Description Norfolk, Virginia is America's most authentic and urban waterfront city. Home to the world's largest naval station and the business, arts, and cultural center of Coastal Virginia, Norfolk has been rated a top place to live, work, play, and raise a family by numerous publications. Working for the City of Norfolk is an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of others. With our commitment to competitive pay and a strong retirement package, you can do good for your community and do well for yourself. Join a caring workplace that proudly celebrates uniqueness, authenticity, and a shared commitment to improving the lives of our residents.

Cruise Norfolk, our 80,000 square foot terminal, is excited to welcome visitors to The Mermaid City. We are looking for a Marketing & Events Coordinator to play a vital role in promoting Cruise Norfolk as a premier cruise destination while supporting the planning and execution of events that enhance the guest and community experience. This role involves collaboration with internal teams, cruise lines, city partners, and vendors to ensure seamless communication, consistent branding, and successful event execution.

Department Hiring Salary Range: $54,190 - $62,185 Essential Functions Essential functions include but are not limited to:

Marketing & Communications

Assist in developing and implementing marketing strategies to promote cruise port operations, community engagement, and tourism.
Create content for digital channels, including social media, website, email campaigns, and print collateral for Cruise Norfolk and Nauticus channels.
Support public relations efforts, including press releases, media outreach, and influencer engagement.
Coordinate the creation of branded materials, signage, and promotional items for Cruise Norfolk and Nauticus.
Monitor marketing performance metrics and compile reports on campaign effectiveness.
Other duties as assigned.

Event Planning & Coordination

Plan, coordinate, and execute a variety of events including cruise ship welcome celebrations, sail away parties, port milestone ceremonies, media events, and community outreach activities.
Serve as the on-site contact for event setup, logistics, vendor coordination, and troubleshooting.
Manage event timelines, budgets, and post-event reporting.
Work closely with city departments, tourism agencies, and port security to ensure smooth and safe event execution.
Other duties as assigned.

Education/Experience

Work requires broad knowledge in a general professional or technical field. Knowledge is normally acquired through four years of college resulting in a Bachelor's degree or equivalent.

1 year experience in communications or related field

Preferred Education/Experience

Bachelor’s degree in marketing and communications field, preferred.
2–4 years of relevant experience in marketing, events, or hospitality—experience in the travel, tourism, or maritime industry a plus.
Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and marketing tools (e.g., Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, social media platforms, Mailchimp).

Additional Information & Requirements Work Location: One Waterside Drive, Norfolk, VA 23510

Work Schedule: Typically, Monday through Friday but must have flexibility to work occasional evenings, weekends, or holidays, particularly during cruise season.

Regular full-time and permanent part-time employees may receive paid holidays, vacation and sick leave, employer paid pension plan, basic life insurance, voluntary participation in medical and dental, Section 457 deferred compensation, long-term disability, optional life insurance for self, spouse and children, medical and dependent care reimbursement plans, access to membership in credit union and employer provided parking.
Special project/grant employees are generally eligible for the same benefits of regular full-time employees; however, retirement, life insurance and participation in health plans vary depending upon funding and authorization.
Temporary/seasonal and part-time employees are generally only eligible for employer provided parking and access to membership in credit union.
Retirement

If you are hired October 5, 2010, or after to a position with City of Norfolk Retirement System benefits, you will be required to contribute five percent (5%) of your salary toward your retirement benefit. This will be a pre-tax payroll deduction.

If you are hired January 1, 2022, or after to a position with Virginia Retirement System (VRS) benefits, you will be required to contribute five percent (5%) of your salary toward your retirement benefit. This will be a pre-tax payroll deduction.

The Tuition Assistance Program is established to encourage employees toward continued self-development and education. Permanent full-time and permanent part-time classified, unclassified permanent, full-time special projects, and constitutional employees who have completed six months continuous service will be eligible to apply. The applicant’s school of enrollment must be an accredited institution.

Note The benefits described above are broad generalizations. The specific benefits that an employee may be eligible for are governed by City regulations, as applicable to job type.

Non-City Positions listed with a job type designation of "Non-City" are not subject to the benefits descriptions above. Refer to the content of the job posting for information regarding these positions.

The following Supplemental Questions are specific to the position for which you have applied to assist the hiring manager in screening applications for specific experience being sought. Please be specific in answering these questions as they will be used to evaluate which applications will be given further consideration in the process. Do not answer "see resume" or "see application" as these are not valid answers. Please note that if you are invited to be interviewed by the department, your responses to the following questions may be subject to verification.

I understand and will answer the following supplemental questions completely and thoroughly.

Please select the highest level of education you have completed.

High School Diploma/GED
Some College (6 months or more)
Vocational/Technical Degree
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree or higher

How many years of experience do you have using social media and websites to engage audiences and drive interest in products, services, or events?

Less than 1 year
1-2 years
2-3 years
3-4 years
More than 4 years

Please provide examples of using social media and websites to engage audiences and drive interest in products, services, or events.

Do you have any professional or personal experience with the cruise industry or cruise-related tourism?

Briefly explain your professional or personal experience with the cruise industry or cruise-related tourism.

Do you have experience creating and managing digital content across websites, social media, and other digital platforms?

If yes, please describe your role and share examples of content you developed. (If part of a broader initiative, feel free to describe the campaign or project.)

Do you have experience working with marketing budgets or analyzing data related to campaign performance, audience engagement, or ROI?

Please describe your experience working with marketing budgets or analyzing data related to campaign performance, audience engagement, or ROI.

Please select all Microsoft Office and marketing tools you have experience with.

Canva
Adobe Creative Suite
Social Media platforms
Mailchimp
Google Analytics

Do you have experience planning or supporting public events, activations, or community-facing programs?

Please describe the types of events you've worked on and your specific responsibilities.

This role requires coordination with multiple partners and stakeholders, including tourism organizations, cruise lines, and city departments. Can you share an example of a time you successfully collaborated across teams or organizations to deliver a marketing or event initiative?

Are you a current or previous City of Norfolk employee?

Yes - I am a current City of Norfolk Employee
Yes - I am a previous City of Norfolk Employee
No - I am not a previous or current City of Norfolk employee

Please indicate your veteran status. (A copy of your long form DD-214 may be required)

I am not a Veteran
I am a Veteran
I am a Disabled Veteran

If you were referred for this position by a current City of Norfolk employee, please provide the employee's full name, department, and job title, and your relationship to the employee. If not, please indicate by typing "N/A."

Required Question

Multimedia Communications Specialist I - CruiseNorfolk

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