Events Manager

University of Colorado System; Allenspark (CO); Hybrid; USD 71,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Onboarding assistance

University benefits package

Job summary

The University of Colorado Boulder seeks an imaginative, highly collaborative Events Manager who plans, develops, implements and refines the college's event marketing strategy, including signature events, faculty/staff-facing experiences, recruitment sessions and celebrations that advance A&S' reputational, engagement and retention goals.

Reporting to the Director of Marketing and Content Strategy, the Events Manager combines experiential design with meticulous project management to imagine

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; equivalent experience may substitute.
• 5 years of professional event planning/coordination experience.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work diplomatically with diverse constituencies.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and execution of signature events and experiences.
• Develop and manage the annual event calendar and event tiers.
• Track event metrics, budgets and outcomes to inform strategy.
• Collaborate with marketing, publicity and campus partners.
• Ensure accessibility and inclusivity for events.
• Coordinate travel for speakers and vendor management.

Skills

Event planning

Project management

Vendor coordination

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Equivalent experience considered

Tools

EMS (Event Management System)

Adobe Creative Cloud

Salesforce/Cvent

Zoom

Asana

Job description

Job Summary

This position is an imaginative, highly collaborative EventsManager who plans, develops, implements and refines the college'sevent marketing strategy, including signature events,faculty/staff-facing experiences, recruitment sessions andcelebrations that advance A&S' reputational, engagement andretention goals. Reporting to the Director of Marketing and ContentStrategy, the Events Manager combines experiential design methodswith close attention to detail and complex project management to imagine events, align partners, anticipate challenges, contractwith vendors, track success metrics and independently initiatechanges to strengthen the strategy and attendee experience.

Beyond leading event planning and execution, the Events Manager must have a strong background and excellent skills in strategicplanning and complex project management. Partnering with thedirector of marketing and content strategy, they will guideA&S' broader events strategy by developing and managing theannual event calendar, establishing event tiers/priorities for newand existing requests and defining key performance indicators thatallow college leadership to assess its investment in the eventstrategy accurately.

Directing logistics and operational planning for in-person,multi-modal and virtual events, the Events Manager will work inpartnership with team leads from executive leadership, peopleengagement and culture (e.g., wellness, faculty affairs andcommunity engagement), student success (e.g., recruitment, academicaffairs and academic advising and coaching), access and communityengagement, and space management and construction. The rolepartners closely across marketing, publicity, creative, externaland campus vendors, talent, senior leadership and event partners toensure events are creatively aligned, professionally implemented,operationally sound and reflect the core A&S identity.

Who We Are

The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) is CU Boulder's largestand most academically diverse college. Faculty, staff and studentsconduct internationally recognized research, scholarship, creativework and education in more than 60 fields across the naturalsciences, social sciences and arts and humanities. Our workgenerates new knowledge, addressing some of the world's most urgentand crucial problems. A&S is a place that leans into yourwidest interests and gives you the tools, mentors and the space todiscover what we call ANDing, or the unbounded exploration of yourinterests, identities and experiences.

A&S research generates new knowledge, solving some of theworld's most critical problems. The college is comprised of threedivisions (natural sciences, social sciences, and arts andhumanities) and is home to more than 800 tenured and tenure-trackfaculty, approximately 1,000 non-tenure-track teaching faculty,approximately 400 university and classified staff, and more than17,000 undergraduates and 2,280 graduate students. Faculty inA&S include five Nobel laureates, 25 members of the AmericanAcademy of Arts and Sciences, nine MacArthur “Genius Grant”winners, four National Medal of Science winners and one PulitzerPrize winner.

A&S strives to be a community whose excellence is premised ondiversity, equity and inclusion. We seek candidates who share thisdedication and demonstrate understanding of the experiences ofthose historically underrepresented in higher education.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Lead Manager for A&S Signature Events

• Independently develops, implements, assesses and continuallyimproves processes for event planning and execution, includingevent management, event execution, booking and space.
• Schedules rooms and manages associated fees for eventlocations.
• Sources vendors and caterers to secure competitive pricing;coordinates scheduling, estimates, billing and invoice management;routes contracts and invoices for timely payment.
• Tracks event budgets and purchases and tracks all materialsassociated with events, including décor, catering, gifts andrentals.
• Administers events with an expert proficiency in projectmanagement by developing thorough production timelines, budgetbenchmarks, key performance indicators, delegating tasks,scheduling recurring meetings, post-mortem debriefs, assessmentsand reporting.
• Directs planning and logistics for signatureevents/experiences, especially College Day, Parents Weekend andHomecoming.
• Ensures all events are accessible for attendees, including butnot limited to coordination of closed captions, translation orinterpretation (including ASL) services, ADA accommodations,etc.
• Organizes staff and/or student staff volunteers to work events,set up and clean up.
• Manages production logistics for virtual events to ensure Zoomhosting duties are outlined and captioning is available.
• Creates conference websites and registration using theuniversity's official platforms (Cvent/Salesforce and/or WebExpress/Drupal, Localist).
• Operates as the main point of contact for event logistics,including talent, catering and volunteer support.
• Manages travel arrangements for event speakers, includingbooking flights and lodging.
• For signature events, collaborates with the marketing andcommunications team to design feasible themes, experiential tonesand design elements that foster emotions, feelings or other goalsidentified by partners.
• Guides partners through event planning standard methodologies,including run of show and event components that support an audienceexperience that is meaningful and/or achieves stated eventoutcomes.
• Serves as the college’s event expert in and develops a networkof university staff who manage campus safety protocols,license/insurance policies, space and other event-relatedlogistics, including the Campus Alcohol Agent, Event Security andEmergency Management and Parking.
• Serves as A&S's main Alcohol Designee at events peruniversity procurement rules.
• Conducts post-event debriefs to critically assess eventeffectiveness, manages and distributes post-event surveys toappropriate groups, critically examines findings and developsreports for senior college leadership, including recommendationsfor improving future events.
• Orders college-branded merchandise for events whenappropriate.

