Events Manager, College of Arts and Sciences

PAY GRADE: 29E

CONTEXT OF THE JOB:

The College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) is the largest college at the University of Delaware, encompassing 22 academic departments and numerous interdisciplinary centers, programs, and institutes across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. CAS plays a central role in the University’s academic mission, serving more than 7,300 undergraduate and 1,100 graduate students. With more than 500 faculty and over 300 staff, CAS supports a vibrant academic and research environment, with annual research expenditures exceeding $40 million. Staff members are essential to this mission, providing critical support to students, faculty, and academic units, and helping to foster a collaborative community engaged in research, teaching, and public service.

Under the limited director of the Director, CAS Events, the Events Manager plans and develops internal and external programs and events within the arts performance venues to engage the internal and external community and further the mission of the College of Arts and Sciences and its partners. The Events Manager organizes and executes events and performances sponsored by the College of Arts & Sciences that are hosted on campus in CAS venues or off campus. The Events Manager will be the primary point of contact for external clients hosting events in CAS venues.

MAJOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Partner with Director, CAS Events to develop and execute the annual events strategy for CAS venues; design and deliver short- and long-term event plans that increase engagement and visibility, aligning events with College priorities.
• Serve as primary contact for external events in CAS performance venues; manages space use (CFA and others), advises on venue selection, and oversees logistics including staffing, timelines, billing, technical needs, and event setup; coordinate resources and resolves scheduling conflicts and on-site issues.
• Assist in planning and execution of all aspects of performances and events in CAS venues, including technical needs, box office/registration, logistics, staffing, and budget oversight
• Evaluate event success using attendance, feedback, and ROI metrics; recommend improvements to increase engagement and inform future events.
• Exercise sound judgment and diplomacy while serving as liaison among contractors, organizers, faculty, and administrators.
• Lead and coordinate CFA tours for prospective students, guests, and administrators.
• Assess event risks and implement mitigation strategies.
• Perform event setup and staging, including arranging equipment, seating, tables, and instruments in performance venues.
• Maintain internal communications platforms with current event policies, procedures, forms, and deadlines; maintain internal platforms with up-to-date event policies, procedures, forms, and deadlines.
• Provide support to the Sr. Events Manager with the hiring, onboarding, training, and timesheet approval process for part-time events crew staff.
• Supervise event staff, provide on-site operational support as needed, and coordinate day-of-event ticket sales with the CAS Events Team
• Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree and three years of experience in event planning, ideally in a higher education environment, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience working with high-end events and VIP clients preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, produce, and coordinate event logistics for a variety of events.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks concurrently, and skill in organizing resources and establishing/adjusting priorities in a rapidly changing environment.
• Excellent written, interpersonal, organizational, and oral communication skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively with team members.
• Ability to assess contract compliance and product/service quality.
• Ability to self-motivate, make independent judgment and to perform tasks on own initiative, many of which have no precedent.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must work evenings, weekends, and holidays to support the demands of various events.
• Ability to lift at least 50 pounds unassisted.
• Ability to work with ladders, lifts and scaffolding on a semi-regular basis.