"Events Manager (6292U) - 83772"

About Berkeley

At the University of California, Berkeley, we are dedicated to fostering a community where everyone feels welcome and can thrive. Our culture of openness, freedom and belonging make it a special place for students, faculty and staff.

As a world-leading institution, Berkeley is known for its academic and research excellence, public mission, diverse student body, and commitment to equity and social justice. Since our founding in 1868, we have driven innovation, creating global intellectual, economic and social value.

We are looking for applicants who reflect California's diversity and want to be part of an inclusive, equity-focused community that views education as a matter of social justice. Please consider whether your values align with our Guiding Values and Principles, Principles of Community, and Strategic Plan.

At UC Berkeley, we believe that learning is a fundamental part of working, and provide space for supportive colleague communities via numerous employee resource groups (staff organizations). Our goal is for everyone on the Berkeley campus to feel supported and equipped to realize their full potential. We actively support this by providing all of our full-time staff employees with at least 80 hours (10 days) of paid time per year to engage in professional development activities. Find out more about how you can grow your career at UC Berkeley.

Departmental Overview

The Department of History is rated one of the top academic programs nationally and globally. As one of the largest teaching departments in the College of Letters and Science, enrolling over 8000 students in 150 courses each year, our courses serve campus and department graduation requirements across the University.

The department is comprised of 50 tenure-track faculty, 30 emeriti, and 12 career staff. Annual hires include 15-20 visiting instructors, 25-30 visiting scholars, approximately 230 academic student employee appointments, and 10-15 casual employees. With approximately 100 graduate students, 250 undergraduate majors, and 100 minors, students in our program are able to select from a broad range of fields of study. The History department is committed to supporting a large and diverse population of students. Over the past several years, the department has seen a significant increase in graduate and undergraduate students of color.

Position Summary

The Events Manager provides supervision and guidance for events in the Department of History. Under the direction of the Operations Manager, the Events Manager has primary responsibility for planning and organizing History department events, including managing logistics such as facilities, caterers, and vendors, coordinating technical support, and providing facilitation of communication and services with program sponsors, speakers, and program event staff.

Application Review Date

The First Review Date for this job is: 02/05/2026.

Responsibilities

Event Management

• Ensures smooth-running, effective events, including successfully recognizing and resolving potential and real problems in a timely manner using tact, sensitivity, discretion and political acumen.
• Schedule and organize departmental-sponsored events. For most mid-to-large scale events, partner with relevant department staff and faculty to define budget, scope, delegation of work responsibility, etc. A myriad of smaller-scale productions may include colloquia, seminars, meetings, small social events, and dinners that are spread over the course of the year.
• Initiate annual event planning and direct process to ensure that regular events such as the annual Fall Welcome, History Homecoming, Commencement, and the colloquium series are on schedule and within budget. Provide year-end summary and analysis and make suggestions for future planning cycles.
• Define event goals, make recommendations regarding budget projections, schedule arrangements for room rental, audio/visual equipment, catering, clean up, publicity, staffing, and parking.
• In collaboration with communications coordinator, and department event planners, ensure that all department-sponsored events are scheduled on the master calendar, minimizing scheduling conflicts, and advertising to the appropriate audiences.
• Work with vendors, and take necessary steps to ensure delivery of goods to events and activities. Serve as primary contact with the Faculty Clubs or off-campus facilities for lodging and events.
• Secure required campus approvals such as alcohol permit, EH&S food permit, and approval request for amplified noise.
• Solicit feedback after events and produce summary notes to ensure smooth planning and operation of future events.
• Oversee the process for sponsored event support requests, including directing faculty event committee members to review and approve requests, and ensuring financial support remains within annual budget allocation.
• Identify, manage and direct all vendors including caterers, florists, photographers, videographers, designers, audio visual technicians, valets and valet parking companies, parking and transportation authorities, building security, custodians, and other specific services required for an event.

Training and Resource Support

• Serve as resource and trainer for department event coordinators. Lead training, provide online resources, and provide advice to a range of staff and faculty who coordinate events that are run through the department.
• Recruit, train, and supervise student Event Assistants who cover the following duties: provide support to Events Manager for annual History events, and support end-to-end processes related to seasonal faculty-led events.
• Create and expand web-based tools and resources for department event management. Streamline processes utilizing web forms, track and manage budget and event summary data for more efficient decision making and planning, and optimize collaborative work tools.
• Provide updates to Communications Coordinator and partner to ensure streamlined sharing of information tied to events management. Serve as work lead to orient and train new communications staff, as needed.

