Executive Director for Event Management

University of Texas at Austin•UT MAIN CAMPUS, UT

4d•Onsite

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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.
Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
The University Development Office does not sponsor work visas for this position.

Nice To Haves

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.

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.