Foundation & Friends of the Botanic Gardens (Foundation & Friends) is a not-for-profit organisation that is devoted to supporting, protecting, and enhancing the Botanic Gardens of Sydney (BGS) which includes the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, the Domain, the Australian Botanic Gardens Mount Annan, and the Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens Mount Tomah.

The vision of Foundation & Friends is for ‘a thriving, connected community that leads fundraising and philanthropy to help the Gardens realise their vision.’ That is the people, communities, institutions, and industries that are informed and inspired by our Botanic Gardens, public spaces and the Australian Institute of Botanical Science. We aim to motivate them to recognise the importance of plants in their lives and to support their conservation.

It is an exciting time to be joining the team at the Foundation & Friends as it is delivering its strategic springboard for future growth, enhancing its support of one of Australia’s oldest cultural institutions.

Purpose of the position

The Event Lead independently plans, coordinates and delivers Foundation & Friends’ annual program of member, donor, volunteer and supporter events, exhibitions and activities. Working within agreed budgets, timelines and organisational priorities, the role takes end-to-end ownership of delivery, from concept and planning through execution, evaluation and reporting.

The role creates consistently excellent experiences that deepen relationships with our community, attract new audiences and provide meaningful opportunities for people to join, renew or upgrade their membership, participate, give and support transformational philanthropy for the Botanic Gardens.





Reporting to the Supporter Engagement Manager, the position operates with substantial day-to-day autonomy, managing multiple concurrent projects, suppliers, volunteers, committees and internal stakeholders, while escalating significant risks, financial commitments and strategic decisions appropriately. The Lead is both an exceptional event operator and a team-oriented programming partner, identifying fresh, creative pathways to engagement and improving the systems that make delivery effective and scalable.

Key responsibilities

A. Event leadership, project management and delivery

- Own the annual calendar of events and experiences, translating agreed priorities into clear project plans, milestones, schedules, budgets, risk assessments, run sheets, event staffing and evaluation.
- Lead end-to-end delivery across, member tours, talks, walks, workshops art classes, exhibitions, volunteer events, fundraising events and major public experiences, including the New Year’s Eve Picnic.
- Coordinate venues, access, production, contractors, catering, AV, ticketing, accessibility, insurance requirements, safety, contingency planning, bump-in/bump-out and on-site operations as relevant.
- Lead event administration and processes, ensuring accurate promotional activity to populate events.
- Manage several events concurrently,



proactively resolving problems, maintaining high standards, meeting deadlines and escalating material risks early.
- Work within event budgets, purchase commitments, income and expenditure; reconcile outcomes and deliver timely post-event reporting and recommendations.

B. Supporter engagement, audience development and program innovation

- Partner with the Supporter Engagement, Philanthropy and Marketing teams to develop programming that inspires, connects and strengthens relationships with members, donors, volunteers, prospective supporters and the wider community.
- Identify creative new formats, partnerships and audience opportunities, balancing strong established programs with thoughtful experimentation.
- Embed appropriate pathways for event participants to join, renew or upgrade membership, make donations, attend further activities and deepen their connection to the Gardens.
- Contribute to donor cultivation and stewardship experiences, working sensitively with philanthropy colleagues on invitations, guest journeys, recognition and follow-up.
- Use audience feedback, attendance, conversion and engagement data to improve program relevance, reach and impact.

C. Systems, data integrity and operational excellence

- Own accurate event records and workflows across CRM, ticketing, registration and communications systems, ensuring reliable audience segmentation, guest lists, payments, attendance and follow-up.
- Maintain high standards of data quality, privacy, consent, financial reconciliation and documentation, coordinating with CRM, finance and marketing colleagues.
- Build repeatable templates, project trackers,

📌 Event Lead (Australia)
🏢 Foundation and Friends of the Botanic Gardens
📍 Australia