Donor Relations and Stewardship

• Partner with department leadership to tailor department plans to focus on raising funds, engaging donors, and highlighting particular department needs.
• Build and maintain relationships with donors, including a regularized schedule of sending thank-you notes and other communications.
• Coordinate with communications staff and relevant department leadership to tailor event invitations, develop social media strategies, and utilize email and other channels to provide routine and donor-focused communications, including donor impact reports.
• Collaborate with department, College, and Campus staff and faculty in planning for annual fundraising cycles, development of department events, matching gift programs, and special acknowledgements for donor contributions.
• Partner with department leadership to develop personalized experience for donors, emphasize exclusive nature of major donor events to make guests feel valued and appreciated, and work toward a longer-term plan of a set of donor-focused events.
• Partner with department leadership to optimize outreach strategies with alumni to increase engagement and foster a culture of giving. Goals may include highlighting alumni stories, involving alumni in fundraising activities, and creating impactful volunteer opportunities.

Planning and Analysis

• Manage the annual fall homecoming and spring commencement, leading a team of staff to execute tasks leading up to and including the day of the ceremony. Strategize annual events to focus on extending department community, including donors and alumni relations
• Research and recommend vendors and pricing for program purchases and for future events. Negotiate prices with vendors when possible.
• Search, identify and visit appropriate venues, including, but not limited to, the UC Berkeley campus or other private and public universities, as well as off-site venues such as hotels, private clubs, museums, wineries, corporate facilities, and private homes.
• Asses any honoraria, travel reimbursements, entertainment expenses, etc. with the department's accounting unit and with other departments in the case of jointly sponsored conferences or colloquia. Prepare payment requests, serve as cardholder for department credit card, track payments and ensure policy compliance

Administrative Support

• Schedule special uses of 3335 Dwinelle (a departmentally-controlled humanities space), which includes a range of Dwinelle-based unit requests. Book Dwinelle common spaces (3401, 370, and Ishi Court), and departmental seminar rooms (2303, 2231, 3104,and 3205) when needed for special events. Serve as back up for one-time room requests for review sessions and special events for all instructors, including GSIs.
• Evaluate and maintain department inventory, with attention paid to economical and environmentally-friendly options. Bulk purchases of alcohol with tightly-managed inventory enables a balance of quality, efficiency and policy compliance.
• Serve as emergency backup for front office support and unlock and lock departmental classrooms, stepping in as needed when front office student and staff support are all unavailable.

Professional Development

• Participate in employee development and training programs or other workshops to maintain or improve the necessary skills to perform the duties described above.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and three or more years' experience in event planning and management or equivalent combination of experience and training.
• Proven record of producing high quality events while providing outstanding customer service and delivery satisfaction regarding event management.
• Demonstrated organizational, analytical, planning, and project management skills.
• Thorough knowledge of practices and procedures related to event planning and production, and public relations.
• Demonstrated ability to work under pressure of deadlines in a stressful environment.
• Developed organizational skills to enable work on multiple projects with competing deadlines, establish goals and workload priorities, and to effectively meet project deadlines within budget and time constraints.
• Written communication skills to prepare a variety of correspondence, reports, policies and procedures, and training documents.
• Highly developed interpersonal communication skills including political acumen and social perceptiveness.
• Active listening and conflict resolution skills to effectively resolve questions and concerns and ensure cooperative and productive working relationships.
• Attention to detail, and the ability to work with a high degree of accuracy and provide follow-through on assignments.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Highly developed judgment, and effective decision-making, including ability to recognize and deal effectively with real and potential problems, and determine when issues need to be brought to the attention of higher-level staff and/or management.

Preferred Qualifications

• Ideal candidate has experience with managing events ranging in size from 10-1000 people.
• Knowledge of crowd management, crowd safety protocols, security and emergency procedures related to small, medium and large-scale gatherings.
• Knowledge of and/or can quickly learn University policies and procedures relating to the use of University facilities, event management and presentation.

Salary & Benefits

For information on the comprehensive benefits package offered by the University, please visit the University of California's Compensation & Benefits website.

Under California law, the University of California, Berkeley is required to provide a reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role and should not offer a salary outside of the range posted in this job announcement. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to experience, skills, knowledge, abilities, education, licensure and certifications, analysis of internal equity, and other business and organizational needs. It is not typical for an individual to be offered a salary at or near the top of the range for a position. Salary offers are determined based on final candidate qualifications and experience.

The budgeted annual salary range that the University reasonably expects to pay for this position is $74,700.00 - $95,000.00. The full range for this classification is $74,700.00 - $132,900.00.

• This is an exempt monthly-paid position.

How to Apply

• To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter.