Assistant Director, Trojan Event Services

Assistant Director, Trojan Event Services

USC Student Life

Please include your resume/CV & cover letter describing your interest & qualifications for this position.

The Opportunity

USC Student Life is seeking an experienced and detail-oriented leader for the position of Assistant Director, Trojan Event Services. Trojan Event Services (TES) is a team of event management and facility operations professionals dedicated to creating and supporting programs and events for the USC community, and managing the operations of USC’s Ronald Tutor Campus Center, Bovard Auditorium, and The Trojan Grand Ballroom along with numerous university event spaces. The assistant director works closely with the director to support teams focusing on event planning and scheduling, complex technical production including sound and lighting design, and overall facility management services for USC Student Life. This position will report to the Director of Trojan Event Services (TES).

USC Student Life

Student Life at the University of Southern California works to provide its 50,000 undergraduate, graduate, and professional students with the opportunity to reach their educational, personal, and professional aspirations. The mission of USC Student Life is to strengthen a culture driven by student well-being. To do this, Student Life:

• Supports the individual student and student communities through the development of environments, services, and policies that reinforce shared strengths.
• Educates students to discover a deeper understanding of themselves and become change agents in the world.
• Engages students in transformative experiences to challenge their perspectives and become global citizens.

USC Trojan Event Services

USC Trojan Event Services (TES) provides a wide array of services and support to enable event sponsors to design, plan, and implement highly impactful and engaging programs and activities for the USC community. The department oversees management of the Ronald Tutor Campus Center (TCC) facility, a multi-purpose complex at the heart of the University Park campus. TCC houses event and meeting venues, common spaces and lounges, numerous Student Life departments focused on student engagement, along with the Admission Center and the Epstein Family Alumni Center. TES also manages USC’s signature event venue, Bovard Auditorium, along with scheduling for outdoor event and recreational spaces. The department works closely with student organizations, campus administrative units, and external event sponsors with the goal of supporting programs that enrich the university experience for students, staff, faculty and USC’s neighbors.

Supported events range from smaller recurring events like meetings and workshops, to large indoor and outdoor productions including theatrical and music performances, conferences, university ceremonies, and other major events requiring full-scale technical services.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Supervise staff and student workers who provide logistical and technical support for TES venues.
• Oversee 100 House student staff providing direction of all hiring, training, and professional development activities of the department.
• Develop and facilitate onboarding for all TES student workers.
• Attend weekly production meetings for TES venues.
• Assist the director with all aspects of the departmental budget, including preparation of annual budget proposals, oversight of expense and revenue forecasts, and planning for future needs.
• Develop proposals for new and enhanced revenue streams for the department.
• Assist the director with extraction and analysis of venue data.
• Work with the director to prepare assessment reports for internal and external use through the compilation of statistical information.
• Direct programming for Tommy’s Place and Traditions (TES venues).
• Provide direction and oversight as needed for the management of all TES facilities and venues on USC’s campuses.
• Develop training and professional development opportunities for professional staff and student workers.
• Work closely with the director to develop, assess, and revise policies and procedures to ensure TES’ programs and services are compliant with university policies and other local, state, and federal regulations.
• Assist the director with overall assessment of programs. Ensure that the department conducts comprehensive assessment of its programs and services to ensure that offerings are responsive to the needs of a large and diverse university community.
• Responsible for TES’ involvement in safety and risk management planning, in association with key university partners.
• Assist the director with departmental short-term and long-term goals and objectives.
• Maintain currency in the field of event planning and campus center management, and seek opportunities to refine and improve policies, services, and facilities to grow and strengthen USC’s event planning and facility management functions.
• Establish and maintain strong relationships with units/leaders across the university focused on facility management, event planning, policy development and compliance, and safety/risk management.
• Must be available to work evenings, weekends, and/or holidays due to the nature of events.
• Performs similar or related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in student services administration, education, or an event and venue management related field.
• Minimum of three (3) years prior experience managing public assembly venues.
• Extensive experience in higher education managing public assembly venues.
• Thorough understanding of the field of venue management and event planning, including operation of meeting spaces, performance venues, theaters, scheduling systems, and client relations functions.
• Prior experience supervising full-time professional staff and student workers.
• Prior experience and understanding of all aspects of managing major theatrical/performing arts productions in a variety of indoor and outdoor venues.

• Experience leading the creation of new and innovative programs and services, especially in a university event services setting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to foster strong, cohesive, and inclusive teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Minimum of five (5) years managing public assembly venues.
• Extensive professional experience in a higher education setting.
• Experience managing facility operations, with a priority for student-focused buildings and operations within a higher education setting.
• Broad understanding of student life issues and student development, with experience connecting event support services and facility operations to overall wellbeing and student success initiatives in higher education.

Application Information:

Please include your resume/CV and cover letter describing your interest and qualifications for this position.

The annual base salary range for this position is $76,461.32-93,320.37. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

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Minimum Education: - Masters degree, Doctorate preferred Minimum Experience: - 3 years, 5 years preferred Minimum Field of Expertise: - Manages a student program designed to deliver student services aimed at enhancing the quality of student life. Works in a student center or program such as orientation, residential life, intramurals, international student services, student conduct, student government, testing bureau, etc.