Director-College Engagement & Events

DIRECTOR – COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT & EVENTS

HAROLD WASHINGTON COLLEGE

CITY COLLEGES OF CHICAGO

City Colleges of Chicago’s vision is to be recognized as the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity – empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city.  The community college system’s more than 3,500 faculty and staff serve more than 60,000 students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Reporting to the President of Harold Washington College (HWC), the Director-College Engagement & Events oversees the development and communication of a consistent message to internal audiences concerning the colleges events, initiatives, and strategies. Additionally, the role involves strategizing and leading the development and production of a diverse portfolio of events that advances campus wide initiatives, celebrates major achievements, enhances the colleges visibility among major stakeholders, cultivates relationships with prospective donors, and garners exposure and support for the colleges mission and goals.

The position requires a comprehensive knowledge of City Colleges of Chicago policies, procedures, and operations, as well as a clear understanding of the colleges position within the broader system and local community. Performs related duties as required.

 ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Responsible for overseeing the colleges internal communications and internal communication strategies.
• Manages college-wide internal communication and engagement initiatives, working with key stakeholders to ensure consistent messaging across all areas of the college.
• Drafts and edits internal speeches, presentations, and talking points for the President and Vice Presidents, collaborating with District Office Marketing & Communications on external materials and remarks.
• Prepares and distributes event marketing materials internally in line with district-wide marketing/branding guidelines. Submits online event calendar content for all college events. 
• Plans and executes HWCs high-quality internal and external-facing events including conception, design, development, coordination, production, and implementation. Collaborates with District Marketing & Communications for external-facing events, district-wide events, or events involving more than one City College.
• Develops and coordinates post-event financial evaluations to assess whether established objectives were met and ensure continued success of events. 
• Manages and provides oversight of event budgets, ensuring large-scale events operate within budget; tracks expenses and reconciles financial reports. 
• Collaborates with college faculty and staff in keeping the Harold Washington College Events Calendar accurate and up-to-date and leads the planning and logistics of monthly heritage celebrations, department events, and large-scale college events such as Faculty Development Week, Oratorical Festival, and Theatre Productions 
• Collaborates with the Director of Auxiliary Services, Engineering, OIT, and Security in the planning and coordination of event logistics, including use and set-up of facility space, lighting/audio, photography, vendor selection, contract negotiations, and purchasing. 
• Develops and implements plans to increase the usage and rental of campus facilities for events to increase and generate new revenue.   
• Maintains detailed guidelines and protocols for appropriate event management. 
• Manages inventory of colleges branded items, including purchasing of items for sale, special events, and student giveaways.
• Manages the colleges social media sites in accordance with City Colleges Social Media Guidelines, under direction of District Office Marketing & Communications social media staff.
• Arranges event photography or serves as photographer as needed for college events. 
• Performs related duties as required.

REPORTING RELATIONSHIPS

Reports To                       College President 

Direct Supervision          None

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university.  
• Three years of experience in events management and communications or related fields
• A combination of education and experience may be considered based on the applicants credentials
• Demonstrated experience managing projects and prioritizing the work of others 
• Experience working in an institution of higher education highly desirable
• Experience problem solving both relational and logistical situations 
• Experience with various media sources such as social media and web editing highly desirable.
• Knowledge of project management principles and practices
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills 
• Strong management, organization, and problem-solving skills 
• Ability to interact collaboratively and professionally with diverse groups and constituencies 
• Ability to work independently exercising sound judgement and reasoning  
• Ability to handle high-level sensitive and confidential information
• Ability to work within a culturally diverse environment
• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) as well as presenting in Zoom and/or Microsoft Teams

  We are an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer.

Chicago residency is required for all full-time employees within 6 months of hire.

Thank you for your interest in CCC.

Approved by Compensation Design & Strategy                               Date:              July 16, 2024

The intent of this job description is to provide a general description of the duties and responsibilities of this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive set of the duties and responsibilities, nor all of the necessary qualifications to perform the work.