Assistant Director of Special Events
University of Illinois

Assistant Director of Special Events

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences-Office of Advancement

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The College of Liberal Arts & Sciences is home to 15,000 students; 1,300 faculty and staff; and over 186,000 alumni. The college is home to more than 65 units and 70 plus majors. LAS is a diverse and dynamic place made up of incredible people doing impactful work every day at the heart of the university.

The Office of Advancement supports the College of LAS by building and maintaining relationships with alumni, donors, and corporate partners. Advancement is focused on special events, constituent engagement, corporate and foundation relations, fundraising, and stewardship and donor relations.

Job Summary
This position will be responsible for all phases of managing activities related to the analysis, planning, execution, and evaluation of special events within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. They will effectively manage working relationships with clients and vendors; exercise sound judgement, tact, and diplomacy; and demonstrate the ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects and priorities.

Duties & Responsibilities

Execution

• Coordinate and oversee administrative responsibilities for all events, including invitations and pre-event and post-event communications; accurate cost analysis for each event; and oversight of a working calendar of events and appropriate timelines for task completion.
• Coordinate event site and vendor selections; the development, approval, monitoring, and payment of events budgets; apply University of Illinois purchasing rules and policies as they relate to events; negotiate vendor and supplier contracts; the creation of venue layout diagrams, making transportation and security arrangements; providing on-site management for high-visibility special events.
• Builds relationships with faculty and college leadership to best support college-level special events.
• Collaborate with the marketing department; builds an events audience by supplying information to the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) Marketing and Communications for the creation of invitations, programs, certificates, posters, flyers, etc. Maintains University and campus branding standards within all alumni and special events.
• Assign duties related to event planning to support staff, ensure that duties are handled properly; assist in supervising support staff; supervise undergraduate student workers.
• Travel and work evenings and weekends as needed.

Special Event Strategic Planning

• Implement innovative special events in support of the College of LAS fundraising endeavors and recognition programs.
• Proactively embraces the advancement model within the College of LAS by working collaboratively with development, marketing/communications, stewardship, and constituent engagement staff.
• Advises on special event best practices across the College of LAS.
• Develop metrics and tools to track event information and assist others in planning events.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in hospitality, marketing, public relations, communications, business administration, student affairs, or a closely related field

• One year of professional work experience in event planning, conference management, public relations, communications, marketing, or any other related field

Preferred Qualifications

• 1-3 years of experience leading event planning and execution

• Experience managing events within a university or academic department

• Leadership experience working with others in a diverse environment with high expectations

• Experience in volunteer and/or event staff management

• Commitment to diversity and inclusion

• Awareness of and sensitivity to cultural and linguistic differences

Successful candidates will have:

• Ability to communicate effectively with others
• Knowledge of higher education, constituent engagement, and alumni relations; basic knowledge of higher education administration and advancement
• Ability to develop effective working relationships with faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other key stakeholders
• Demonstrated excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Exceptional attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Strong commitment to customer service skills
• Ability to manage several multi-faceted projects simultaneously and independently while meeting aggressive deadlines
• Ability to maintain sensitive and confidential information
• Ability to work outside the typical hours of the standard workday may be required, including evenings and occasional weekends

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Civil Service 5009 - Events Administrator Associate position, appointed on a 12-month basis. The expected start date is as soon as possible after the deadline date. The target salary for this position is $60,000. Final salary offered will be determined by a thorough assessment of available market data, internal salary equity, candidate experience and qualifications, collective bargaining agreements, and budget constraints.

This position is unable to support candidates who require work authorization sponsorship.

This position is eligible for a hybrid work schedule (remote work and in-person work in Champaign-Urbana each week).

For more information on Civil Service classifications, please visit the SUCSS web site at https://www.sucss.illinois.gov/pages/classspec/default.aspx .

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

Applications must be received by 6:00 pm (Central Time) on May 14, 2024. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button on the posting and upload your cover letter, resume (months and years of employment must be included), and names/contact information for three professional references. Please remember to include specific information on how you meet the qualifications of the position in your application materials, including all relevant experiences. In order to be considered as a transfer candidate, you must apply for this position. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. If required by the position, transcripts or other documentation of credentials are to be provided no later than the first day of employment. For further information about this specific position, please contact lascollegehiring@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.

For assistance with resume creation and mock interviews, please follow this link for University of Illinois Human Resources workshops (held every other week): https://illinois.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/1595?c=illinois

The University of Illinois must also comply with applicable federal export control laws and regulations and, as such, reserves the right to employ restricted party screening procedures for applicants.

The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify .

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal , or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu .

Requisition ID: 1023824
Job Category: Administrative
Apply at: https://jobs.illinois.edu

This job has expired.