New 9-month programming; position assists with RelationshipManagement & Event Guidance

• Advises and supports event organizers in divisions or otherDean's Office partners when possible.
• Works closely with event organizers across campus to understandplanning, timeline, staffing and production needs for events;independently adapts event marketing strategy to align the eventcalendar and maximize each experience’s effectiveness.
• Due to their grasp of CU Boulder’s entire event landscape,serves as a campus thought partner for planning and providessupport when possible.
• Establishes and maintains collaborative working relationshipswith A&S and university contacts to accomplish jobassignments.
• Provides excellent customer service both to the departmentsserved and to all event attendees.
• Collaborates with publicity and marketing to build publicawareness and drive attendance.

Event Strategy Management

• Independently develops and implements A&S’ event marketingstrategy (e.g., develop and revise the annual event calendar andevent tiers that classify levels of support) and partners with thedirector of marketing and content strategy to ensure alignment withthe college’s overall marketing plan.
• Consults with partners across the college to plan future eventsand find opportunities to centralize or share vendors, supplies andother event logistics and standard methodologies.
• Tracks metrics, benchmarks and analytics on event attendance,engagement and cost to drive data-informed event strategy andcritically assess A&S’ investment in events.
• Maintains documentation and communicates processes to ensureroles, responsibilities and expectations for planning and executionof events are understood by all partners.

Event Innovation

• Operate as the college’s experiential design and eventexperience expert, researching event trends, joining events-relatedassociations, attending professional development opportunitiesfocused on progressive event experiences (e.g., Futurespaces),presenting at conferences and proposing new events strategiesand/or feasible pilot experiences aligned with the college’smarketing strategy.
• Independently pursues funding and manages budget forinnovative, pilot events and experiences.
• Proposes scalable event innovations to college leadership,including alignment with signature events.
• Advise students, staff and faculty on University travelpolicies and procedures.
• Review and determine if travel requests are appropriate inaccordance with University rules and regulations.
• Analyze and approve travel authorization requests bydetermining if travel is within scope/budget when using sponsoredproject funding.
• Oversee petty cash and gift card processes for departmentpersonnel.
• Stay current on the O﬋ce of Cash Management policies andprocedures.

What You Should Know

• This position may work a hybrid format, with three daysrequired in-person and two days remote.

What We Can Offer

The salary for this position is $71,000 - $75,000.

Onboardingassistance may be available for this position.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we arecommitted to supporting the holistic health and well-being of ouremployees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical,dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuitionassistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for localtransit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulderoffers an inspiring academic community and access to world-classoutdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one ofForbes' America's BestLarge Employers , ranking #4 among large employers in Coloradoand #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks andprograms through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Bachelor's degree.
• Equivalent experience on a year-for-year basis may substitutefor the degree requirement.
• 5 years of professional event planning/coordinationexperience.

What You Will Need

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite.
• Demonstrated strong written and verbal communicationskills.
• Ability to work diplomatically with various constituencies withcompeting agendas.
• Ability to build strong relationships and serve as a liaisonbetween multiple parties.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively anticipate user experienceoutcomes and take action to plan in advance to mitigatechallenges.
• Demonstrated experience with event logistics coordination.
• Experience managing event budgets.
• Ability to track and interpret event metrics and data to helpinform planning and strategy.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills.
• Attention to detail and ability to simultaneously managemultiple projects.
• Demonstrated organizational skills.
• Sensitivity to and appreciation of cultural, political andgeographical differences and the ability to work well with variousconstituencies with diverse lived experiences.

What We Would Like You to Have

• 6+ years of experience.
• Familiarity with or experience using CU Boulder's EventManagement System (EMS) or similar.
• Familiarity with CU's procurement rules for events, includingthose with alcohol and associated alcohol protocols.
• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud, Salesforce/Cvent andZoom.
• Familiarity with Asana or other project managementsoftware.
• Experience planning events for 200+ attendees.
• Experience working in higher education, preferably withacademic programs.
• Experience capturing event photos or videos.
• Experience with promotional, brand-approved swagprocurement.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: [e-mail]