Associate Director of Events & Guest Services

University of Arkansas • Fayetteville, NC

1d

About The Position

The Associate Director of Events & Guest Services provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and administrative direction for all Arkansas Union events and guest‑facing operations. This role is responsible for ensuring exceptional service delivery across reservations, event coordination, event setup, production services, and guest relations for one of the most active buildings on campus. The Associate Director oversees budget and billing for Event and Guest Services units, and the daily operations of a large, high‑volume service team. This role is an integral member of the Arkansas Union leadership team and acts on behalf of the Director in their absence. The Associate Director serves as a key member of the Union’s leadership team and collaborates closely with campus partners to support student success, community engagement, programmatic excellence, and efficient facility operations. This position oversees professional staff, student employees, and multiple service units to ensure high-quality experiences that reflect the mission, values, and brand of the Arkansas Union and the Division of Student Affairs. Regular, reliable, and non‑disruptive attendance is an essential job duty, as is the ability to create and maintain collegial, harmonious working relationships with others.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in hospitality management, student affairs, business administration, or related field from an accredited institution of higher education
• At least four years of progressively responsible experience in event management, student union operations, hospitality, or related areas
• At least two years of experience working in event/reservations management systems such as EMS, Mazévo, or 25Live
• Applicable equivalencies may be considered for the above qualifications.
• At least two years of staff supervision experience
• Knowledge of risk management best practices including but not limited to emergency management, risk mitigation, and event safety/security
• Knowledge of university policies and procedures
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders
• Ability to work nights and weekends as needed to support the overall building operations

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in higher education, hospitality management, project management, or related field from an accredited institution of higher education
• Experience in a university or student union setting
• Hands-on experience with AV/production services, customer service training, or large-scale event operations

Benefits

• The benefits package includes university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance, tuition waivers for employees and their families, 12 official holidays, immediate leave accrual, and a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 1-10 employees