Associate Director, Event and Venue Operations

University Overview

The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.

Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.

The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.

Posted Job Title

Associate Director, Event and Venue Operations - Wharton San Francisco

Job Profile Title

Associate Director D, Arts and Media, Events

Job Description Summary

Founded in 1881 as the world’s first collegiate business school, the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania is shaping the future of business by incubating ideas, driving insights, and creating leaders who change the world. With campuses in both Philadelphia and San Francisco, Wharton has over 850 staff, a faculty population of more than 235 renowned professors, and 5,000 undergraduate, MBA, executive MBA, and doctoral students. Each year 13,000 professionals from around the world advance their careers through Wharton Executive Education’s individual, company-customized, and online programs. More than 104,000 Wharton alumni form a powerful global network of leaders who transform business every day. Wharton is home to a dynamic population of staff, representing a rich array of backgrounds, expertise, and cultures. To learn more, visit www.wharton.upenn.edu.

Wharton San Francisco is the West Coast home of the Wharton School and a hub for learning, innovation, industry engagement, and high-impact programs and events. WSF continues to expand its programming, partnerships, facility use, and presence in the Bay Area.

Under the direction of senior leadership, the Associate Director, Event and Venue Operations develops and executes event strategies and oversees the planning, production, and delivery of WSF events. The role is accountable for event planning, client service, on-site execution, vendor and budget management, marketing, revenue generation, space readiness, and facility utilization. The manager designs and implements event systems, workflows, service standards, vendor relationships, inventory controls, and operating procedures that support consistent, scalable event operations.

The Associate Director will oversee event operations across multiple WSF venues and establish and maintain the systems and operating practices required to support high-quality, scalable event delivery. As WSF transitions to its permanent home at The Cube, this includes coordinating venues with different layouts, equipment, access requirements, vendors, and operating constraints, while establishing the operational foundation for The Cube and maintaining service continuity and a high-quality Wharton experience.

The position partners with WSF leadership, the Senior Client Services Manager, faculty, program teams, students, alumni, external clients, building partners, and vendors. The role requires an experienced, hands-on event operations professional who exercises sound judgment, manages competing priorities, builds scalable operations, and moves between long-range planning and detailed on-site execution.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities

• Event Strategy Planning and Execution:
  • Under the direction of senior leadership, develop and execute the strategy, planning, production, and delivery of events serving faculty, students, alumni, partners, and external clients.
  • Serve as the primary client contact from initial concept through post-event closeout, translating program objectives into detailed timelines, staffing plans, communications, production requirements, and contingency plans.
  • Direct space setup, vendor activity, live execution, troubleshooting, teardown, and follow-up. Remain visible and hands-on during events.
  • Establish, implement, and monitor event standards that support Wharton's academic, research, alumni, student, and professional-development priorities.
  • Deliver a consistent, high-quality Wharton experience across all WSF venues.

• Operational Systems and Scalable Growth:
  • Manage event and program operations across WSF Venues, including two to three swing spaces during the transition to The Cube and The Cube following opening.
  • Manage event resources and inventory to ensure WSF venues are appropriately equipped and supported for event and program needs.
  • Create venue-specific operating plans addressing layouts, access, security, AV, catering, equipment, storage, staffing, transportation, and escalation requirements.
  • Design and implement The Cube's event workflows, playbooks, service standards, vendor model, inventory controls, scheduling practices, and operating procedures.
  • Coordinate operational readiness, testing, opening, stabilization, and ongoing operations with WSF leadership, program teams, building partners, technology teams, and vendors.
  • Build systems that can scale as WSF expands programming, partnerships, bookings, facility use, and audience reach after the move.

• Vendor and Operational Management:
  • Develop and manage relationships with catering, AV, security, housekeeping, building operations, rental, and other event partners.
  • Negotiate scopes, service levels, pricing, and contracts to protect service quality, cost effectiveness, and accountability.
  • Coordinate logistics, access, equipment, safety, and University policy compliance across all operating locations.
  • Identify operational risks, establish contingency plans, resolve issues quickly, and maintain service continuity during change.
  • Create redundancy through documentation, cross-training, and clear ownership of recurring operational work.

• Marketing, Communications, and Facility Utilization:
  • Develop event programming and marketing strategies that increase engagement, external bookings, weekday utilization, and responsible use of shared spaces.
  • Set and pursue revenue and utilization goals while balancing mission-driven programming, partner needs, and facility constraints.
  • Collaborate with internal teams on event positioning, communications, and audience development.
  • Maintain WSF website, newsletter as well as core internal and select external communications
  • Strengthen WSF's visibility and market presence in the Bay Area.

• Budget Development and Financial Oversight:
  • Under the direction of senior leadership, develop and manage event and venue operating budgets, including transition-related expenses, in alignment with established financial priorities and goals.
  • Prepare financial projections, negotiate costs, track expenses and revenue, and analyze event profitability.
  • Recommend resource allocations, vendor strategies, and operating investments that support service quality, financial sustainability, and growth.
  • Maintain accurate financial documentation and ensure compliance with University requirements.

• Reporting Performance and Stakeholder Communication:
  • Track attendance, engagement, revenue, space utilization, service quality, operational readiness, and other key performance measures.
  • Provide regular forecasts, transition updates, risk assessments, and performance reports to WSF leadership.
  • Use results, incident reviews, and stakeholder feedback to improve programs, systems, vendor performance, and resource planning.

