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Career Opportunity: Director, Olympic Plaza Operations
DATE :
DEADLINE: August 24, 2026 - 5:00 pm
At a glance
Employment: Permanent, Salaried
Hours: FT (40hrs); including regular overtime, weekend and evening work to support operational needs
Start Date: ASAP
Salary: $95,000 - 100,000 annually
Location: Calgary (on-site)
Closing Date: August 24, 2026
To apply, send your resume and cover letter to: employment@werklundcentre.ca
Open Position: DIRECTOR, OLYMPIC PLAZA OPERATIONS
Reporting to the Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, the Director, Olympic Plaza Operations provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for Olympic Plaza, ensuring it thrives as a premier civic gathering place. As a member of the Leadership Team, this role is responsible for stewarding a safe, welcoming, vibrant, and operationally excellent destination that serves Calgarians, visitors, community organizations, artists, and partners year-round.
Working across Werklund Centre departments and with external stakeholders, the Director leads the operations, activation, and ongoing management of Olympic Plaza. This role plays a critical part in shaping the Plaza’s future by balancing public access, cultural activity, community connection, commercial opportunities, and operational excellence in support of Werklund Centre’s strategic priorities of Connect, Enrich, and Sustain.
You are an experienced, strategic, and collaborative leader with a proven track record of managing complex public-facing operations. You are comfortable setting long-term direction while ensuring strong operational execution, building trusted partnerships, and leading multidisciplinary teams. You thrive in environments where community impact, service excellence, operational performance, and financial sustainability intersect. With strong leadership, relationship-building, and stakeholder management skills, you can navigate complex environments while delivering results that contribute to Calgary’s civic and cultural landscape.
Who we are:
Werklund Centre (formerly Arts Commons) is the steward of Western Canada’s largest arts centre and the artistic and civic cornerstone of Calgary’s downtown core that fosters the arts through live performance, educational opportunities, and artist development. For 40 years, it has been a key contributor to the social, economic, cultural, and intellectual life and well-being of Calgarians—a commitment that is being renewed through the Werklund Centre Transformation project, the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history.
Our belief
That equitable access to the arts is a human right
Our responsibility
To redefine a bold and adventurous Calgary by championing and investing in creativity
Our mission
We pursue artistic leadership through shared cultural experiences—creating opportunities that bring people together to celebrate who Calgary is today and spark the conversations that will shape our city’s future
What we offer:
Employee Promise
We cultivate a diverse community that encourages collaboration, connection, and empowerment. On top of the excitement of working with a team of cultural enthusiasts passionate about welcoming people into our spaces at one of Canada’s top performing arts facilities, Werklund Centre also offers:
A collaborative, engaging and values driven work environment
An annual salary of $95,000 - 100,000
A comprehensive health and dental benefits package, with RSPmatching and access to an Employee & Family AssistanceProgram (EFAP)
A Health Spending Account providing annual employer-fundedcoverage for eligible health and wellness expenses
A dynamic role that will have you engaging with the arts andcommunities in many different areas, and through differenttypes of events and productions
A positive working culture, keeping employee health andwellness a priority with generous paid time off policies and anannual lifestyle allowance.
What we value:
We are looking for individuals who share our vision of creating a bold and adventurous Calgary that brings people together through the arts. Our team is made up of people with a diverse range of interests — singers, actors, musicians, playwrights, coaches, teachers, gamers, bakers, photographers, athletes, dancers. People whose interests encompass the widest spectrum. We even have furry, four-legged friends in the office. We value people who strive to do the right thing, and work to be their best. People with open minds, hearts, and arms.
What you will get to do here:
As the Director, Olympic Plaza Operations, you will lead the development and implementation of operational strategies that support Olympic Plaza as a vibrant, inclusive, and accessible year-round destination. You will oversee the day-to-day activations of the Plaza, ensuring operational readiness, strong guest experiences, and continuous improvement across all areas of responsibility.
Working closely with internal teams and external partners, you will oversee public amenities, seasonal activations, guest services, vendor and concession management, community activations, and ice rink operations. You will build relationships with municipal partners, community organizations, cultural institutions, businesses, sponsors, and service providers while identifying opportunities to expand programming, strengthen partnerships, and enhance the overall visitor experience.
You will provide financial and operational leadership through budgeting, forecasting, business case development, procurement oversight, and contract management. By establishing service standards, monitoring performance, and identifying opportunities for innovation and efficiency, you will ensure resources are aligned with organizational priorities and support the long-term sustainability of Olympic Plaza. Through values-based leadership, you will develop and empower a multidisciplinary team while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, inclusion, and continuous learning. You will champion Werklund Centre’s Core Values and support employees in delivering exceptional experiences for the community.
Strategic Goals: Establish Olympic Plaza as a leading year-round civic destination by delivering operational excellence, meaningful community connections, sustainable growth, and experiences that advance Werklund Centre’s strategic priorities.
Where you fit within our Ecosystem
As a member of Werklund Centre’s Leadership Team, this role provides strategic direction while collaborating with teams across Venue Operations, Programming, Brand & Audience Development, Development & External Relations, Facility Operations, Security, Finance, Human Resources, Ticketing, and external partners. The Director connects public space operations with community engagement, cultural programming, partnerships, and organizational strategy to support the continued success of Olympic Plaza.
You will be a great fit if you…
Must have:
Bachelor’s degree in public administration, Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Parks & Recreation, UrbanPlanning, Arts Administration or a related discipline
Minimum of eight (8) years of progressive leadership experience in civic operations, public venues, cultural facilities,destination management, hospitality, municipal operations or similarly complex public-facing organizations
Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary operational teams
Experience developing and managing operating budgets
Experience building collaborative partnerships across multiple stakeholder groups
Strong strategic planning and operational leadership skills
Demonstrated commitment to accessibility, inclusion and community engagement
Ability to navigate a dynamic outdoor public environment while supporting operational oversight
Nice to have:
Experience operating public spaces, cultural districts, parks or major civic destinations
Experience working with municipalities and public-private partnerships
Experience overseeing seasonal operations, public amenities or destination management
Knowledge of Calgary's civic, tourism and cultural landscape
A passion for creating vibrant public spaces that strengthen communities
A passion for the arts!
Working Conditions & Physical Requirements:
Regular evening, weekend, and holiday work as required to support operations and public events
Ability to respond to operational issues outside regular business hours and expected on-call responsibility for managingoperational emergencies
Frequent work outdoors in all weather conditions
Regular walking throughout Olympic Plaza and surrounding areas
Attendance as required for off-site meetings and events
Occasional travel outside of the city may be required