Harbourfront Centre is a leading cultural institution in Toronto, celebrated for its vibrant arts, culture, community and recreational programs. As a not-for-profit organization, we are committed to enriching the lives of diverse communities through creativity, innovation, connection and excellence. A multi-faceted campus, Harbourfront Centre includes programming across arts, culture, recreation and learning, as well as commercial businesses that generate essential revenue to support operations.
We are currently seeking a highly organized and technically minded Assistant Vendor Coordinator to manage the operational delivery of Harbourfront Centre’s partner activations, pop-ups, markets, and experiential programming. This role supports our flagship seasonal programs and high-impact partner activations, ensuring that every partnership that is sold can be successfully built, powered, secured, and executed on our campus.
Position Title: Assistant Vendor Coordinator
Department: Strategic Partnerships
Reporting To: Manager, Vendor Programs & Operations
Number of Vacancies: 1
Type of Employment: Seasonal, 3-month contract
Hours Of Work: Varied based on organizational need, ranging up to 35 hours per week with a work schedule that requires the flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and/or Stat holidays as required to support festival and vendor activities
Rate of Pay: $22 – $24.75 per hour
Work Location: On-site at our waterfront campus in downtown Toronto
Summary of Function
Working closely with Strategic Partnerships, Programming, Facilities, Technical Services, and Security, this role translates creative concepts and commercial agreements into real-world site plans, infrastructure packages, and live event execution. The ideal candidate is a logistics-forward operator who understands how to move from a client brief to a safe, functional, and audience-ready activation.
Duties
* Experience & Activation Management (XM Support)
- Liaise with internal partners and external clients to determine spatial, technical, and infrastructure feasibility for experiential activations.
- Assess whether proposed activations can be safely and effectively delivered within Harbourfront Centre’s physical and operational constraints.
- Translate client experience concepts into workable site plans and technical packages.
* Bookings, Systems & Scheduling
- Create and manage all bookings in Artifax for rooms, outdoor spaces, and activation zones.
- Coordinate scheduling across multiple departments to avoid conflicts and ensure site readiness.
* Layouts, Drawings & Technical Planning
- Produce and maintain room layouts, site drawings, and activation maps.
- Define technical requirements including power, A/V, water access, safety clearances, and equipment needs.
- Ensure layouts meet operational, safety, and audience-flow standards.
* Infrastructure & Equipment
- Source, book, and coordinate rental equipment including tents, fencing, power distribution, A/V, staging, and furniture.
- Liaise with internal and external suppliers to secure required infrastructure.
- Build and manage infrastructure plans for partner activations and markets.
* Load-In, Load-Out & Site Operations
- Develop detailed load-in and load-out schedules for vendors, partners, and production teams.
- Coordinate vehicle access, staging areas, and timing windows.
- Support on-site setup, strike, and troubleshooting.
* Security, Grounds & Custodial Coordination
- Prepare and submit Security, Grounds, and Custodial packages for all activations.
- Ensure appropriate staffing levels are booked and aligned with activation risk and scale.
- Act as a key liaison between Strategic Partnerships and Operations teams.
* Contingency & Risk Planning
- Identify operational risks and develop contingency plans for weather, equipment failure, crowd flow, or partner changes.
- Support incident response and issue resolution during live events.
Requirements
- 2–4 years of experience in event operations, venue coordination, experiential marketing, or large-scale activation delivery.
- Strong experience with layouts, site planning, and technical requirements for live events or activations.
- Experience using scheduling or venue management systems such as Artifax or similar.
- Strong understanding of power, A/V, temporary infrastructure, and event logistics.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to coordinate across multiple departments.
- Calm, solutions-focused approach in fast-paced live environments.
- Experience working in a unionized or cultural institution environment is considered an asset.
- Availability to work a flexible work schedule that can include evenings, weekends and Stat Holidays shifts.
- Must be legally eligible to work in Canada for the duration of the contract.
- This role is site-based; as such, must be able to work on-site at our lakeside campus at 235 Queens Quay West.
Our Values
At Harbourfront Centre, our values—Open, Brave, Rigorous, and Kind—reflect our commitment to inclusivity, imaginative risk-taking, excellence, and respect, ensuring enriching experiences for all.
How To Apply
Harbourfront Centre is committed to diversity and inclusiveness. We encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Acceptable applications must include a current resume and a cover letter indicating why you wish to join the team and how you are a good fit for this role.
We invite qualified applicants to submit their candidacy to [email protected] by no later than July 3, 2026. Please quote Assistant Vendor Coordinator in the subject line of your application. Applications will be reviewed and actioned on a rolling basis, as such early submission is highly encouraged.
We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those being considered for an interview will be contacted. Suitable accommodations will be available upon request during the hiring process. Please know that our recruitment process does not involve the use of Artificial Intelligence tools; the review of received applications and hiring decisions are made by humans.
Pay: $22.00-$24.75 per hour
Application question(s):
- Do you have 2–4 years of experience in event operations, venue coordination, experiential marketing, or large-scale activation delivery>
- Do you have strong understanding of power, A/V, temporary infrastructure, and event logistics?
- Are you available to work a flexible work schedule that can include evenings, weekends and Stat Holidays shifts?
Work Location: In person