• Team Leadership:
  • Supervise and develop the Events Coordinator and Administrative Coordinator and oversee temporary staff supporting events and programs.
  • Set clear expectations, assign and prioritize work, hold team members accountable for results, and manage performance to support high-quality service and the continued growth of WSF's event operations.
  • Provide guidance, share expertise, model sound judgment, and help team members strengthen their event planning and operational capabilities.
  • Coordinate student workers, temps and vendors as needed, and build operational redundancy through documentation and cross-training.

• Perform additional duties as assigned.

This role requires a proactive, hands-on leader who can develop event strategy while also being actively involved in execution, ensuring high-quality, engaging experiences at Wharton San Francisco.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree and 5 to 7 years of job-related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Higher education experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing event strategy, planning, operations, and execution, including complex institutional events.
• Experience supervising, motivating, and developing event staff and fostering collaboration and accountability across teams.
• Experience developing and implementing event policies, procedures, processes, and standards.
• Experience managing event operations, budgets, and performance metrics.
• Strong strategic mindset, business insight, sound judgment, and situational adaptability.
• Strong communication, collaboration, customer focus, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build effective relationships across organizational units and with key stakeholders.
• Demonstrated accountability, integrity, and ability to follow through on commitments and support high-quality results.
• Strong collaborator who works effectively with diverse stakeholders in a matrixed environment and brings a flexible, adaptable, approachable, and service-oriented style to building relationships and achieving shared goals.
• Ability to work evenings and weekends as required to support event schedules, programs, and operational needs.

Preferred:

• Experience in negotiating contracts with vendors, caterers, AV providers, and other service providers.
• Proficiency in event management software (e.g., Cvent, Eventbrite, EMS, Salesforce) or knowledge of event space management software and systems for scheduling and tracking usage.
• Experience in identifying and implementing strategies to increase external bookings and optimize space utilization.
• Proven experience designing event programs that drive engagement, revenue, and brand impact with an ability to manage multiple events simultaneously, from intimate gatherings to large-scale conferences.

Job Location - City, State

San Francisco, California

Compensation Note: In compliance with California law, the minimum salary for this position is $70,304 annually.

Department / School

Wharton School

Pay Range

$80,891.00 - $118,500.00 Annual Rate

Salary offers are made based on the candidate’s qualifications, experience, skills, and education as they directly relate to the requirements of the position, and in alignment with salary ranges based on external market data for the job’s level. Internal organization and peer data at Penn are also considered.

Equal Opportunity Statement 

The University of Pennsylvania is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin(including shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics), citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any class protectedunder applicable federal, state or local law.

Special Requirements 
Background checks may be required after a conditional job offer is made. Consideration of the background check will be tailored to the requirements of the job.

University Benefits

• Health, Life, and Flexible Spending Accounts: Penn offers comprehensive medical, prescription, behavioral health, dental, vision, and life insurance benefits to protect you and your family’s health and welfare. You can also use flexible spending accounts to pay for eligible health care and dependent care expenses with pre-tax dollars.

• Tuition: Take advantage of Penn's exceptional tuition benefits. You, your spouse, and your dependent children can get tuition assistance here at Penn. Your dependent children are also eligible for tuition assistance at other institutions.

• Retirement: Penn offers generous retirement plans to help you save for your future. Penn’s Basic, Matching, and Supplemental retirement plans allow you to save for retirement on a pre-tax or Roth basis. Choose from a wide variety of investment options through TIAA and Vanguard.

• Time Away from Work: Penn provides you with a substantial amount of time away from work during the course of the year. This allows you to relax, take vacations, attend to personal affairs, recover from illness or injury, spend time with family—whatever your personal needs may be.

• Long-Term Care Insurance: In partnership with Genworth Financial, Penn offers faculty and staff (and your eligible family members) long-term care insurance to help you cover some of the costs of long-term care services received at home, in the community or in a nursing facility. If you apply when you’re newly hired, you won’t have to provide proof of good health or be subject to underwriting requirements. Eligible family members must always provide proof of good health and are subject to underwriting.

• Wellness and Work-life Resources: Penn is committed to supporting our faculty and staff as they balance the competing demands of work and personal life. That’s why we offer a wide variety of programs and resources to help you care for your health, your family, and your work-life balance.

• Professional and Personal Development: Penn provides an array of resources to help you advance yourself personally and professionally.

• University Resources: As a member of the Penn community, you have access to a wide range of University resources as well as cultural and recreational activities. Take advantage of the University’s libraries and athletic facilities, or visit our arboretum and art galleries. There’s always something going on at Penn, whether it’s a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, the latest music or theater presentation at the Annenberg Center, or the Penn Relays at Franklin Field to name just a few examples. As a member of the Penn community, you’re right in the middle of the excitement—and you and your family can enjoy many of these activities for free.

• Discounts and Special Services: From arts and entertainment to transportation and mortgages, you'll find great deals for University faculty and staff. Not only do Penn arts and cultural centers and museums offer free and discounted admission and memberships to faculty and staff. You can also enjoy substantial savings on other goods and services such as new cars from Ford and General Motors, cellular phone service plans, movie tickets, and admission to theme parks.

• Flexible Work Hours:Flexible work options offer creative approaches for completing work while promoting balance between work and personal commitments. These approaches involve use of non-traditional work hours, locations, and/or job structures.

• Penn Home Ownership Services: Penn offers a forgivable loan for eligible employees interested in buying a home or currently residing in West Philadelphia, which can be used for closing costs or home improvements.

• Adoption Assistance: Penn will reimburse eligible employees on qualified expenses in connection with the legal adoption of an eligible child, such as travel or court fees, for up to two adoptions in your household.

​

To learn more, please visit: https://www.hr.upenn.edu/PennHR/benefits-pay