Assistant Director

Department

ADV Onboarding and Employee Events

About the Department

The University of Chicago Advancement team cultivates lifelong connections with more than 220,000 alumni, current students, parents, and friends worldwide, building community through intellectual, professional, and other meaningful experiences on campus, around the world and online. Advancement empowers every division, school, department, and institute to thrive, generating support for esteemed faculty, pioneering researchers, visionary practitioners, and ambitious students.

During the Chicago Minds campaign, Advancement seeks to raise over $1 billion annually. This unprecedented philanthropic effort is designed to stretch the boundaries of what is possible, fueling bold discovery and amplifying the University’s global impact.

Our work is rooted in the belief that meaningful connection and lasting experiences inspire ambassadorship and enduring commitment. We champion a culture of innovation and excellence, inviting every member of our community to participate in a future defined by creativity, intellectual rigor, and shared purpose. Through collaborative partnerships, strategic stewardship, and investment in talent, Advancement is reimagining alumni and donor engagement while ensuring UChicago remains a catalyst of impact for generations to come.

The Advancement People and Culture team plays a crucial role in cultivating a supportive and thriving workplace environment. The team is dedicated to attracting top talent through effective recruitment strategies and ensuring a smooth onboarding process for new hires. Additionally, the team champions ongoing professional development and learning programs to empower staff to excel in their roles and contribute meaningfully to Advancement’s goals. By fostering a culture of inclusivity, collaboration, and accountability, the People and Culture team enhances employee satisfaction and retention, ultimately strengthening and extending the work of Advancement for the University.

The Employee Experience team manages a robust suite of training and development programs that equip staff to be efficient and effective in their roles; quickly acquaint new staff to the Advancement environment; develop leaders from within the Advancement organization; and are deliberate, consistent, coordinated, and transparent toward the goal of achieving a high-performing organization.

Job Summary

This role provides professional support and solves straightforward problems in a broad range of operational business activities in the creation of plans for events programming, marketing, and logistics. With guidance from others, monitors the execution of events.

Responsibilities

• Participates in the scheduling, planning, implementation, and evaluation of a variety of large and small-scale in-person, virtual, and hybrid events and programs.
• Provides logistical and administrative support for Advancement meetings and programs, including all staff meetings, onboarding programs, and staff networking events.
• Drafts event and program communications, including invitations and promotional materials.
• Maintains invitation, registration, and attendance records for all staff events in learning management system.
• With guidance, supports staff engagement activities, including conducting, analyzing, and responding to staff surveys.
• Maintains accurate and detailed records, timelines, and process documents when coordinating events. Archives event details.
• Provides logistical support for staff-led cohorts and affinity groups.
• Seeks opportunities for professional development that will enhance job performance, including attending webinars, seminars, and building networks within the University and with colleagues at peer institutions.
• Executes day-to-day event logistics and other moderately complex assignments with some guidance from others.
• Assists with research, including vendor selection and contract negotiation. Keeps track of all expenses, prepares reports on costs, using existing procedures to solve moderately complex problems as they arise.
• Works to implement ideas for improvement as they are identified, in addition to providing post-event feedback on turnout and vendor performance with direction from others.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree.
• Coursework in project management, business, communications, marketing, hospitality management, or non-profit management. 

Experience:

• Minimum two years of work experience in nonprofit management, development, alumni relations, marketing, public relations, hospitality sector, sales, or similar professional field.
• Supporting the planning and execution of in-person, virtual, or hybrid events, meetings, conferences, or programs.
• Coordinating cross-team projects with multiple stakeholders.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Demonstrated skill and knowledge of, or ability to learn quickly, the internal workings of the University as well as the technology tools available to Advancement, including Phoenix, the University's donor relationship management salesforce system.
• Proficient in a Microsoft Windows computer environment, especially Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.
• Proficiency with project management and task tracking tools.

Preferred Competencies

• Manage confidential information with discretion and tact.
• Act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Build and maintain positive relations with team members and unit partners, fostering a collaborative and supportive work environment.
• Maintain a high level of attention to detail, ensuring all work is completed accurately and thoroughly.
• Flexibility and adaptability to new programs in an emerging and changing environment.
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills characterized by the ability to listen, speak, and write effectively.
• Self-motivated and take initiative.

Working Conditions

• This position has a hybrid work schedule which includes weekly in office presence.
• Standard office environment.
• Travel to campus and/or non-campus locations for University business.
• Work evenings and weekends as needed.
• This position is located in Hyde Park at 5235 South Harper Court.
• This position is not eligible for employer-sponsored employment authorization.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter, addressed to Hiring Committee (preferred)

The University of Chicago uses AI-assisted tools to streamline and augment some recruitment processes; however, AI is not used to make hiring decisions.

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Communications

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$63,750.00 - $75,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at: http://securityreport.uchicago.edu. Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.