel locally and domestically as required by the position responsibilities
• Collaboration and flexibility
• Knowledge of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems such as Salesforce or similar

Physical Environment:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, use a computer, and communicate on the phone, in person, and online meetings/calls. Ability to perform repetitive motions 50% of the time. 

Compensation and Benefits:
The salary range for this position is $74,422.00 - $77,438.00. Actual compensation will be commensurate with the final candidate's qualifications and experience, including skills, knowledge, relevant education, certifications and aligned with the internal peer group. We believe in fair and equitable compensation practices and are committed to providing competitive salaries within the industry and market standards. The Academy offers a total compensation package that emphasizes both base salary and comprehensive benefits based on the hours per week worked. Further details regarding compensation and benefits will be discussed during the interview process.

Schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week, with an expectation of three (3) days onsite.

Onsite presence at the Academy is required to meet with clients and to support weekday and weekend events, as business needs require.

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should submit a resume and application through our Careers Page portal.

The California Academy of Sciences will give full consideration for employment to all qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance (SF Police Code, Article 49).