Operations Coordinator

Northeastern offers a rewarding working environment for our students and employees. Our faculty and staff are smart, dedicated people who work to create an excellent urban university experience for bright and motivated students.

Job Summary:

As part of the Student Union, Events and Conference Services department (SUECS), and Production and Technical Services department (PTS), the Operations Coordinator reports to the Operations Manager and is responsible for coordinating event operations in the Student Union, Education Building, as well as providing event operations services for other PTS-supported events on campus, Board of Trustees meetings and other PTS-supported events at El Centro and CCICS campuses, and NEIU commencements.

Responsibilities include planning staffing and operations services with SUECS staff, student groups, faculty, staff, rental groups, and other clients, supervising the work of student staff, freelance staff, and contractors, executing equipment setups, operating conference room technology, including web conferencing, and setting up portable amplification systems. After the Production Unit, the Operations Coordinator provides production support for events in the Sasha Gerritson Theatre, Recital Hall, as well as other spaces at all NEIU locations.

Job Description:

• Coordinates operations for all events in the Student Union, Education Building, and for other SUECS/PTS-supported events on the north campus.
• Advances event needs with NEIU faculty, staff, and external partners, renters, and other event organizers.    
• Executes the following: setup and strike of tables, chairs, portable staging, lecterns, and other event equipment, the configuration and operation of conference room AV technology including live sound amplification, projections, AV recording, and remote conference technologies such as Zoom, and coordination of event equipment loans.
• Supervises and provides direction for a staff of student workers, freelance employees, and contractors to meet the operations needs for events in the Student Union, Education Building, and other SUECS/PTS-supported events on the north campus.
• Creates training and protocol documentation. 
• Suggests improvements to administrative systems in support of departmental responsibilities. 
• Enforces University policy, and assists the Production Manager with creating and revising policy for the Production Unit.
• Maintains equipment and records, including repairing event equipment, verifying and updating inventory documentation, creating and updating room signage, and notifying the Operations Manager of any issues outside of this scope.  Reports facilities maintenance requests to Facilities Management.
• Administrates venue calendars via the University scheduling system.  Ensures activities in venues are accurately reflected in the scheduling system.
• Provides production support as needed in the Sasha Gerritson Theatre and Recital Hall. 
• Covers and assists with the duties of the Production Unit when necessary.
• After the Operations Manager, serves as secondary liaison to faculty, staff, rental clients and others, and advises and educates on equipment operations and facilities use. 
• Serves as primary or secondary event liaison to Police and Building Service Workers during SUECS/PTS-supported events.
• Provides administrative support and management for rental events, including meeting with prospective clients, attending pre-production meetings for contracted rentals, serving as primary day-of production point-of-contact for NEIU venues, and reporting on space and staff usage for accurate invoicing.
• Participates in the planning and execution of commencement and board meetings, and other off-campus or satellite PTS-supported events.  This includes but is not limited to: organizing equipment, loading trucks, driving trucks, moving furniture, setting up, configuring, and operating AV equipment and conference room technology, and other duties normally performed on-campus. Participation at all commencement ceremonies is required.
• Performs other related duties as assigned, or as needed.

Minimal Qualifications:

1. Bachelor’s degree.

2. A total of one (1) year (12 months) in education, training and/or work experience in the area of specialization inherent to the position. (Note: Master’s Degree in an area consistent with the duties of the position may be substituted for one (1) year of work experience.)

3. Based on position requirements, additional education, training, and/or work experience in the area of specialization inherent to the position, may be required.

Additional education, training and/or work experience in the area of specialization:

• Diagnosing, troubleshooting, and repairing audio, video, lighting, and networking equipment. (Required)
• Ability to lift up to 70 pounds, work on ladders (up to a 24-foot working height), lifts (up to a 30-foot working height), catwalks and crawl spaces.(Required)

Departmental Preferences:

• 2 years of experience managing a team
• Knowledge of video recording, livestreaming, video editing, and webconferencing
• Experience managing rental events
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office suite, Google suite, and email correspondence.
• Understanding of event related software, including QLab, CAD and/or Vectorworks. Ability to interpret and implement layouts and diagrams.
• Demonstrated problem solving ability.
• Self-motivated, ability to carry out tasks with minimal direction.
• High attention to detail and solid organizational skills.

Schedule: Flexible schedule based on departmental needs and event schedules. Evening and weekend hours may be required.

Location: NEIU Main Campus (5500 North St. Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625). Travel to other NEIU campus locations is required as needed.

Setting: In-office, not eligible for hybrid or remote work.

Applicants must be legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States. This position is not eligible for sponsorship of work visas.

This position requires a background check.

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Salary Range

$55,000

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Benefits

University employees may be eligible for a variety of State of Illinois benefits. These benefits are administered through the Illinois Department of Central Management Service (CMS). Please visit our Employee Benefits page to learn more about our comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and vision benefits, sick and vacation days, and participation in the State Universities Retirement System.

Northeastern Illinois University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer and invites applications from Women, Minorities, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities, as well as other qualified individuals. Northeastern Illinois University's positions are contingent upon the University's receipt of its State of Illinois appropriation.