The Asheville Downtown Association is dedicated to supporting and advocating for local businesses and enhancing the vibrancy of Downtown Asheville. Our mission is to create a thriving Downtown community through collaboration, partnerships, and innovative initiatives.

Program & Administrative Coordinator

About the Asheville Downtown Association

For nearly 40 years, the Asheville Downtown Association (ADA) has worked to support and strengthen the economic and cultural heart of Western North Carolina. Through advocacy, events, programs, partnerships, and community-building, ADA works to ensure Downtown Asheville is a vibrant place to live, work, visit, and do business.

Our work is supported by more than 450 member organizations, a dedicated Board of Directors, civic leaders, community partners, sponsors, volunteers, and businesses throughout Downtown Asheville.

About the Position

The Asheville Downtown Association is seeking a highly organized, detail-oriented Program & Administrative Coordinator to provide administrative support across the organization while coordinating the logistics and execution of ADA programs and events.

This is a highly administrative position. The ideal candidate is someone who loves keeping things organized, managing details, following up, creating systems, and making sure nothing falls through the cracks.

The position will support day-to-day organizational administration, Board and committee communications, data and record management, and event planning and logistics. While much of the work happens behind the scenes, this position will also play an important on-site role during ADA's nine annual event days.

Administrative & Board Support

• Provide administrative support to the Executive Director and ADA team.
• Manage Board and committee communications, including meeting notices, calendar invitations, agendas, supporting materials, and follow-up communications.
• Coordinate Board and committee meeting logistics and maintain annual meeting calendars.
• Attend meetings as needed, record meeting minutes, and maintain organized records of Board actions and organizational documents.
• Track action items and deadlines and proactively follow up with staff, Board members, vendors, and partners.
• Serve as a professional point of contact for members, stakeholders, and community partners by email and phone.
• Maintain organizational calendars, files, records, and shared administrative systems.
• Coordinate office supplies, materials, mailings, printing, and other day-to-day office needs.
• Assist with invoices, expense documentation, payment tracking, and other basic bookkeeping and administrative functions.
• Maintain accurate member, stakeholder, vendor, sponsor, and organizational contact information.
• Support organizational technology and data systems and identify opportunities to improve administrative efficiency.
• Assist with special projects and other administrative responsibilities as assigned.

Program & Event Management

The Program & Administrative Coordinator will manage the administrative and logistical details leading up to ADA events and programs, working closely with staff, vendors, service providers, volunteers, sponsors, and City partners.

Responsibilities include:

• Manage event timelines, checklists, deadlines, and logistical details from planning through event completion.
• Prepare, submit, and track City permits and other required event documentation.
• Create and maintain event site maps, vendor maps, layouts, parking plans, and operational documents.
• Coordinate with vendors, food trucks, artists, marketplace participants, contractors, and other event participants.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for event vendors and service providers leading up to events.
• Coordinate event infrastructure and services, including tents, tables, barricades, portable restrooms, waste services, signage, power, equipment, and other operational needs.
• Collect required vendor documentation, including agreements, insurance certificates, permits, and other materials.
• Develop event-day schedules, contact sheets, vendor instructions, and operational documents.
• Assist with volunteer coordination and event communications.
• Participate in event setup, execution, and breakdown.
• Serve as an on-site staff lead for assigned areas and responsibilities during events.
• Complete post-event administrative follow-up, including invoices, documentation, records, and vendor communication.

ADA currently produces nine on-site event days annually. This position requires availability for those events, including occasional evenings and weekends. Event dates are established well in advance.

About the Candidate

The successful candidate will be someone who is exceptionally organized and finds satisfaction in making complicated things run smoothly.

You may be a great fit if you:

• Have exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Are highly organized and comfortable managing multiple deadlines simultaneously.
• Communicate professionally and effectively by email, phone, and in person.
• Are proactive and anticipate what needs to happen next rather than waiting for direction.
• Are comfortable following up repeatedly when information, documentation, or decisions are needed.
• Enjoy administrative work, organization, spreadsheets, calendars, checklists, and systems.
• Can take a complicated event or project and break it into manageable tasks and deadlines.
• Have strong critical-thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Are comfortable communicating with everyone from Board members and City staff to vendors, volunteers, and business owners.
• Remain calm, flexible, and solutions-oriented when plans change.
• Are comfortable working independently while also being part of a collaborative team.
• Have strong working knowledge of common office technology, including Google Workspace.

Experience in administration, project coordination, event operations, nonprofit management, hospitality, office management, or a related field is preferred.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment

The physical requirements of this position include the ability to:

• Regularly sit, stand, walk, see, hear, speak, and use a computer and other standard office equipment.
• Sit and work at a computer for extended periods of time.
• Stand and walk for extended periods, including several consecutive hours during event days.
• Regularly lift and carry materials weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Bend, reach, stoop, and perform light physical activity associated with event setup and breakdown.
• Move throughout event sites, including sidewalks, streets, parks, and other indoor and outdoor environments.
• Work outdoors in varying weather conditions, including heat, cold, and light rain.
• Safely navigate crowded and sometimes uneven event environments.
• Work occasional early mornings, evenings, and weekends, including nine scheduled on-site event days annually.
• Communicate effectively in person, by phone, and through electronic communication.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.

Position Details

Status: Full-Time

Location: In-Person | Asheville, North Carolina

Schedule: Primarily traditional weekday office hours, with occasional evening and weekend responsibilities associated with programs and nine annual event days.

Reports to: Executive Director

Compensation: $23 - $25 per hour

Benefits: Health Insurance / PTO / Retirement / Other Benefits

Asheville Downtown Association is an equal opportunity employer. ADA provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetics, veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.