Event Planner

The University of Virginia’s Karsh Institute of Democracy is seeking an Event Planner. This position reports to the Director of Research and will perform a wide variety of functions to support events of the Research and Academic Initiatives team. The Karsh Institute is a pan-university institute that brings together a range of scholars, journalists, policy makers and practitioners in various fields to study and advance the prospects of democracy in the United States and around the world.

The Event Planner will support events to further the priorities of the Karsh Institute through convenings that amplify work on democracy, connect with audiences, and enrich the public discourse. This position will involve event development and execution, vendor booking and management, collaboration and communication with event partners and speakers, and logistics management, among other duties.

This member of the Karsh Institute team will work independently and in coordination with UVA faculty and other Karsh staff, in particular the Labs Coordinator, Senior Finance Generalist, Project Manager, and occasionally others on the Karsh communications and programming teams.

The events in the Research and Academic initiatives portfolio range from public-facing conversations, faculty workshops, to working meetings that culminate in public events with cross-sector partners. The event planner will work with various partners both internal and external to UVA and engage with different audiences from students, faculty, leaders in other sectors, to members of the Charlottesville-area community. For examples of our events, please visit our “Events” at: https://karshinstitute.virginia.edu/events

The Karsh Institute of Democracy will move into a new building in the Ivy Corridor in early 2027. This presents the person in this role with an exceptional opportunity to grow professionally in the event execution space, with a new range of event formats and spaces, including a state-of-the art auditorium with a hotel adjacent to the new building.

Responsibilities

Event Development and Execution

• Coordinating all aspects of event planning, including advising on appropriate formats, identifying and booking rooms or venues at Bond House, on Grounds, or off-Grounds, and securing relevant vendors and services in those spaces.
  
• Planning for event needs, such as arranging and booking travel and accommodation for speakers and participants.
  
• Planning and booking catering for events and other services that might be necessary, such as book sales.
  
• Anticipating needs for recurring events, reviewing previous procedures, materials and attendee trends, and looking for improvements in process and audience experience.
  
• Occasionally executing virtual events through Zoom, including creating and hosting live Webinar events.
  

Vendor Booking and Management

• Tracking and ensuring vendor contracts are paid, speaker honorarium and guest reimbursement are issued, and final costs collected to update and close out each event and its budget.
  
• Anticipating needs and coordinating AV vendors in the Bond House space.
  

Logistics Management

• Providing regular logistics updates for individual and team tracking documents (event memos, speaker briefings and event workbooks) and presenting updates in team meetings.
  
• Attending to speaker and audience experience, from sound, visuals, formats, displays, timekeeping, staging -- all with an eye toward ensuring the event goes as well as possible for speakers and audiences.
  
• Ensuring procurement and purchasing procedures are followed and budgets managed accordingly.
  
• In addition to the above job responsibilities, other duties may be assigned.
  

Minimum Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree
  
• Experience: At least one year of experience.
  
• Must have demonstrated professional event planning and execution experience
  
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Microsoft Excel, OneDrive, PowerPoint, Teams, and SharePoint.
  
• Ability to work independently and demonstrate professional judgment on when to ask questions and seek help from team members and partners.
  
• Exhibit a professional and positive demeanor in high pressure situations, as well as effective communication and relationship building with various groups of individuals and organizations.
  
• Creative problem solving and the flexibility to adapt to a fast-paced environment.
  
• A proactive disposition/capable of taking initiative and anticipating needs related to event planning and execution.
  
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
  
• Attention to detail and excellent organizational and planning skills, with an ability to prioritize tasks, follow up on and track details accurately and communicate task progress.
  

Preferred Qualifications

• Risk management mindset with regard to event planning and execution.
  
• Experience or interest in improving efficiencies in event development and execution.
  
• Familiarity working with audio-visual vendors, and an interest in developing fluency with audio-visual systems and videoconferencing.
  
• An interest in audience engagement, ensuring audiences are welcomed to the venue and have a positive experience at events.
  
• Experience in an academic environment and knowledge of academic culture and norms.
  

Physical Demands
This is primarily a sedentary job involving extensive use of desktop computers. The job does occasionally require traveling some distance to attend meetings and programs. Transporting and setting up items up to 20lbs. The position occasionally involves planning and execution of events outside of regular business hours.

The anticipated hiring range for this position is $50,000- $60,000. This is an exempt level, benefited position. Review of applications will begin on the morning of Monday, March 10, 2025. Applications received after this will be reviewed until the position is filled.

This position is hybrid, located in Charlottesville, VA. The anticipated start date is late April/early May 2025. This position is a restricted position and is dependent upon project need, availability of funding and performance.

A valid driver's license is preferred for transportation of equipment or catering for event set up.

The University will perform background checks on all new hires prior to employment.

To Apply: Please apply through the UVA job board , and search for R0069884. Internal applicants must apply through their UVA Workday profile by searching 'Find Jobs'. Complete an application online with the following documents:

• CV/Resume
  
• 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, Skill Survey.

For additional information about the position, please contact Jessica Kimpell Johnson at jk4sa@virginia.edu .

For questions about the application process, please contact Jon Freeman, Recruiting Specialist, at jf2sw@virginia.edu .

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

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 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, pregnancy, sexual orientation, veteran or military status, and family medical or genetic information.