Assistant Director of Event Management

Job Description

At Virginia Tech, events do more than bring people together. They spark connection, celebrate achievement, inspire learning, and bring our Student Affairs community to life. From welcoming staff at Fall Kick-Off to recognizing excellence through Aspire! Celebrations, our events create meaningful experiences that strengthen relationships, build culture, and advance our mission. The Assistant Director of Event Management helps bring many of Student Affairs' most visible and meaningful experiences to life.

As the division's event management expert, this position provides creativity, organization, and operational leadership for a dynamic portfolio of divisional, employee engagement, professional development, recognition, and Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs events. This role is responsible for creating memorable, inclusive, and high-quality experiences that engage employees, campus partners, and friends of Student Affairs. The Assistant Director develops and manages coordinated event planning processes that advance divisional priorities, strengthen the employee experience, and support a culture of belonging, recognition, and engagement.

From big-picture planning to day-of execution, the Assistant Director supports the full event lifecycle, including event design, project management, budget coordination, vendor and contract management, marketing coordination, event technology, assessment, and continuous improvement. This position serves as a key resource for event management across the division, providing consultation, tools, and guidance to support consistent, high-quality event experiences. The Assistant Director collaborates and partners with Student Affairs Marketing & Communications, Student Affairs Professional Development, Student Affairs Advancement, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, university partners, and divisional leadership to support signature experiences.

This includes leading divisional and employee‑focused events while collaborating with Advancement on advancement‑related events as appropriate and needed. This position reports directly to the Director of Marketing and Communications and works closely with the Chief of Operations to ensure divisional events are well coordinated, mission‑aligned, and thoughtfully executed.

• Bachelor's degree in Event Management, Hospitality Management, Higher Education Administration, Communications, Marketing, Business Administration, or related field.
• Substantive professional experience with progressively increasing responsibility in leading complex event planning and management initiatives, preferably within higher education, nonprofit organizations, advancement/development, or similarly complex environments.
• Demonstrated experience managing large‑scale, high‑visibility events involving multiple stakeholders, executive leadership, and cross‑functional planning teams.
• Experience developing and managing comprehensive event plans, project timelines, run‑of‑show documents, and event operations from concept through assessment.
• Demonstrated experience managing event budgets, financial reconciliation, purchasing processes, and resource allocation.
• Experience negotiating and managing vendor relationships, contracts, and service agreements.
• Proven proficiency with event registration and management platforms (e.g., Cvent or similar systems), including registration workflows, reporting, communications, and data management.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to lead multiple concurrent initiatives, meet deadlines, and manage competing priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze data and utilize assessment findings to inform decision‑making and continuous improvement…