Special Events Coordinator

Virginia Tech; Blacksburg (VA); On-site; USD 50,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Virginia Tech in Blacksburg seeks a Special Events Coordinator to plan and execute a wide range of events for internal and external audiences. You will engage alumni, major donors, prospects, administration, and friends, helping advance the university through precision planning and flawless execution.

Responsibilities include coordinating venues, decor, scheduling, catering, AV, transportation, and budgets while maintaining thorough documentation and preparing university leadership for events.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in project coordination or event planning.
• Experience working with vendors and contracted services.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and make quick decisions.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects with creativity and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute high-level events engaging alumni, major donors, prospects, administration, and friends.
• Research venues and vendors; manage budgets and tracking of attendance; create printed materials.
• Prepare university leadership for events and maintain event documentation.

Job description

Job Description

The Virginia Tech Division of Advancement seeks a creative, quick‑thinking, and highly‑organized individual to serve as a Special Events Coordinator. The coordinator works with a dynamic team of event professionals to plan a wide variety of special events for internal and external activities, including donor stewardship events, commencement, reunions, tailgates, building dedications, regional fundraising campaign events, and other Advancement and University wide events. The individual plans and executes high‑level events that engage and steward the University's alumni, major donors and prospects, administration, and friends, and plays a significant role in advancing Virginia Tech.

Reporting & Recognition

Reporting to the Associate Director of Special Events, the Special Events Coordinator represents the Office of Special Events/Advancement on planning committees to ensure events conform to the highest standards, flow smoothly, and meet the goals of the Advancement Division and University. The Coordinator creates and maintains event documentation, prepares university leadership for events, follows standard procedures and protocol, and proactively identifies challenges to problem‑solve and make independent decisions to ensure event success.

Key Responsibilities

The Coordinator manages all event logistics, including décor, schedule, location, food and beverage, guest lists, audiovisual, communication, parking, transportation, program, entertainment, equipment, and thematic components. They research and work closely with venues and vendors, campus partners such as emergency management, facilities, and the Virginia Tech Police Department, secure contracts, accurately manage budgets, compile invitation lists, create events and track attendance using the constituent database, write correspondence, and create or design printed materials as needed.

Required Qualifications

• Previous experience with project coordination, event planning or a related field.
• Experience working with vendors and arranging for contracted services.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced environment, with the ability to make decisions quickly.
• Exceptional interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability and willingness to manage multiple projects simultaneously with a high degree of creativity and initiative while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Available to work nights and weekends.
• Proficiency utilizing computer software such as Microsoft Office Suite, Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams, and Outlook.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent level training/experience in a related field, with preference given to degrees in hospitality and tourism, communications, business, or marketing.
• Prior experience in events, hospitality, or communications in a higher education or nonprofit setting.
• Prior experience creating, managing, and reconciling budgets to include both accounts payable and receivable.
• Project Management or Event/Meeting Certification.
• Demonstrated experience with graphic design and/or desktop publishing software (InDesign, Photoshop, etc.).

Pay Band

4

Overtime Status

Exempt: Not eligible for overtime

Appointment Type

Regular

Salary Information

$50,000 - $54,000

Hours per week

40+

Review Date

July 24th, 2026

Additional Information

Ability to work nights and weekends, and participation in college or university programs when possible. Safe Driving Record. The successful candidate will be required to have a criminal conviction check.

About Virginia Tech

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech pushes the boundaries of knowledge by taking a hands‑on, transdisciplinary approach to preparing scholars to be leaders and problem‑solvers. A comprehensive land‑grant institution that enhances the quality of life in Virginia and throughout the world, Virginia Tech is an inclusive community dedicated to knowledge, discovery, and creativity. The university offers more than 280 majors to a diverse enrollment of more than 36,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students in eight undergraduate colleges, a school of medicine, a veterinary medicine college, Graduate School, and Honors College. The university has a significant presence across Virginia, including Blacksburg, the greater Washington, D.C. area, the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, sites in Newport News and Richmond, and numerous Extension offices and research institutes. A leading global research institution, Virginia Tech conducts more than $650 million in research annually.

Virginia Tech endorses and encourages participation in professional development opportunities and university shared governance. These valuable contributions to university shared governance provide important representation and perspective, along with opportunities for unique and impactful professional development.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Virginia Tech does not discriminate against employees, students, or applicants on the basis of age, color, disability, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, ethnicity or national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, or military status, or otherwise discriminate against employees or applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose their compensation or the compensation of other employees or applicants, or on any other basis protected by law.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Advancement HR at [e-mail] during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.