Associate, OPC Venue Management

Obama Foundation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Obama Foundation seeks an Associate, OPC Venue Management to coordinate and oversee venue operations for the Obama Presidential Center. You will partner with hosts to ensure smooth execution from planning through post-event, managing MEOs and cross-team coordination.

This onsite, term-based role requires evening/weekend hours aligned with events, with a Dec 2027 end date at Jackson Park. You will contribute to a hospitality-driven experience and uphold OPC standards across teams.

Qualifications

• 3 years of experience in event operations, hospitality, hotel conference services, or venue operations.
• Regular evening and weekend hours are required based on event schedules; flexibility to adjust weekday schedules and take time off during the week is expected to balance event coverage.
• Experience supporting onsite event execution or guest services in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and make sound decisions in real time.
• Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to quality and service.
• The role requires frequent mobility across the Center’s campus, both indoors and outdoors.
• Experience with event or venue management systems (e.g., Infor) and project management systems (e.g., Asana) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage and vet event intake and scheduling, including reviewing requests for feasibility, alignment with OPC guidelines, and operational impact.
• Partner with event hosts (internal teams and external clients) to review and confirm event details, ensuring alignment with OPC operational standards and venue requirements.
• Review vendor plans and event logistics provided by the host to ensure compliance with OPC guidelines, policies, and campus constraints.
• Coordinate with OPC Facilities, Security, and Visitor Experience teams to operationalize event requirements, including managing and communicating details through the Museum Event Order (MEO) process.
• Identify gaps, risks, or conflicts and work with event hosts and internal teams to resolve them in advance of the event.
• Serve as the Venue Manager during events, responsible for overseeing venue operations from load-in through event close.
• Coordinate with OPC Facilities, Security, and Visitor Experience teams to deliver services in alignment with Museum Event Orders (MEOs).
• Partner with the event host, who onsite leads program content, attendee management, and vendor deliverables.
• Manage event spaces and venue operations in real time, including setup, transitions, timing, and overall operational flow.
• Work with the event host to identify and resolve operational issues quickly to maintain a seamless environment.
• Oversee vendor activity onsite to ensure compliance with approved plans, schedules, and OPC standards.
• Deliver a high standard of hospitality that reflects OPC values, ensuring a welcoming, inclusive, and well-supported experience for all guests.

Skills

Event operations

Hospitality

Communication

Organization

Project management tools (Asana)

Tools

Infor

Asana

Job description

At The Obama Foundation, our mission is to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. We seek to build an active democratic culture where people are equipped and motivated to make change in the communities where they live, work, and play. Right here on the South Side of Chicago, we’re building a home for this vision, a global center for change with a range of opportunities - coordinated programming, community outreach events, educational moments, and more - that invite visitors from down the block or across the globe to turn hope into action. Achieving our ambitious goals starts with an exceptional team built on our Hope to Action Values - Courage, Empathy, Integrity, Accountability, Community, Inclusivity, Pragmatism, Resilience, Imagination, and Hope. A Framework that anyone, anywhere, can use to build trust, activate participation, and expand opportunity in their community.

Purpose of the Role The Associate, OPC Venue Management coordinates and facilitates seamless venue operations for the Obama Presidential Center (OPC). Responsible for executing requirements across a range of internal, external, and public events, this role serves as the onsite Venue Manager from the planning phase through execution. Operating similarly to a Conference Services Manager or Event Concierge, the Associate partners with event hosts to own venue execution. While hosts lead program content and attendee management, this role drives the Museum Event Order (MEO) process, coordinates internal Operations teams, and ensures a high-quality, hospitality-driven experience. This role requires regular evening and weekend hours based on event schedules; flexibility to adjust weekday schedules and take time off during the week is expected to balance event coverage. This is a term-based, onsite role with an end date of December 2027, located at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.

Core Job Responsibilities

Event Logistics & Coordination

• Manage and vet event intake and scheduling, including reviewing requests for feasibility, alignment with OPC guidelines, and operational impact
• Partner with event hosts (internal teams and external clients) to review and confirm event details, ensuring alignment with OPC operational standards and venue requirements
• Review vendor plans and event logistics provided by the host to ensure compliance with OPC guidelines, policies, and campus constraints
• Coordinate with OPC Facilities, Security, and Visitor Experience teams to operationalize event requirements, including managing and communicating details through the Museum Event Order (MEO) process
• Identify gaps, risks, or conflicts and work with event hosts and internal teams to resolve them in advance of the event

Event Execution & Onsite Coordination

• Serve as the Venue Manager during events, responsible for overseeing venue operations from load-in through event close
• Coordinate with OPC Facilities, Security, and Visitor Experience teams to deliver services in alignment with Museum Event Orders (MEOs)
• Partner with the event host, who onsite leads program content, attendee management, and vendor deliverables
• Manage event spaces and venue operations in real time, including setup, transitions, timing, and overall operational flow
• Work with the event host to identify and resolve operational issues quickly to maintain a seamless environment
• Oversee vendor activity onsite to ensure compliance with approved plans, schedules, and OPC standards
• Deliver a high standard of hospitality that reflects OPC values, ensuring a welcoming, inclusive, and well-supported experience for all guests

Process & Team Contribution

• Contribute to the development and refinement of Venue Management processes and workflows
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, tools, and cross-team coordination
• Support consistency in planning and execution by following and reinforcing established standards
• Provide guidance and support to Analysts on processes, tools, and best practices

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Events are executed smoothly, on time, and in alignment with approved plans and OPC standards
• Guests and event hosts experience a high level of service, professionalism, and hospitality
• Event details are accurately scheduled, documented, and operationalized through MEOs
• Venue operations are well-coordinated across internal teams and vendor partners
• Onsite issues are resolved quickly with minimal disruption
• Effective and respectful cross-team collaboration with OPC colleagues and partners
• Consistently demonstrate OPC values

Required Qualifications

• 3 years of experience in event operations, hospitality, hotel conference services, or venue operations
• Regular evening and weekend hours are required based on event schedules; flexibility to adjust weekday schedules and take time off during the week is expected to balance event coverage
• Experience supporting onsite event execution or guest services in a fast-paced environment
• Strong organizational and communication skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Ability to remain calm under pressure and make sound decisions in real time
• Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to quality and service
• The role requires frequent mobility across the Center’s campus, both indoors and outdoors
• Experience with event or venue management systems (e.g., Infor) and project management systems (e.g., Asana) is a plus

The salary range for this role is between $59,755 and $74,670.

This is a term-based, onsite role with an end date of December 2027, located at the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park.

For an overview of our benefits package, including insurance, paid time off, retirement & more, please visit https://www.obama.org/careers/.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e‑mail us at [e-mail] if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. We seek to empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone. We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together. That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world‑class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity. As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us.

For more information, please visit www.obama.org.