JR13683 – Event Coordinator

About Us

The University of Chicago is an urban research university that has driven new ways of thinking since 1890. Our commitment to free and open inquiry draws inspired scholars to our global campuses, where ideas are born that challenge and change the world. We empower individuals to challenge conventional thinking in pursuit of original ideas. Students in the College develop critical, analytic, and writing skills in our rigorous, interdisciplinary core curriculum. Through graduate programs, students test their ideas with UChicago scholars, and become the next generation of leaders in academia, industry, nonprofits, and government.

About the Department

MAPSS, MACSS, and CIR recruit talented students from across the United States and around the world. Those students are each trained in the fundamentals of graduate research, selecting from a wide array of methodological and substantive courses. Approximately 35% go on to elite PhD programs after they graduate, while the majority pursue research-oriented careers with the help of an in-house Career Service team. Students are selected from a wide array of backgrounds, experiences, and research trajectories, and help to make the Division of Social Sciences a more diverse and vibrant intellectual community.

The MA Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS), the MA Program in Computational Social Science (MACSS), and the Committee on International Relations (CIR) invite applications for an Event Coordinator. These three programs expect to welcome 560 MA students and have a combined academic staff of 35, an administrative staff of 8, and 4 Faculty Directors. Approximately 50 percent of admitted MA students are international, and 50 percent are domestic. They come from more than 275 different undergraduate institutions and nearly 45 different countries.

Job Summary

The job provides professional support and solves straightforward problems in a broad range of operational business activities in the creation of plans for events programming, marketing, and logistics. With guidance from others, monitors the execution of events.

Reporting to the Managing Director of MA Programs, the Event Coordinator will work closely with the different MA leaderships and the academic and administrative staff of MAPSS, MACSS, and CIR to organize and execute a wide variety of program events. Some of those events are very well-attended and critical to program operations, including the Staff and Student Orientations, Campus Days for Visiting Students, Alumni Events, the annual Career Exploration Events, the End-of-Year Celebrations, June Convocation, and the August Summer Degree Celebration. Others are smaller and take place on an occasional weekly or biweekly basis. They include student wellness activities, career service events, staff meetings, collaborative writing workshops, and program-specific social and academic events.

The Event Coordinator will book spaces, hire vendors, manage student workers, maintain budgets, advertise the event through dedicated websites and social media, and assure that all events meet whatever University, COVID, or contractual protocols may be in place, from logistical preparation to post-event wrap up. We expect event advertisement to include social media mentions (through some combination of Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.), emailed RSVPs, website updates, and print posters.

The wellness and program social events will be at the discretion of the Event Coordinator, and will be developed in partnership with a number of different offices across campus. That programming will be developed strategically and may evolve over time, with an eye to maximizing student turnout and satisfaction, and making the most effective use of the budgets we provide.

For most events, the Event Coordinator and/or their student assistants will be on site to assist with any last-minute problems or issues that may arise.

Responsibilities

o Create a strategic plan for annual events, in collaboration with program leadership and administrative team members, making sure that events are well spaced out, logically ordered, and held at times that will maximize turnout for large-budget commitments

o Develop, maintain, post, and share an annual event calendar with all MA staff and students

o Create resources and tools that help streamline the event planning process and assure that all logistics are completed within the appropriate time frame

o Ensure all events exhibit high-level quality in planning and execution to meet and exceed Divisional and MA program expectations

o Develop and maintain strong relationships with campus partners, external organizations, alumni, staff, and other stakeholders

o Create and propose budgets as outlined by project needs and objectives

o Monitor revenue and expense performance; ensure adherence to determined budget requirements

o Evaluate the effectiveness of activities in achieving program objectives, by distributing occasional surveys, collaborating with student representatives, and putting together small advisory councils selected from our MA students and alumni

o Research and propose event and/or speaker ideas that further the strategic goals of our MA programs

o Proactively contribute to overall team success by presenting ideas, identifying problems, anticipating needs and researching solutions

o Manage and track RSVPs and other attendee responses

o Generate onsite event materials, such as printing and assembling name badges and other supplies, table tents, basic event signage, etc.

o Provide any needed additional support in cases where the event is organized by our career service team or other academic staff

o Be willing to attend and support occasional events in the late afternoon or early evening

o Hire, train, and supervise the occasional student hire who will assist with event logistics or other tasks that the Event Coordinator may designate

o Executes day-to-day event logistics, and other moderately complex assignments with some guidance from others.

o Reviews and finalizes the guest lists, assists with mailing invitations and creates brochures for the event.

o Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field and knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Preferred Qualifications

An undergraduate degree in the social sciences or a related field is expected; An advanced degree in the social sciences, education, communications, or public policy is highly valued; The applicant should be comfortable working with diverse students from many different backgrounds.

Preferred Competencies

o Strong marketing and event management skills

o Ability to problem-solve with minimal direction

o Exercise good judgment in key-decision making

o Ability to deliver high-quality work under pressure

o Strong project management and analytical skills

o Excellent communication and customer service skills

o Willingness and ability to work some evenings and weekends

o Ability to learn new systems

o Ability to work on multiple projects and manage day-to-day tasks effectively and professionally

Technical Knowledge and Skills

o The applicant should be comfortable with a computer and learning new software.

o Familiarity with Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Docs, Zoom, Adobe Acrobat and some of the more common social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, WeChat, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) is expected.

o Some familiarity with website/electronic poster design will be very helpful.

o Opportunities to develop better skills with survey software (e.g. Qualtrics, Survey Monkey), publishing and social media software (e.g. Adobe InDesign, Hootsuite), and website maintenance (e.g. Drupal) after on-boarding.

Required Documents

o Resume/CV (required)

o A one to two page cover letter outlining the candidate’s interest in the position, any relevant prior experience, and areas where the candidate hopes to grow in the role (required)

o Contact information for three references (required)

Review of candidates will begin December 3rd, and will continue until the position is filled or the search is closed.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position. The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.