Associate Director for Major Events and External Relations

The University of Virginia seeks applications for an Associate Director for Major Events and External Relations to join the Office of the President . This position is a critical member of a team charged with planning and coordinating events and interfacing with a range of stakeholders important to the University of Virginia . The Associate Director will report to the Executive Director for Major Events and External Relations.

The right Associate Director for Major Events and External Relations will be a self-motivated, empathetic, high performer who consistently achieves departmental, organizational, and institutional objectives. Primary responsibilities include conceptualizing, planning, and executing high-level events on behalf of the University’s president and senior leaders. Events include, but are not limited to Finals Weekend, events sponsored by the President, building dedications, Commonwealth Day, Homecomings, Days on the Lawn, New Student Orientation, Reunions Weekend, Family Weekend, advancement events, visits by dignitaries, sports-related events, and other special and pan-University events.

The Associate Director is responsible for managing two coordinators on the Major Events and External Relations team, including oversight of each coordinator’s portfolio of responsibilities. These responsibilities include the creation and maintenance of all departmental print and digital communications, websites, inbound and outbound phone and e-mail communications, web-based event registrations, and event planning support for all events managed by the Major Events and External Relations team.

The Associate Director will advise the Executive Director on important issues and requests and, on occasion, may be asked to represent the Executive Director at meetings, University events, or on University committees.

The Associate Director will interact daily with key stakeholders, including event attendees, University leaders, faculty, staff, students, and community members.

In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.

Required education/experience/skills:

• Bachelor’s Degree and 4 years of related experience
• 2 or more years of experience in personnel management and demonstrated ability to motivate, develop, and retain a diverse and high performing team.
• Experience with negotiating contracts with vendors.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent projects in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint).
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and time management skills.
• Strong interpersonal and public relations skills in interacting with diverse constituencies.
• Aptitude for exercising independent judgement and proactive critical thinking.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to be flexible when confronted with changing priorities.
• Ability to work in an environment with clearly defined processes and procedures.
• Ability to work in a team environment where a project’s success is determined by both the individual and team’s efforts.
• Understanding of protocol, discretion, and confidentiality.
• The job may occasionally require travel to attend meetings or events, as well as the ability to work evenings and weekend events on an as-needed basis.

Preferred skills:

• Six or more years of related event planning and managerial experience.
• Experience working in higher education or a non-profit organization.
• Experience working with Cvent, Eventbrite, and other event registration tools.

For additional information about the position, please contact Cecil Banks, Executive Director for Major Events and External Relations at banks@virginia.edu .

Salary Range: Anticipated hiring range of $90,000 to $100,000 annually, commensurate with education and experience.

Physical demands:

This position is a primarily sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computer. On occasion for events, it will require the ability to move event materials as needed (20 lbs.), as well as moving and being in a stationary position.

The position is located in Charlottesville, VA and is required to work in a shared office space on the grounds of the University of Virginia.

The anticipated start date is Summer 2024. This is an Exempt level, benefited position. For more information on the benefits at UVA, visit hr.virginia.edu/benefits .

This position will remain open until filled. Review of Applicants will begin on Monday, May 20, 2024. The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment. This position will not sponsor for work visas.

To Apply:

Please apply through the University job board, Careers at UVA , and search for R0059914.

Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching ‘Find Jobs’ or through their ‘Jobs Hub’. Applicants must complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV
• Cover letter

Upload all materials into the resume submission field, multiple documents can be submitted into this one field. Alternatively, merge all documents into one PDF for submission. Applications that do not contain all required documents will not receive full consideration.

References will be completed via UVA’s standardized process SkillSurvey. A total of five references will be requested via SkillSurvey during the final phase of the interview process.

For questions about the application process, please contact Daniel Strong, Senior Recruiter at das6zb@virginia.edu .

For more information about UVA and the Charlottesville community please see http://www.virginia.edu/life/charlottesville and https://embarkcva.com/ .

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Education: Bachelor's degree
Experience: Four years of experience. Additional experience may be considered in lieu of degree.
Licensure: None.

The University of Virginia, i ncluding the UVA Health System which represents the UVA Medical Center, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, UVA Physician’s Group and the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, are fundamentally committed to the diversity of our faculty and staff. We believe diversity is excellence expressing itself through every person's perspectives and lived experiences. We are equal opportunity and affirmative action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, veteran status, and family medical or genetic information.