Senior Events and Reservations Manager

utaustin; Utah; On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

UT Austin's Texas Student Experience seeks a Senior Events and Reservations Manager on UT Main Campus to serve as the central intake point for event and space requests. You will manage cross-unit coordination, policy compliance, and system-wide reservation workflows, reporting to the Vice President with clear, timely updates.

The role focuses on streamlining processes, consolidating reservation management, and maintaining visibility into high-profile events, ensuring efficient decision-making

Job description

Job Posting Title: Senior Events and Reservations Manager

Hiring Department: Texas Student Experience

Position Open To: All Applicants

Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40

FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA

Earliest Start Date: Oct 19, 2026

Position Duration: Expected to Continue

Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS

Job Details:

Purpose

The Senior Events and Reservations Manager serves as the centralized point of intake, review, and decision-making for event and space reservation requests across Texas Student Experience (TSE) units. This position collects reservation requests from all TSE units and reviews them against established policy. The coordinator keeps the Vice President informed of reservation activity and trends, manages follow-through on every decision, and evaluates opportunities to streamline and consolidate reservation management into a single, unified system. In addition, the coordinator maintains visibility into high-profile and politically sensitive events, convenes cross-unit partners as needed, and ensures the Vice President can respond quickly and accurately to leadership inquiries about event status.

Responsibilities

Centralized Reservations Intake, Review and Approval

• Collect and consolidate event and space reservation requests from all Texas Student Experience units into a single intake process.
• Review reservation requests for completeness, policy compliance, and operational feasibility.
• Forward all reservation requests to the Vice President for review, providing the information needed for an informed decision; transition over time, as agreed with the Vice President, toward independently approving or denying standard requests under established policies and procedures.
• Escalate urgent, high-visibility, or high-touch requests to the Vice President for direct review and approval, based on jointly established criteria, once independent review and approval authority is in place.
• Communicate approval, denial, or conditional-approval decisions to the requesting unit in a timely manner.
• Complete follow-through on all decisions: confirm details with the requesting unit, finalize the reservation in the applicable system, and notify relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain a comprehensive log of all reservation activity: approved, denied, pending, and escalated, and provide regular summaries to the Vice President.

Reservation System Oversight, Process Improvement and Consolidation

• Evaluate current reservation systems and workflows across units (e.g., Mazevo, EMS, and outdoor space reservation processes) to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Research options for consolidating reservation management into a single, unified system across Texas Student Experience units, and develop recommendations for the Vice President's consideration.
• Support planning and implementation if a system consolidation or migration is approved, including coordinating with affected units and vendors.
• Identify and recommend improvements to the reservation, review, and follow-through workflow based on operational experience and unit feedback.
• Track and report progress on process improvement initiatives to the Vice President.

Policy Administration and Customer Support

• Maintain and update policies, procedures, and guidelines related to event registration, reservation review, and space use.
• Develop and maintain, in consultation with the Vice President's office, clear criteria for identifying urgent or high-touch requests that require direct Vice Presidential review.
• Interpret and communicate university regulations, building policies, and facility use requirements to internal and external clients.
• Develop training materials, user guides, and standing briefing templates that support consistent use of the reservation and review process across units.
• Provide consultation and customer support to students, university departments, and external event sponsors regarding event planning and reservation requirements.

Event Coordination and Campus Partnerships

• Serve as the central point of contact for event-related coordination among TSE units and campus partners.
• Collaborate with Facilities Services, University Unions, Fire Prevention Services, Risk Management, UTPD, Parking and Transportation Services, Emergency Management, and University Communications.
• Convene relevant stakeholders quickly for events flagged as high-visibility, ensuring safety, communications, and operational plans are coordinated across units.
• Coordinate resolution of scheduling conflicts, operational concerns, and event logistics issues.

High-Visibility Event Monitoring and Executive Briefing

• Serve as the Vice President's office's primary point of contact for status updates on any TSE-affiliated event.
• Maintain a standing readiness checklist for flagged events confirming that security, communications, and operational plans are documented and complete ahead of the event.
• Prepare concise briefing materials for the Vice President, and university leadership as n