What are the responsibilities and job description for the Exhibits Project Manager position at University of Oregon Continuing and Professional Education?
INTERESTED CANDIDATES MUST APPLY THROUGH OUR ONLINE SYSTEM HERE: https://careers.uoregon.edu/en-us/job/536093/exhibits-project-manager
Application review begins December 3, 2025; open until filled.
In addition to salary, the University of Oregon offers a robust benefits package for eligible employees (including health insurance, life insurance, state retirement plans, paid time off and a staff tuition benefit!). To see the full list of benefits, please visit: https://hr.uoregon.edu/about-benefits. All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
OUR TEAM
University of Oregon Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) connects UO with regional communities. Working in partnership with UO schools and colleges, selected vendors, and national credentialing associations, CPE serves the public by enabling learning outside of the traditional university setting. Participants do not have to be an admitted student at the University of Oregon to participate in CPE programs. Individuals can access vibrant professional development opportunities, lifelong learning enrichment courses, and community engagement activities that serve nearly 5,000 participants annually at local continuing ed programs.
Through CPE’s mission to produce or aid in the delivery of educational programs for purposes of lifelong learning and professional development, the Conference Services sub-unit provides an important resource to this mission in two ways: first, by providing specialized operational support to academic departments, individual faculty members in their hosting of on-campus events and noncredit workshops, or other auxiliary units (e.g. UO Housing); second, by providing technically-sophisticated and integrated conference management and customer service solutions to externally-facing professional associations for the administration and production of educational conferences and tradeshows (both small and large-scale: 10,000 attendees).
Continuing and Professional Education programs are self-supported and fee-based; they do not use state dollars. CPE reports to the Office of the Provost.
WHAT WILL YOU DO AS AN EXHIBITS PROJECT MANAGER?
Are you detail-driven, relationship-focused, and motivated by bringing large-scale events to life from early planning to onsite execution? Join our Exhibits and Corporate Engagement team and play a key role in delivering exceptional exhibit experiences across multiple conferences and events.
As the Exhibits Project Manager, you’ll be the central point of connection between clients, contractors, and internal teams. You’ll guide projects from concept through completion, ensuring exhibit halls, sponsorship deliverables, and public-space installations are planned with creativity, accuracy, and care. You’ll help create engaging environments that elevate events and support our mission of delivering high-quality conference experiences.
In this role, you'll lead the coordination of exhibit floor plans, sponsorship fulfillment, design translation, contractor communication, and onsite logistics. You’ll navigate complex timelines, manage sensitive and confidential information, and collaborate across Conference Services to ensure seamless outcomes. Your ability to balance strategic planning with hands-on problem-solving will make you indispensable to both clients and colleagues.
You’ll also supervise a small team, providing direction to classified temps, professional staff, and student employees as they support sales, outreach, operations, and onsite services. Travel between 8–30 nights per year will allow you to work directly with clients and contractors while bringing projects to life on location.
Key Responsibilities
Client & Contractor Liaison:
Serve as the primary point of contact for clients and general service contractors, guiding exhibit-related projects from initial planning through onsite delivery.
Exhibit & Public Space Planning:
Develop exhibit floorplans, define large-scale public space installations, and interpret design concepts to ensure accurate implementation at events.
Sponsorship & Exhibitor Fulfillment:
Coordinate sponsorship deliverables, support pre-conference and onsite booth sales, and maintain strong relationships with exhibitors and sponsors.
Logistics & Operations Support:
Manage order fulfillment with facilities and service contractors, oversee event logistics, and ensure smooth execution of large building-wide events.
Cross-Team Collaboration:
Work closely with Conference Services teams to support project needs, contribute expertise, and maintain clear communication across service areas.
Administrative & Database Management:
Support sales outreach, maintain sales and exhibitor databases, contribute to web content and collateral development, and assist with communication planning.
Team Leadership:
Supervise 1–3 classified temp employees and provide lead work to 2 professional staff and 5 student workers, ensuring high-quality service and consistent support.
This position reports directly to the Associate Director of Conference Services and plays a vital role in delivering organized, high-impact exhibit experiences for a wide range of meetings and events. If you excel at project leadership, enjoy building relationships, and thrive in dynamic, fast-moving environments, we’d be thrilled to have you on our team.
DESIRED ATTRIBUTES
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
• Bachelors’ degree and 2 years of experience in project management within a large, complex organization OR
• A combination of equivalent education and experience totaling 5 years.
PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES
• Project management, time management, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage details of multiple and complex projects within firm schedules.
• Strong aesthetic sensibility and demonstrated ability to think creatively.
• Ability to communicate effectively, including the ability to comprehend, analyze and interpret complex information to effectively present information to various stakeholders, both internal and external to the university.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively with people of diverse backgrounds and cultures. Proven ability to be effective in an interdisciplinary team environment.
• Self-motivated, punctual, reliable, organized, and flexible. Excellent organizational, problem-solving, and time-management skills. Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong proficiency of MS Office Suite and Adobe Acrobat.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Experience working with the management of events and tradeshows.
• Experience managing suppliers, such as General Services Contractors.
• Meetings certification or project management relevant coursework.
• Experience in team leadership and employee supervision.
