Manager, Events and Engagement

at  Columbia University

• Job Type: Officer of Administration
• Bargaining Unit:
• Regular/Temporary: Regular
• End Date if Temporary:
• Hours Per Week:35.00
• Salary Range: $82,000-$90,000
  The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.
  Position Summary
  Reporting to the Associate Director for Program Strategy and Communication and Associate Director for Finance and Administration, the candidate will work independently and pro-actively towards the development, implementation, management, and continuous improvement of comprehensive events and stakeholder engagement strategies for the Irving Institute. The incumbent serves as the primary liaison with the Irving Institute’s key stakeholders and external entities interested in organizing events, meetings, and gatherings.
  The Manager of Events and Engagement will be directly responsible for multiple events and engagement activities with complex, overlapping schedules, including in-person, hybrid, and virtual conferences, seminars, workshops, ceremonies, and board meetings.
  The Irving Institute is home to Columbia University’s Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA), launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2006 and has expanded to over 50 academic medical centers across the United States.
  Occasional on-site early morning, evening, and weekend hours are required. Events will be held on the CUIMC campus, at offsite venues, and virtually.
  Hybrid Schedule: Subject to business needs, we may support flexible and hybrid work arrangements. Options will be discussed during the interview process.

Responsibilities

• Event and Meeting Planning, Management & Logistics (50%)
• Assist the Associate Director, Program Strategy and Communication with the strategic planning, management, and execution of broad portfolio of institute meetings and events with faculty and staff, internal & external participants, other educational institutions, industry partners, federal agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Manage all production and management elements for the event portfolio including vendor and venue selection, contracts, budgets, A/V, setup, facilities, staging, catering, development and procurement of promotional items, and other special considerations. Serve as on-site producer/stage manager, direct staff, and manage vendors.
• Develop and maintain all event-related materials including project management timelines. Coordinate with Irving Institute Communications on the development of event advertisements, targeted marketing campaigns, and materials (agendas, presentations, booklets, etc.). Develop content that can be repurposed across all communications platforms after an event has concluded.
• Identify when additional staff and/or resources are needed to support an event and develop a plan for aligning those resources appropriately. Train, onboard, and supervise volunteers and temporarily assigned staff.
• Serve as primary liaison to any event partners to understand event objectives and requirements and build and maintain strong relationships to ensure successful events.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Management (25%)
• Develop a comprehensive strategy to define and engage with a broad range of stakeholders including scientists, clinicians, research participants, patients, and others. Oversee strategies to create productive and mutually beneficial collaborations among stakeholder groups. Coordinate strategy and activities with the Community Engagement team.
• Curate and maintain a robust internal contacts database, strategically utilizing this resource to optimize communication efforts and bolster the effectiveness of event marketing campaigns.
• Continuous Quality and Process Improvement (20%)
• Assist the Associate Director in streamlining event management processes, guidelines, and logistics, leveraging cutting-edge tools and methodologies to reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and optimize the overall event planning experience and team performance. Optimize registration system and process, event software platforms, and stakeholder contact database.
• Maintain documentation for the planning, execution, and debrief of events to allow for easier replication of future events.

• Conduct ongoing evaluations, working with the Irving Institute ECI team, of current event offerings, stakeholder needs, event management process, and any related analytics. Includes post-event evaluations to assess success, gather feedback, and identify areas for improvement. Prepare reports on event outcomes and utilize findings to propose updates and modifications to the event portfolio, processes and tools.

• Perform other duties as assigned and assist in special projects.

Minimum Qualifications
Requires a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in education and experience, plus three years of related experience in event management, stakeholder engagement, hospitality or related field. Proven experience in event planning and management, with successful track record of executing a variety of events.
Preferred Qualifications
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and handle multiple projects simultaneously; be exceptionally well organized and have focus and attention to detail. Must be able to forecast timelines, manage budgets and meet all deadlines. Excellent computer skills; proficiency in Microsoft 365 including all its programs and apps. Excellent interpersonal, public relations, communications and diplomatic skills essential as well as creativity and innovation in event planning and stakeholder engagement. Background in a university and/or academic medical center is desirable.
The position must be able to work flexible hours, including evenings and weekends, as required by event schedules. In addition, the position must be able to travel as needed to various locations on and off campus for events.
Other Requirements

DETAILED TASKS/RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Irving Institute meetings
• Tuesday Meetings (Resource, Element/Module) (Deep Dives, Theme, Senior Leadership Group), grant prep meetings, any standing meetings coming from Irving Institute Admin Core
• Develop and maintain schedule, reminders, logistics, draft slide decks
• Coordinate onsite logistics – setting up A/V, advancing slides, recording sessions
• External Advisory Board meeting
• Internal Advisory Board meeting
• Research engagement series
• Leahey Lecture
• Bigger Lecture
• Retreats
• NCATS/CTSA/ACTS national meetings and conferences – Fall and Spring program meetings, monthly Program webinars, ad hoc “un-meetings” and similar
• Irving Institute events oversight (seminars, lectures) - potential consolidation of resources seminars into fewer, larger series
• Stakeholder engagement strategy development and management
• Key documents
• Summary of meetings: Meeting Management.xlsx
• Events and Meetings
  Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran
  Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents

Responsibilities

• Event and Meeting Planning, Management & Logistics (50%)
• Assist the Associate Director, Program Strategy and Communication with the strategic planning, management, and execution of broad portfolio of institute meetings and events with faculty and staff, internal & external participants, other educational institutions, industry partners, federal agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Manage all production and management elements for the event portfolio including vendor and venue selection, contracts, budgets, A/V, setup, facilities, staging, catering, development and procurement of promotional items, and other special considerations. Serve as on-site producer/stage manager, direct staff, and manage vendors.
• Develop and maintain all event-related materials including project management timelines. Coordinate with Irving Institute Communications on the development of event advertisements, targeted marketing campaigns, and materials (agendas, presentations, booklets, etc.). Develop content that can be repurposed across all communications platforms after an event has concluded.
• Identify when additional staff and/or resources are needed to support an event and develop a plan for aligning those resources appropriately. Train, onboard, and supervise volunteers and temporarily assigned staff.
• Serve as primary liaison to any event partners to understand event objectives and requirements and build and maintain strong relationships to ensure successful events.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Management (25%)
• Develop a comprehensive strategy to define and engage with a broad range of stakeholders including scientists, clinicians, research participants, patients, and others. Oversee strategies to create productive and mutually beneficial collaborations among stakeholder groups. Coordinate strategy and activities with the Community Engagement team.
• Curate and maintain a robust internal contacts database, strategically utilizing this resource to optimize communication efforts and bolster the effectiveness of event marketing campaigns.
• Continuous Quality and Process Improvement (20%)
• Assist the Associate Director in streamlining event management processes, guidelines, and logistics, leveraging cutting-edge tools and methodologies to reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and optimize the overall event planning experience and team performance. Optimize registration system and process, event software platforms, and stakeholder contact database.
• Maintain documentation for the planning, execution, and debrief of events to allow for easier replication of future events.
• Conduct ongoing evaluations, working with the Irving Institute ECI team, of current event offerings, stakeholder needs, event management process, and any related analytics. Includes post-event evaluations to assess success, gather feedback, and identify areas for improvement. Prepare reports on event outcomes and utilize findings to propose updates and modifications to the event portfolio, processes and tools