Events Manager

Job Summary

This position is an imaginative, highly collaborative Events

Manager who plans, develops, implements and refines the college's event marketing strategy, including signature events, faculty/staff-facing experiences, recruitment sessions and celebrations that advance A&S' reputational, engagement and retention goals. Reporting to the Director of Marketing and Content

Strategy, the Events Manager combines experiential design methods with close attention to detail and complex project management to imagine events, align partners, anticipate challenges, contract with vendors, track success metrics and independently initiate changes to strengthen the strategy and attendee experience.

Beyond leading event planning and execution, the Events Manager must have a strong background and excellent skills in strategic planning and complex project management. Partnering with the director of marketing and content strategy, they will guide

A&S' broader events strategy by developing and managing the annual event calendar, establishing event tiers/priorities for new and existing requests and defining key performance indicators that allow college leadership to assess its investment in the event strategy accurately.

Directing logistics and operational planning for in-person, multi-modal and virtual events, the Events Manager will work in partnership with team leads from executive leadership, people engagement and culture (e.g., wellness, faculty affairs and community engagement), student success (e.g., recruitment, academic affairs and academic advising and coaching), access and community engagement, and space management and construction. The role partners closely across marketing, publicity, creative, external and campus vendors, talent, senior leadership and event partners to ensure events are creatively aligned, professionally implemented, operationally sound and reflect the core A&S identity.

CU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. We are committed to creating a workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity, and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Who We Are

The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) is CU Boulder's largest and most academically diverse college. Faculty, staff and students conduct internationally recognized research, scholarship, creative work and education in more than 60 fields across the natural sciences, social sciences and arts and humanities. Our work generates new knowledge, addressing some of the world's most urgent and crucial problems. A&S is a place that leans into your widest interests and gives you the tools, mentors and the space to discover what we call ANDing, or the unbounded exploration of your interests, identities and experiences.

A&S research generates new knowledge, solving some of the world's most critical problems. The college is comprised of three divisions (natural sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities) and is home to more than 800 tenured and tenure-track faculty, approximately 1,000 non-tenure-track teaching faculty, approximately 400 university and classified staff, and more than

17,000 undergraduates and 2,280 graduate students. Faculty in

A&S include five Nobel laureates, 25 members of the American

Academy of Arts and Sciences, nine MacArthur “Genius Grant” winners, four National Medal of Science winners and one Pulitzer

Prize winner.

A&S strives to be a community whose excellence is premised on diversity, equity and inclusion. We seek candidates who share this dedication and demonstrate understanding of the experiences of those historically underrepresented in higher education.

What Your Key Responsibilities Will Be

Lead Manager for A&S Signature Events

• Independently develops, implements, assesses and continually

improves processes for event planning and execution, including event management, event execution, booking and space.

• Schedules rooms and manages associated fees for event

locations.

• Sources vendors and caterers to secure competitive pricing;

coordinates scheduling, estimates, billing and invoice management;

routes contracts and invoices for timely payment.

• Tracks event budgets and purchases and tracks all materials

associated with events, including décor, catering, gifts and rentals.

• Administers events with an expert proficiency in project

management by developing thorough production timelines, budget benchmarks, key performance indicators, delegating tasks, scheduling recurring meetings, post-mortem debriefs, assessments and reporting.

• Directs planning and logistics for signature

events/experiences, especially College Day, Parents Weekend and

Homecoming.

• Ensures all events are accessible for attendees, including but

not limited to coordination of closed captions, translation or interpretation (including ASL) services, ADA accommodations, etc.

• Organizes staff and/or student staff volunteers to work events,

set up and clean up.

• Manages production logistics for virtual events to ensure Zoom

hosting duties are outlined and captioning is available.

• Creates conference websites and registration using the

university's official platforms (Cvent/Salesforce and/or Web

Express/Drupal, Localist).

• Operates as the main point of contact for event logistics,

including talent, catering and volunteer support.

• Manages travel arrangements for event speakers, including

booking flights and lodging.

• For signature events, collaborates with the marketing and

communications team to design feasible themes, experiential tones and design elements that foster emotions, feelings or other goals identified by partners.

• Guides partners through event planning standard methodologies,

including run of show and event components that support an audience experience that is meaningful and/or achieves stated event outcomes.

• Serves as the college’s event expert in and develops a network

of university staff who manage campus safety protocols, license/insurance policies, space and other event-related logistics, including the Campus Alcohol Agent, Event Security and

Emergency Management and Parking.

• Serves as A&S's main Alcohol Designee at events per

university procurement rules.

• Conducts post-event debriefs to critically assess event

effectiveness, manages and distributes post-event surveys to appropriate groups, critically examines findings and develops reports for senior college leadership, including recommendations for improving future events.

• Orders college-branded merchandise for events when

appropriate.

