Executive Director of University Events

Job description

Job Posting Title: Executive Director for Event Management ---- Hiring Department: University Development Office ---- Position Open To: All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40 ---- FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest Start Date: Immediately ---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue ---- Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS ---- Job Details: General Notes About The University of Texas at Austin What starts here changes the world. The University of Texas at Austin, founded in 1883, ranks among the best universities in the world. With 76 programs ranked in the top 10, UT Austin is the #1 public university in Texas and the #7 public university in the nation. Like the state it calls home, The University of Texas at Austin is a bold, ambitious leader supporting more than 55,000 students, 4,750 faculty, 15,000 staff and top national programs across 18 colleges and schools. Amid the backdrop of Austin, Texas, a city recognized for its creative and entrepreneurial spirit, the University provides a place to explore countless opportunities for tomorrow’s artists, scientists, athletes, doctors, entrepreneurs and engineers. Learn more about UT’s mission and values and leadership . Why Join Texas Development? The University of Texas at Austin is a thriving hub of learning and discovery that anchors our city and enables excellence and innovation on the highest level. And it’s only possible because generous supporters believe in the power and promise of our state’s flagship university to change the world. With more than $6 billion raised in the What Starts Here campaign, Texas Development is quickly becoming one of the best fundraising programs in public higher education. Texas Development is a dynamic community of 500+ fundraising professionals across the Forty Acres. We strive to reach the highest levels of achievement and success in all that we do by creating meaningful and powerful experiences for our donors. Follow your passion, grow your career and help us change the world . Benefits The University provides a competitive benefits package that includes insurance and retirement benefits in addition to other programs and services. Texas Development supports growth by offering professional development opportunities that help every team member accomplish their goals, enrich their skillset and deepen their engagement with UT. Purpose The Executive Director for Event Management leads the team responsible for planning and executing the university’s most visible events, including presidential, ceremonial, development, student experience, and campus-wide programs. This position oversees project management, production staff, and event operations and is responsible for ensuring work moves forward, priorities remain clear, deadlines are met, and events are delivered at a high level. The Executive Director is expected to identify issues early, remove obstacles, balance workloads, and ensure staff are working proactively rather than reactively. This role is equal parts people leadership and event leadership. Success requires strong judgment, accountability, decisiveness, follow-through, and the ability to lead through others. The Executive Director works closely with the Chief Experience Officer and university leadership to turn strategy into action and ensure the department consistently delivers exceptional work. Responsibilities Lead and oversee a portfolio of high-profile university events, ensuring projects are well planned, well executed, and aligned with institutional priorities. Provide direct leadership for project managers, coordinators, production staff, and event operations personnel. Set expectations, monitor progress, provide feedback, and address performance issues when necessary. Ensure projects remain on schedule, decisions are made in a timely manner, risks are identified early, and teams are consistently working ahead, rather than reacting to deadlines. Review project progress regularly and challenge assumptions, timelines, and recommendations to ensure work is advancing at the pace and quality expected by the department. Balance workloads, staffing assignments, and departmental resources to support successful execution across the event portfolio. Remove barriers, solve problems, and make decisions that keep projects moving forward. Oversee event planning, logistics, production, staffing, inventory, safety and security coordination, and on-site execution. Develop and maintain planning processes, operational standards, tools, and procedures that improve consistency, efficiency, and quality. Work closely with university partners, vendors, and stakeholders to coordinate planning, communication, approvals, and execution. Oversee budgets, vendor relationships, contracts, purchasing activity, and resource decisions with a focus on responsible stewardship of university resources. Evaluate event outcomes, team performance, and stakeholder feedback to identify improvements and strengthen future planning efforts. Represent University Events & Experience with professionalism, sound judgment, and composure during planning meetings, executive briefings, rehearsals, and live events. Additional duties as assigned. Salary OPEN Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience. Ten years of progressively responsible experience in event management, event operations, hospitality, advancement events, project management, or a related field. Five years of supervisory experience leading professional staff, including coaching, performance management, accountability, workload planning, and employee development. Experience leading complex, high-visibility events involving executive leadership, multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and significant operational complexity. Demonstrated ability to lead teams, establish expectations, hold people accountable, and achieve results through others. Experience managing budgets, staffing plans, vendors, production schedules, and event operations. Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and ensure follow-through. Excellent communication and relationship-building skills. Ability to solve problems, make sound decisions, and lead effectively in fast-paced and changing environments. Ability to work evenings, weekends, and extended hours as required. Preferred Qualifications Leadership experience in higher education, hospitality, nonprofit, advancement, government, or similarly complex organizations. Experience leading managers, project managers, coordinators, production teams, temporary staff, students, volunteers, and vendors. Experience producing presidential events, commencement ceremonies, donor and alumni events, student programs, protocol-driven events, conferences, or other large-scale public events. Demonstrated success improving team performance, strengthening accountability, and implementing operational processes that improve efficiency and consistency. Experience working directly with senior executives, donors, board members, elected officials, or other high-profile stakeholders. Knowledge of university operations, protocol, risk management, accessibility requirements, procurement, contracting, and public safety coordination. Working Conditions This is an on-site position (40 hours per week) and the schedule will vary based on university and department schedules, and with the types of events scheduled and operational functions. Work late evenings and some weekends for scheduled events. Hours are subject to change. Works in standard office conditions, in a shared office environment, with repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation. May work in all weather conditions. Regular and consistent attendance is required in this job. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. The University Development Office does not sponsor work visas for this position. This position is based in Austin, Texas. Required Materials Resume/CV 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor Letter of interest Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes. Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above. ---- Employment Eligibility: Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval. ---- Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. ---- Background Checks: A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position. ---- Equal Opportunity Employer: The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer , complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. ---- Pay Transparency: The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. ---- Employment Eligibility Verification: If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university. ---- E-Verify: The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following: E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF] ---- Compliance: Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031 . The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.