Events and Administration Specialist
About the Department
The University of Chicago Law School occupies a unique niche among this country's premier law schools. Located on a residential campus in one of America's great cities, UChicago Law offers a rigorous and interdisciplinary professional education that blends the study of law with the humanities, the social sciences, and the natural sciences. Students, faculty, and staff form a small, tightly knit community devoted to the life of the mind.
Job Summary
The University of Chicago Law School seeks an energetic professional to provide event and administrative support in the role of Events and Administration Specialist. This role will report to the Director of Events. A majority of tasks will relate to event support.
Responsibilities
- Coordinating and implementing event logistics, including managing daily catering order requests.
- Researching and assisting with vendor selection including negotiating contracts with vendors.
- Preparing event budgets, processing and reconciling expenses, preparing financial reports.
- Developing and implementing processes that increase the effectiveness of Law School operations in financial, human resource, and facilities areas.
- Serving as the Law School 'go-to' expert and trainer for multiple business operations software applications.
- Researching, compiling, and analyzing data to create reports, proposals and other documents for the Events and Administration leadership.
- Managing special projects such as creating content for student worker website, analyzing data for the annual American Bar Association review, preparing variance reports for departmental budgets.
- Scheduling invite emails, tracking registration and attendance, preparing speakers and hosts with regard to content, format, scheduling and logistics, and running the virtual events through Zoom.
- Other responsibilities will include, but are not limited to: creating law school event pages, creating zoom pages/links, promoting virtual events, following up with attendees/no shows, cleaning up/uploading recordings, scheduling future Zoom events.
- 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.
- 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.
- Performs other related work as needed.
Education:
- Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
- Bachelor's Degree preferred
Experience:
- Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.
- Relevant experience, such as event planning or work in an administrative capacity.
- Experience working in higher education.
- Previous experience with event coordination.
- Project management experience.
Preferred Competencies
- Strong customer service orientation with excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Take initiative and organize and complete activities and projects with minimal supervision.
- Handle public contact with courtesy, clarity, and diplomacy.
- Handle sensitive and confidential situations and information with absolute discretion.
- Maintain calm and courteous demeanor and to work productively in the midst of competing priorities, complex problems, and tight deadlines.
- Exceptional problem-solving skills.
- Strong technical aptitude for use of business operations software applications.
- Proficiency with MS Office applications.
Working Conditions
- Willing and able to travel to locations around the Chicagoland area if needed.
- Willing and able to work evenings and weekends with advance notice.
- Ability to lift a minimum of 25lbs.