New 9-month programming; position assists with Relationship

Management & Event Guidance

• Advises and supports event organizers in divisions or other

Dean's Office partners when possible.

• Works closely with event organizers across campus to understand

planning, timeline, staffing and production needs for events;

independently adapts event marketing strategy to align the event calendar and maximize each experience’s effectiveness.

• Due to their grasp of CU Boulder’s entire event landscape,

serves as a campus thought partner for planning and provides support when possible.

• Establishes and maintains collaborative working relationships

with A&S and university contacts to accomplish job assignments.

• Provides excellent customer service both to the departments

served and to all event attendees.

• Collaborates with publicity and marketing to build public

awareness and drive attendance.

Event Strategy Management

• Independently develops and implements A&S’ event marketing

strategy (e.g., develop and revise the annual event calendar and event tiers that classify levels of support) and partners with the director of marketing and content strategy to ensure alignment with the college’s overall marketing plan.

• Consults with partners across the college to plan future events

and find opportunities to centralize or share vendors, supplies and other event logistics and standard methodologies.

• Tracks metrics, benchmarks and analytics on event attendance,

engagement and cost to drive data-informed event strategy and critically assess A&S’ investment in events.

• Maintains documentation and communicates processes to ensure

roles, responsibilities and expectations for planning and execution of events are understood by all partners.

Event Innovation

• Operate as the college’s experiential design and event

experience expert, researching event trends, joining events-related associations, attending professional development opportunities focused on progressive event experiences (e.g., Futurespaces), presenting at conferences and proposing new events strategies and/or feasible pilot experiences aligned with the college’s marketing strategy.

• Independently pursues funding and manages budget for

innovative, pilot events and experiences.

• Proposes scalable event innovations to college leadership,

including alignment with signature events.

• Advise students, staff and faculty on University travel

policies and procedures.

• Review and determine if travel requests are appropriate in

accordance with University rules and regulations.

• Analyze and approve travel authorization requests by

determining if travel is within scope/budget when using sponsored project funding.

• Oversee petty cash and gift card processes for department

personnel.

• Stay current on the Office of Cash Management policies and

procedures.

What You Should Know

• This position may work a hybrid format, with three days

required in-person and two days remote.

What We Can Offer

The salary for this position is $71,000 - $75,000. Onboarding assistance may be available for this position.

Benefits

At the University of Colorado Boulder , we are

committed to supporting the holistic health and well-being of our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and retirement plans; generous paid time off; tuition assistance for you and your dependents; and an ECO Pass for local transit. As one of Boulder County’s largest employers, CU Boulder offers an inspiring academic community and access to world-class outdoor recreation. In fact, CU Boulder has been named one of

Forbes' America's Best

Large Employers , ranking #4 among large employers in Colorado and #28 among universities nationwide. Explore additional perks and programs through the CU Advantage program.

Be Statements

Be creative. Be impactful. Be Boulder.

What We Require

• Bachelor's degree.
• Equivalent experience on a year-for-year basis may substitute

for the degree requirement.

• 5 years of professional event planning/coordination

experience.

What You Will Need

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite.
• Demonstrated strong written and verbal communication

skills.

• Ability to work diplomatically with various constituencies with

competing agendas.

• Ability to build strong relationships and serve as a liaison

between multiple parties.

• Demonstrated ability to proactively anticipate user experience

outcomes and take action to plan in advance to mitigate challenges.

• Demonstrated experience with event logistics coordination.
• Experience managing event budgets.
• Ability to track and interpret event metrics and data to help

inform planning and strategy.

• Demonstrated interpersonal skills.
• Attention to detail and ability to simultaneously manage

multiple projects.

• Demonstrated organizational skills.
• Sensitivity to and appreciation of cultural, political and

geographical differences and the ability to work well with various constituencies with diverse lived experiences.

What We Would Like You to Have

• 6+ years of experience.
• Familiarity with or experience using CU Boulder's Event

Management System (EMS) or similar.

• Familiarity with CU's procurement rules for events, including

those with alcohol and associated alcohol protocols.

• Familiarity with Adobe Creative Cloud, Salesforce/Cvent and

Zoom.

• Familiarity with Asana or other project management

software.

• Experience planning events for 200+ attendees.
• Experience working in higher education, preferably with

academic programs.

• Experience capturing event photos or videos.
• Experience with promotional, brand-approved swag

procurement.

Special Instructions

To apply, please submit the following materials

• A current resume.
• A cover letter that specifically tells us how your background

and experience align with the requirements, qualifications, and responsibilities of the position.

• Optional: Portfolio Link

We may request references at a later time.

Please apply by November 4, 2026 for consideration.

Note: Application materials will not be accepted via email. For consideration, please apply through CU Boulder Jobs.

In compliance with the Colorado Job Application Fairness Act, in any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

Posting Contact Information

Posting Contact Name: Boulder Campus Human Resources

Posting Contact Email: Recruiting@colorado.edu