Position Details

Position Information

Department
College of Business Dept (BUS)

Position Title
Manager 1-Ext Relations

Job Title
Director of Events

Appointment Type
Professional Faculty

Job Location
Corvallis

Benefits Eligible
Full-Time, benefits eligible

Remote or Hybrid option?

Job Summary

The College of Business is seeking a Director of Events. This is a full-time (1.00 FTE), 12-month, professional faculty position.

The Director of Events oversees and provides leadership for in-person and virtual programming and major events in the College of Business. Event audiences will vary from faculty/staff, students, alumni, donors and employers. The role establishes and maintains relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including alumni, faculty, staff, volunteers, industry partners, committees, federal, state, and local agencies, and professional associations to ensure the desired outcomes are met for all college events and programs.

The role will participate in strategic planning efforts that support the mission, vision, and goals for the college.

The role will be responsible for providing leadership through overall event coordination, management, and execution. This will be accomplished pre-event planning through execution of plans, budget oversight and forecasting, and reviewing/analyzing outcomes related to events.

The Director leads the development and prioritization of the college's event portfolio in alignment with strategic goals. They will partner with stakeholder to define event purpose, audience, and desired outcomes prior to execution.

This position will supervise 1-2 professional faculty and multiple student employees.

The role reports to the Executive Director of Marketing, Communications & Events in the college.

Key Responsibilities

Event Planning and Management - 60%
• Organizes and manages conferences, symposiums, seminars, events, and summits (collectively referred to as "events")
• Responsible for planning and overseeing all aspects of event management before, during and after the event. Events include but are not limited to:
o Student-facing events and activities
o Faculty and staff annual parties and events (welcome, end-of-year and holiday parties, etc.)
o Alumni and donor events
o Career fairs
o Events held in conjunction with academic courses (guest speakers, panels, etc.)
o Events for College's Centers (workshops, symposiums, conferences)
o Advisory council meetings, board meetings
o Faculty visits and research seminars
o Experiential learning opportunities (job shadowing, informational interviews, etc.)
• Successful event management includes organizing all event logistics such as securing facilities/venues, coordination of audio/visual technology needs with appropriate departments, working with vendors to create service contracts, allocation of resources, and delegating tasks to student employees and/or other staff as appropriate.
• Manage fully virtual and hybrid events and meetings.
• Responsible for managing and executing overall event budget, to include negotiating contracts and pricing for services such as, but not limited to, guest speakers, lodging, transportation, food service, technology needs, rental equipment, and travel arrangements. Responsible for anticipating future spending on events.
• Ensures consistent and proactive communication with all stakeholders, including setting expectations, providing updates, and addressing issues in a timely manner. Acts a representative of the College in all event communications.
• Works with College of Business Information Services to manage electronic event registration and tracking system. Reports on attendance figures and other data for further analysis and potential use in developing programming.
• Works with College of Business Marketing & Communications team to ensure compliance with University and College branding guidelines in all marketing activities.
• Ensure constituent engagement tracking within CRM Advance (donor information database) as appropriate.
• Develops and enforces procedures and practices to ensure quality and safety standards for events.
• Develops and maintains an organized, accessible, electronic system of documentation.
• Responsible for evaluating event results and outcomes and implementing improvements in support of organizational mission.
• Ensures continuity and follow through across all phases of event execution, maintaining visibility on progress and completing all deliverables to a high standard without loss of detail.
• Ensures compliance with University policy, and state and federal regulations.
• This position will have access to multiple student resident halls in direct support of position duties and will have access to minors in carrying out Pre-College programming

Analysis and Outcome Measurements - 15%
• Assess outcomes of initiatives and make determinations on continuation or changes in strategy in consultation with the Executive Director of Marketing, Communications & Events.
• Evaluates event results and outcomes and implements improvements in support of the organizational mission.
• Provides analysis, data, and reporting to assess the effectiveness of current programs and services and to inform decisions and make recommendations to College leadership.
• Creates and implements new strategies to improve and measure the success of programs and events.
• Evaluates events and programs and conducts analysis for cost-saving measures.
• Uses event data and outcomes to inform future programming decisions, prioritize resources, and align event strategy with College goals related to recruitment, engagement, and external visibility.

Supervision - 15%
• Supervises a team of one to two professional faculty and a team of student employees.
• Provides lead work to classified and professional staff within college units as needed in support of event management
• Establishes clear workflows, expectations, and accountability measures for staff and student employees to ensure consistency and quality in event execution.
• Provides ongoing direction, feedback, and performance management to ensure deadlines and standards are met.

Service/Professional Development - 10%
• Collaborates with colleagues in planning programs that contribute to the College's mission.
• Identify best practices in the fields of event management and constituent engagement through continued professional development, with a focus on enhancing understanding and implementation of DEI principles to foster a culture of continuous learning and inclusivity.

What You Will Need
• Bachelor's Degree in business, communications, hospitality, marketing, public relations, or related field.
• Seven plus (7+) years of professional experience planning and managing events.
• Demonstrated success in event design.
• Experience managing projects using project management software to coordinate tasks, track progress, and meet deadlines
• Commitment to promoting inclusive excellence with all audiences.
• Proficiency in software applications including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, Publisher, and Adobe Acrobat.
• Experience managing multiple, competing assignments simultaneously and working under pressure.
• Experience setting priorities, developing work plans, monitoring progress, and tracking details/data/information.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent projects with competing deadlines, including strong organizational skills, follow-through, and proactive communication with stakeholders.
• Ability to manage time effectively, both independently and in a team environment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, utilizing inclusive language and the ability to communicate with tact and diplomacy across diverse cultural boundaries.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to implement creative problem solving and make independent decisions with little to no oversight.
• Ability to maintain professional decorum and show a high level of diplomacy with all students, University employees and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to provide high-level customer service.
• Demonstrated ability to manage remote events via platforms like Zoom.
• This position is designated as a critical or security-sensitive position; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a criminal history check and be determined to be position qualified as per University Standard: 05-010 et seq. Incumbents are required to self-report convictions and those in youth programs may have additional criminal history checks every 24 months.
• This position requires driving a university vehicle or a personal vehicle on behalf of the university; therefore, the incumbent must successfully complete a motor vehicle history check, possess and maintain a current, valid driver's license in their state of residence, be determined to be position qualified and self-report convictions as per University Policy 05-030.

What We Would Like You to Have
• Previous experience working in higher education.
• Previous experience working with or within a nonprofit organization or private foundation.
• Experience with overseeing and executing large-scale events for alumni, volunteers, students, industry partners, and/or other community constituents.
• Supervisory experience.

Working Conditions / Work Schedule
• The Director of Events is resp