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Overview

Position Summary

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Directly manage events that advance the mission of NIU, including commencement ceremonies, building dedications, trustee events, retirement events, recognition ceremonies and more.
• Develop and enforce event timelines, manage contracts, and ensure efficiency throughout the planning process for assigned events. Consistently handle multiple events and priorities in a calm and professional manner, and resolve barriers as needed.
• Develop and manage event budgets, including monitoring of expenditures and preparation of reports. Negotiate and administer contracts with vendors, including gathering new vendor proposals as appropriate.
• Develop and manage relationships with external vendors when needed.
• Draft and edit internal and external communications to university constituents, including VIPs, faculty, staff, students, and guests. Oversee the RSVP tracking and confirmation process.
• Directly coordinate and cultivate strong and positive relationships with university staff (Building events staff, Campus Safety and Security, Campus Operations, Housekeeping, Parking, Multi-media, College volunteers, Marketing and Communications, etc.) and vendors (caterers, equipment installers, staging, florists, etc.) to organize, plan, coordinate and execute all of the university events.
• Manage event registration process, including researching and implementing new event registration systems and technologies. Troubleshoot registration issues as they may arise during events.
• Supervise all aspects of the onsite event, including event load-in, execution, and event load-out.
• Researches and implements virtual and hybrid event technologies to expand the reach of traditional in-person events and meetings, and to engage the wide-ranging audiences of NIU more effectively.
• Establish and adhere to event safety guidelines in consultation with internal departments and external event safety and industry advisory groups.
• Author post-event reports, identifying strengths of each event and areas for future improvement. Conduct post-event meetings with all event stakeholders and vendors and continuously evaluate and document event planning protocols and procedures.
• Coordinate and arrange for accessibility measures for events to ensure a welcoming environment for individuals with disabilities, including but not limited to ASL interpreting, wheelchair access, closed captioning, and electronic text.
• Keep the Office of Marketing and Communications up to date with current events so that the appropriate publicity can be supplied.

• Lead the planning, implementation, execution and review of all commencement ceremonies and related events.
• Has a lead role in creating content for NIU’s commencement program including collecting all ceremony information and ensuring its accuracy. Creates communications, updates websites, and designs event materials including brochures and programs, and other relevant materials with the NIU marketing team.
• Collaboratively reviews, revises, and maintains commencement websites; manages and oversees web page development and editing for the Office of the Provost/President; and updates content, data, imagery, and other web-dependent files as needed.
• Work directly with associate deans and/or college commencement contacts throughout commencement planning.
• Supervise and direct operational and logistical items, including event plans, scripts, run of shows, venue, and staging diagrams in collaboration with facility events manager.
• In coordination with the Registrar, manage event eligibility and student registration and ticketing.
• Recruit, select, and direct volunteers and faculty marshals for events. Oversee tasks delegated to volunteers including faculty marshals and ensure alignment with event goals and priorities.
• Manage university budget for commencement ceremonies.
• Develop strategies to improve commencement experience and ensure NIU graduates and guest experience is positive.

Minimum Required Qualifications (Civil Service)

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Marketing, Public Relations, Communications, Business Administration, Student Affairs, or a closely related field

• Three (3) years of related event coordination and/or management experience.

• Proficient computer skills (MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) required.

• Flexibility to work events on weekends and evenings as scheduled.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) (Civil Service)

1. Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
2. Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership techniques, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
3. Skill in analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
4. Skill in scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
5. Skill in oral and written communication.
6. Ability to adjust actions in relation to others’ actions.
7. Ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
8. Ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
9. Ability to develop specific goals, plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish tasks.
10. Ability to work effectively with staff, the public, and outside constituency groups
11. Ability to effectively plan, delegate, and supervise the work of others.
12. Ability to utilize various computer software packages, such as Accounting Software, query, etc.
13. Ability to work independently and exercise judgment in order to be able to analyze and investigate a variety of questions or problems.
14. Ability to analyze and develop guidelines, procedures, and systems.

• Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills and an ability to relate articulately and with diplomacy with diverse groups including the President, Provost, trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, major supporters of the university, and the general public.
• Must be organized and demonstrate the ability to work independently, multitask, function effectively in a fast-paced environment without getting flustered, show great attention to detail, and follow through to completion within time constraints.
• Highly developed judgment, decision-making and problem recognition / avoidance / resolution skills, including skill in determining those issues / problems that need to be brought to management’s attention.
• Occasional weekend and evening work based on event schedule. Must have own transportation for evening and weekend events, and travel to events at regional campuses.
• The ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with diverse multicultural environments while managing multiple priorities and projects.
• Ability to think strategically with excellent people skills, organizational and management skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks efficiently and effectively to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrates good judgment in making decisions and managing events.
• Ability to give clear directives and use independent, rational judgment to make optimal decisions.
• Experience maintaining a high standard of productivity within a broad scope of responsibility despite frequent interruptions.
• Ability to complete large volume of diverse tasks efficiently, meeting established deadlines. Knowledge of principles and practices of volunteer recruitment, supervision, motivation, and evaluation.
• Proficient computer skills (MS Office, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook) required.

Specialty Factors (Civil Service)

Preferred Qualifications (Civil Service)

• Three (3) years of experience in a higher education institution with demonstrated understanding of the academic and administrative function of the university.
• Demonstrate excellent written and oral communication skills and an ability to relate articulately and with diplomacy with diverse groups including the President, Provost, trustees, faculty, staff, alumni, major supporters of the university, and the general public.
• Must be organized and demonstrate the ability to work independently, multitask, function effectively in a fast-paced environment without getting flustered, show great attention to detail, and follow through to completion within time constraints.
• Highly developed judgment, decision-making and problem recognition / avoidance / resolution skills, including skill in determining those issues / problems that need to be brought to management’s attention.
• Occasional weekend and evening work based on event schedule. Must have own transportation for evening and weekend events, or travel to events at regional campuses.
• The ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with diverse multicultural environments while managing multiple priorities and projects.
• Ability to think strategically with excellent people skills, organizational and management skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks efficiently and effectively to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrates good judgment in making decisions and managing events.
• Ability to give clear directives and use independent, rational judgment to make optimal decisions.
• Experience maintaining a high standard of productivity within a broad scope of responsibility despite frequent interruptions.
• Ability to complete large volume of diverse tasks efficiently, meeting established deadlines. Knowledge of principles and practices of volunteer recruitment, supervision, motivation, and evaluation.

Minimum Required Qualifications (SPS)

Additional Requirements (SPS)

Preferred Qualifications (SPS)

Physical demands/requirements

• Regular office related duties
• Ability to work for extended periods at computer workstation.
• Occasional lifting and moving items weighing up to 25 lbs.
• Flexibility to work events on weekends and evenings as scheduled.