Assistant Director, Program and Events

University of Chicago; United States; Hybrid; USD 63,000 - 67,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Chicago Booth School of Business seeks an Assistant Director of Program and Events for the Roman Family Center for Decision Research. The role leads end-to-end event operations, budgeting, and vendor management, coordinating with Booth departments and senior leadership.

You will manage calendars, communications, registrations, and post-event reporting, while guiding a small operations team and collaborating with faculty, staff and external partners.

Qualifications

• Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
• Bachelor’s degree preferred for advancement and program ownership.

Responsibilities

• Serves as primary contact for the Roman Family – CDR program and events execution, and budget and accounting matters.
• Oversees logistics for events across the Center, including workshops and the Think Better series and other programs.
• Keeps track of registrations; prepares communications and assists with outreach, invitations and materials; oversees contracts.
• Manages and delegates tasks to Operations Assistant and other RF-CDR staff.
• Coordinates with invited speakers for workshops, managing AV and logistics and ensuring satisfaction.
• Supports onboarding documents and training materials for new RF-CDR staff.
• Handles expenses, procurement and reimbursements using Booth Financial systems.

Skills

Strong communication

Presentation skills

Research skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Job description

Department Booth CDR: Operations About the Department

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business is the second-oldest business school in the U.S. and second to none when it comes to influencing business education and business practices. Since 1898, the school has produced ideas and leaders that shape the world of business. Their rigorous, discipline-based approach to business education transforms students into confident, effective, respected business leaders prepared to face the toughest challenges. Chicago Booth has the finest set of facilities of any business school in the world. Each of the four campuses (two in Chicago, one in London, and one in Hong Kong) reflects the architectural traditions of its environs while offering a state-of-the-art learning environment.

• an unmatched faculty.
• degree and open enrollment programs offered on three continents.
• a global body of nearly 56,000 accomplished alumni.
• strong and growing corporate relationships that provide a wealth of lifelong career opportunities.

As part of the world-renowned University of Chicago, Chicago Booth shares the University's core values that shape the distinctive intellectual culture. At Booth, they constantly question and test ideas, and seek proof. This extraordinarily effective approach to business leads to new ideas and innovative solutions. Seven of the Booth faculty members have won Nobel Prizes for these ideas - the first business school to achieve this accomplishment.

For more information about the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, please visit: http://www.chicagobooth.edu/.

Job Summary

The Assistant Director, Program and Events plays a crucial role in strategic management and execution for the Roman Family Center for Decision Research. Serves as primary contact for all operational matters related to the Center’s functions, events, and accounting/budget matters. This position is responsible for ownership of the entire process for the Center’s events and programs and is a combination of communications, contract and vendor selection and management, accounting and budget oversight, and logistics. The Assistant Director will manage and have oversight of the Center’s expenses, calendar management, and other needs. This individual will help with the communication and execution of all logistics and management of events, thus ownership of the entire process for events within the scope of this role. This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Responsibilities

Serves as primary contact for all of the Roman Family – CDR program and events execution, and budget and accounting matters related to program and events.

Working closely with the Executive Director, oversees and leads logistics for events across the Center, including academic workshops, the Think Better series, Summer Send Off, Fall Welcome, PhD Orientation, internal RF-CDR retreats, admitted PhD students weekend, brown bag lunches, and other events.

Keeps track of registrations; prepares communication and assists with outreach, invitations and materials related to the events; evaluates and selects venues; oversees contracts.

Manages and delegates tasks to Operations Assistant and other RF-CDR staff.

Manages the needs of invited speakers for RF-CDR’s Monday Workshop series, including developing a full schedule of enriching meetings with faculty, PhD students, and postdocs, managing AV and operational logistics of presentations, and ensuring complete satisfaction.

Provides oversight and support for the Center’s program and events calendar in addition to support with the Executive Directors expense processing, calendar management, and field questions during non-traditional hours per needs of faculty.

Working in collaboration with the leadership teams, provide support to the Center’s labs spaces in the creation and dissemination of official onboarding documents and training materials for incoming CDR staff.

In collaboration with the leadership team, serves as a primary contact for all accounting, expenses, procurement, and reimbursements for the Center, working in a timely and efficient manner using Booth Financial systems.

Manages and oversees the following reconciling Center and Labs expenses; conference expense reimbursement for graduate students; Thaler Tversky award account creation and management; independent contractor payments; guest speaker reimbursements; organizational tasks related to behavioral science faculty’s research accounts and chargeback reports on a quarterly basis; chargeback reports and replenishing petty cash account on a quarterly basis.

Oversees and manages the work of part-time or temporary operations staff as needs arise.

Serves as an ambassador for the Roman Family CDR, advancing the progress of Center activities by developing and maintaining strong relationships with Booth and University of Chicago departments, including the offices of Accounting, IT, Legal, H.R., and Faculty Services.

Offers support for other related duties as assigned, including office mail, supply closets, catering, parking and dining reservations, and work requests to various University of Chicago or Booth Departments.

Assists with identification and resolution of event and program needs, including vendor selection and contract negotiation.

Keeps track of all expenses, prepares reports on costs, using existing procedures to solve routine problems as they arise.

Compiles data to be used in event and program evaluation.

Contributes to improvements by implementing ideas as they are identified, with general direction from others.

Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience: Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through < 2 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications: ---

Preferred Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree.

Experience: A minimum three years of professional program and event execution experience.

Technical Skills or Knowledge

Understanding of budgeting, financial accounting, and database management.

Demonstrated proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) and research skills. Learn new software programs.

Preferred Competencies

Proven understanding of the Center for Decision Research and its goals.

Excellent professional verbal, written, and presentation skills, as well as organizational skills and attention to detail.

Superior customer service and interpersonal skills.

Demonstrated ability to seek out, coordinate and appropriately disseminate information.

Work independently with little supervision; possess a self‑motivated disposition; identify opportunities for improvement and recommend effective changes, all while achieving key objectives resulting in desired outcomes.

Handle multiple detailed tasks/projects simultaneously and meet strict deadlines with frequent interruptions.

Demonstrated ability to work effectively and diplomatically with colleagues, as well as with students, faculty and corporate contacts in a multitude of communication methods, including in person, email, and phone.

Professional demeanor, including tact, discretion, and a customer service‑oriented approach.

Working Conditions

This position is currently expected to work a minimum three days per week in the office. Work extended hours and attend staff events, occasionally on weekends and in the evenings.

Application Documents

Resume/CV (required)

Cover Letter (required)

Job Family

Communications Role Impact Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

No Pay Rate Type Salary

FLSA Status Exempt

Pay Range

$63,000.00 - $67,000.00 The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case‑by‑case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information.

The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu.

Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

The University of Chicago is an urban research university that has driven new ways of thinking since 1890. Our commitment to free and open inquiry draws inspired scholars to our global campuses, where ideas are born that challenge and change the world. We empower individuals to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas. Students in the College develop critical, analytic, and writing skills in our rigorous, interdisciplinary core curriculum. Through graduate programs, students test their ideas with UChicago scholars, and become the next generation of leaders in academia, industry, nonprofits, and government.

To learn more about the university click here http://www.uchicago.edu/