Assistant Director of Events and Marketing

Details•San Diego, CA

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Events and Marketing is responsible for directing the Center’s engagement and visibility through two primary functions: leading the strategic execution and high-impact event management of signature and campus-wide programs, and developing and deploying a comprehensive marketing strategy for key initiatives and programs. The Assistant Director drives student, employer, alumni, and stakeholder engagement, manages complex logistical elements and event budgets, oversees all digital and print content production, and applies a data-driven approach to continuously innovate and maximize the impact of the Career Development Center. In partnership with the Associate Director of Communications and Assessment, the Assistant Director implements the overarching strategic marketing, branding, outreach, and communications plans, to elevate departmental impact and achieve core department goals and initiatives. This role holds primary accountability for the end-to-end logistics and budgetary oversight of major campus-wide and externally facing events, including large-scale career fairs. The Assistant Director drives the unified brand and messaging strategy, utilizing all written and visual communication to boost engagement across internal and external stakeholders, including students, employers, and alumni, while ensuring institutional consistency through close collaboration with campus partners like University Communications. Integral to the office's operations, the position also develops and manages the robust event calendar and hires, trains, and supervises multiple student interns.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Public Relations or related field or equivalent experience/training.
SUBSTITUTION: A high school diploma and two additional years of work experience may substitute for Bachelor’s degree, at the rate of one year of work experience is equivalent to two years of higher education.
Minimum of three (3) years of related experience in event management and/or marketing strategy.
SUBSTITUTION: A Master’s degree may substitute for up to one year of required work experience.
Proven ability to lead strategic planning for integrated events and marketing initiatives, demonstrating the ability to drive concepts from ideation through implementation.
Demonstrated leadership with the ability to provide direction, mentorship, and oversight to student employees, project teams, or professional staff.
Proven experience in working with creative and cross-functional teams, meeting high-volume production deadlines.
Relevant combinations of skills and experience will be considered.
Thorough knowledge of strategic planning, data-driven decision-making, and budget preparation/management.
Strategic Event Direction, Operational Oversight, and Project planning/risk management skills.
Advanced consulting, networking, and interpersonal communication skills with internal and external stakeholders.
Expertise in creating and editing diverse marketing collateral (print and digital), including social media content, reports, and web pages.
Exceptional organizational, detail-orientation, and time management skills, with the proven ability to multitask and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
Strong writing, compiling, editing, and proofreading abilities for professional publications and mass communications (newsletters, emails).
Ability to work with Adobe-based software packages, including Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, and other design platforms (e.g., Canva).
Strong marketing, graphic design, and digital content creation skills (photo/video capture).
Familiarity with Career Services technology, including CRM software and employer vendor platforms.
Ability to cultivate an environment that is welcoming and effective for all individuals, with proven capacity to design inclusive communications and programs that engage diverse student, employer, and stakeholder populations.
Ability to provide considerable knowledge in the formal supervision and training of staff.
Ability to set objectives for professional development and continuous process improvement.
Understanding and appreciation of the mission and values of the University and of the Career Development Center office.
Ability to conduct outreach to employment communities and professional associations, alumni and professional colleagues.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related field or extensive experience in marketing, communications and event planning
Experience within a higher education setting.
Experience with Canva
Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud Suite
Experience with photography and studio lighting
Experience with videography
Website Content Management System experience; Specifically Cascade Server Content Management System (CMS)
Experience with Notion

Responsibilities

Leads the operational execution and event management of all high-visibility events, campus-wide Career Fairs, and strategic signature programs.
Provides strategic oversight and collaborative support across the Center's event and programming portfolio, ensuring effective logistical execution and impact
Oversees the comprehensive execution of event logistics for all major Career Development Center events, including event registrations, space reservations, vendor and supplier management, event layout planning, and staffing.
Manages high-profile internal/external stakeholder relationships, ensuring strong engagement and partnership continuity.
Directs and executes high-volume, effective on-campus promotional and outreach campaigns to maximize event awareness and student engagement.
Manages the selection and management of all internal/external event and marketing vendors, ensuring compliance with the University Procurement office.
Collaborate with campus partners to ensure optimal event management, experience, and attendance.
Effectively leads programming and event execution within a defined budget.
In conjunction with the leadership and functional teams, develops a comprehensive event calendar and manages implementation of all initiatives across the academic year.
Intentionally enhances the user experience (UX) and impact at all events, ensuring a seamless and high-quality environment for attendees.
Drives attendance at events and amplifies the visibility and awareness of programming created by the Career Development Center team.
Captures media (photos/video) from events and leverages them for future marketing and promotional campaigns.
Collaborates closely with the Assistant Director, Assessment and Data to evaluate and enhance the success, impact, and effectiveness of career development events.
Captures feedback and outcomes from events to drive the narrative of the office and promote engagement.
Utilizes a data-driven approach and design thinking to continuously innovate and drive improvements to future events, including developing creative new engagement formats, pop-up activations, and educational workshops.
Directs the implementation and campaign deployment of the marketing and branding strategy to effectively communicate the Career Development Center mission, goals, and initiatives with students, employers, and stakeholders.
Drives awareness and engagement by leading all promotional efforts across the Career Development Center’s technology ecosystem.
Provides leadership and oversight regarding key messaging, media strategy, and preparation for events.
Partners with University Marketing and other campus communicators to ensure consistent institutional messaging, and equips central teams with career content for institutional use.
Oversees and executes communication campaigns to faculty, staff, campus partners, employers, and stakeholders.
Directs strategies and systems to manage workflow for collateral, marketing, and promotional requests from team members and campus constituents.
Develops innovative and creative initiatives that will enhance marketing strategy within the areas of graphic design, photography, video production, and digital media.
Designs and creates, or directs the design and creation of, marketing collateral including the Summer Internship Award Magazine, brochures, flyers, advertisements, and other printed, online, and physical item marketing collateral.
Provides administration and strategic content oversight for the Career Development Center website, ensuring optimal user experience and information architecture.
Oversees the creation of weekly student newsletters and manages all departmental social media accounts.
Uses digital media to share the Career Development Center’s stories and successes with donors, prospective students, employer prospects, parents, alumni, and other stakeholders.
Ensures Career Development Center events and programs are archived through photographs and video clips; captures video interviews with current students, recent alumni, on-campus recruiters, and internship supervisors.
Publishes video stories through social media platforms, website, presentations, and other venues.
Collaborates with central marketing to share digital media pieces with a wider institutional audience.
Exercise supervision of student interns, student employees, coordinator staff, as needed by the office
Onboards and helps train new Career Development Center staff members on policies and procedures related to advertising, marketing and events.
Contributes to the Career Development Center’s strategic plan, marketing initiatives, event management, and broader efforts
Identifies opportunities for program awareness and impact, resource expansion, and increased participation
Recommends operational improvements to align with departmental goals
Analyzes quantitative and qualitative data to refine marketing and event efforts to best execute the Career Development Center’s mission
Serves as liaison to professional associations to stay abreast of current developments in career development and marketing trends.
Provides a supportive learning environment for students and staff.