City Stories Associate

About Rethos

Rethos is a non-profit organization that leads and inspires people to connect to historic places, promoting equity, community vitality, and engagement. Through its programs and services, Rethos advocates for a new understanding of preservation that highlights the histories of underrepresented communities and equitably enhances community vibrancy on a broad spectrum, including activities that directly impact economic and social well-being.

Rethos is building our team! We are looking to hire and promote a high-functioning, diverse team to work in an environment of inclusion, equity, collaboration, and innovation. Rethos operates in communities in every corner of our state and across the region, and our team members should look like and share the lived experiences of these varied communities. For us, diversity comes in various forms including race, gender affiliation, abilities, location, and socio-economic backgrounds. We welcome, cultivate, and seek out difference.  

 

Rethos is a hybrid office with Monday through Thursday in our offices in the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul, with the option to work from home on Fridays. We provide a transportation/parking stipend to assist with travel expenses.

 

Role Overview

City Stories is Rethos' annual festival of architecture, history, and design, taking place May 1–9, 2027. The festival brings together Doors Open Minneapolis, the MSP Home Tour, and up to 35 smaller-scale additional events developed in partnership with organizations and individuals throughout the Twin Cities.

The City Stories Associate is responsible for coordinating these partner-produced events, helping the Director of Heritage Tourism move programs from initial development through successful execution. The festival’s two anchor events, Doors Open Minneapolis and the MSP Home Tour, are managed separately and are not part of this position's primary responsibilities.

Working closely with Rethos staff, event partners, and volunteers, the Associate serves as the primary day-to-day contact for partner-produced events, coordinating event information, schedules, ticketing, participant communications, staffing needs, and logistics.

During the festival, the Associate serves as the primary operational contact for partner events, coordinating day-to-day activities, addressing needs as they arise, and ensuring programs run smoothly. The Director of Heritage Tourism provides overall program direction, establishes priorities, and makes final decisions regarding programming and resources.

This position reports to the Director of Heritage Tourism and works closely with the Heritage Tourism team and other Rethos staff to support a successful, cohesive City Stories festival.

About This Temporary Position

This is a six-month, full-time position designed to provide additional staffing capacity during the planning, execution, and wrap-up of City Stories 2027. The position runs from January 4 through June 30, 2027, with the most intensive work occurring in the weeks leading up to and during the festival in May. Although temporary, this position includes full employee benefits, and the Associate will be an integral part of the Rethos team throughout the appointment.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Partner Event Development & Coordination

• Coordinate the City Stories partner-event pipeline, working with the Director of Heritage Tourism to move programs from initial development through execution.
• Serve as the primary day-to-day contact for partners producing events within City Stories.
• Collect and maintain records of event information.
• Maintain and update the production calendar for City Stories partner events, follow up on outstanding information, and identify concerns or delays that require attention.
• Coordinate partner review and approval of event information.
• Work with the Volunteer Coordinator to identify staffing needs for assigned partner events, allocate volunteer resources, and distribute event-specific information to volunteers through trainings and communications.

Partner Event Operations & Participant Experience

• Coordinate day-to-day operations for partner-produced events during City Stories and serve as the central operational contact for partners and Rethos staff during the festival.
• Coordinate with staff managing Doors Open Minneapolis and the MSP Home Tour to ensure consistent participant information, scheduling, and communication across the festival, without assuming operational responsibility for those programs.
• Coordinate ticketing, registration, and participant communications for partner-produced events.
• Assure the quality of “Know Before You Go” communications, ensuring participants receive accurate information about the event before arrival.
• Ensure staff and volunteers have accurate event-specific information.
• Monitor events for operational issues and respond to needs as they arise.
• Escalate significant issues to appropriate Rethos staff when necessary.

Post-Event Closeout & Evaluation

• Coordinate post-event follow-up with partners and ensure outstanding documentation, attendance information, and payment requirements are completed.
• Compile attendance, ticketing, and evaluation results for partner-produced events to support festival-wide reporting.
• Gather survey feedback and document significant successes, challenges, and operational lessons.
• Contribute to the post-event evaluation and recommendations for the following year.

What you’ll bring

• At least two years of experience coordinating events, public programs, or related work. Paid and volunteer experience both qualify.
• Experience managing event logistics, tracking details and deadlines, and working with external partners.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to turn event details into useful instructions for participants, partners, staff, and volunteers.
• Comfort using spreadsheets and digital tools to organize information, and the ability to learn Rethos’ ticketing, registration, and database systems.
• A valid driver’s license and access to reliable personal transportation. This role involves frequent local travel to event locations and transporting event materials.

• Availability to work scheduled evening and weekend hours during City Stories, May 1–9, 2027 and potentially in the weeks immediately preceding the event.

Helpful, but not required

• Experience in arts, culture, heritage tourism, historic preservation, or community programming.
• Skills in a language in addition to English, such as Hmong, Somali, or Spanish.

• Undergraduate degree in a relevant field OR five years or more of volunteer work in any of the fields above.

SALARY & BENEFITS

Six-Month Salary: $30,000
Total Compensation over Six Months: Approximately $42,000, including benefits and allowances. Benefits include low-cost medical insurance, IRA with match, generous vacation, cellular and transportation allowance.

TIMING

This position is contingent upon funding with a start date of January 4, 2027. We are accepting applications immediately and anticipate offering this position to the successful applicant near the start of December.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter through our online application portal. In your cover letter, tell us how your experience—paid, volunteer, or both—prepares you to coordinate City Stories. If you meet most of the qualifications and are excited about the role, we encourage you to apply. Questions may be directed to Will Mathews at Will@Rethos.org.