Director, Events

Director, Events

Who we are

Campus Compact is a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education. As the largest national higher education association dedicated solely to higher education civic and community engagement, Campus Compact enables higher education institutions to develop students’ citizenship skills and forge effective community partnerships. Our resources support senior administrators, faculty, staff, and students as they pursue community-based teaching, scholarship, and action in the service of positive change.

Today, we stand at a defining moment: we are ready to scale our impact when the stakes for our work have never been higher. We know that higher education has a critical role to play in fostering democratic principles and culture by addressing polarization, strengthening civic participation, and ensuring students are prepared to navigate and shape our democracy. Thanks to the investment of philanthropic partners, Campus Compact is preparing for a period of significant growth and expansion, particularly in the areas of innovation, scaling, and coalition building.

About the role

The director of events will oversee our portfolio of events-based programming to deliver on Campus Compact’s mission and support member campuses. Reporting directly to the senior director of communications & events, the director will work in partnership with the events manager to execute our events with excellence and a high degree of professionalism. This new role will own events operations & budget management, lead the development of our overarching events strategy, partner with program teams to envision and deliver a portfolio of events (both in person and virtual), and supervise the events manager. This role will require frequent travel to staff in-person events across the country.

Key Responsibilities

Event Strategy Development

• Working closely with the senior director, communications & events, program leads, and Campus Compact senior leaders, help lead the creation and synthesis of a cohesive event strategy that ensures continuity across all Campus Compact events, both in-person and online, while ensuring these strategies meet the specific needs, outcomes, and desired impact for each program and initiative.
• Ensure our events strategy is reviewed regularly and evolves continually to respond to shifting organizational priorities, the needs of new programs or initiatives, growth, changes in funding objectives, etc.

Event Planning & Execution

• Work with program leads to develop and execute new and existing in-person convenings. Lead logistics during and leading up to events, including venue identification, event registration, and attendee communication, coordinating with hotel contacts, catering, AV, etc. Travel as needed to ensure events are appropriately staffed and set up for success.
• With the events manager, lead the planning & execution of our annual in-person conference. Serve as a thought leader and organizer to ensure our conference remains a valuable experience for our members, sponsors, and other attendees.
• In partnership with the employee relations/people & culture team and the Events Manager, ensure the success of our annual staff retreat by providing logistical and strategic support.

Event Finance & Operations Management

• Ensure continuity across event operational strategy. Evolve and build effective systems, processes, training, and operational tactics that ensure financial sustainability and enable us to deliver events with excellence and a high degree of professionalism.
• With input from the events manager, develop and mature specific events-focused operations and processes to ensure consistent and efficient event planning and execution. Improve and develop systems for contract management, event sponsorships, project management, and event technology use.
• Lead event budget management and finance. Manage spending and tracking for multiple large-scale event budgets. Work closely with Campus Compact’s finance team to develop event budgets, manage event-related billing & payments, and ensure responsible use of funds.
• Manage and set up systems to maintain our inventory of event supplies and promotional materials; develop a process for storing and distributing materials across the country to our staff; working with the events manager, manage purchasing and shipping to ensure that we use our resources responsibly and that staff have the supplies they need to be successful

Event Sponsorship

• Drive the pipeline of event sponsors from recruitment to post-event, particularly for our national conference and Newman Civic Fellows convening.
• Lead the development of sponsorship levels, track prospective sponsors, manage payments & invoicing, and ensure our sponsors have a great experience before, during, and after events.

Team Leadership & Internal Coordination

• Supervise the events manager. Serve as a thought partner for them in their work planning and executing virtual and student-focused events. Provide coaching and professional development opportunities.
• Deepen and evolve working norms and expectations to enable (a) effective and efficient management of the events staff’s priorities and (b) impactful engagement with teams and individuals (internal & external) that are key to the successful execution of Campus Compact events.
• Foster a team culture grounded in collaboration, shared responsibility, learning, and care, with attention to sustainable workload management and clear communication.
• Provide support, training, and backup coverage as needed to ensure our work products are high-quality, consistent, and aligned with overarching organizational strategy.
• As a member of the larger communications & events team, serve as a steward for our brand and voice both internally and externally. Ensure our team’s work aligns with our larger communications and branding strategy.

Take on other responsibilities as needed and appropriate

Qualifications (what do you need to do the tasks):

• Education level: has a relevant undergraduate degree
• 3+ years in a director-level or similarly scoped role, with experience:
  • Developing an organizational event strategy
  • Delivering quality events at a high level; experience in a higher education setting preferred
  • Managing full-time, in-house event staff who hold a high level of organizational and cross-functional responsibility and relationships
• Robust experience with budget management & development. Is comfortable working with budget management and payment systems, such as bill.com and Excel. Experience working on grant-funded projects preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and execute both virtual and in-person events with excellence
• Experience using event-related tools and software, including Zoom and Swoogo (or an equivalent registration management system)
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, identify the critical information needed to make strategic decisions, and ensure appropriate input and perspectives are included when working cross-functionally
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly

Expectations (how you work):

• Communication skills is a clear communicator who prioritizes customer experience. Is friendly, timely, and thorough in their communications with event attendees, vendors, sponsors, partners, and fellow staff.
• Impeccable organization, time, & priority management is an impeccable project manager with a keen eye for detail. Is able to independently prioritize and manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
• Collaborative is a team player who lives out our core values of accountability, transparency and responsiveness in their collaboration with colleagues and partners. Has demonstrated excellence in co-managing projects and has the confidence to take the lead and assign tasks to move work forward when necessary.
• Solution-oriented is solution-oriented and flexible in their approach to achieving our goals. Is comfortable exploring new approaches, navigating change, and reacting to the unexpected. Learns from feedback and seeks to constantly improve our event experience.
• A deep personal and professional commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Preferred qualifications

• Knowledge of higher education civic and community engagement
• Experience developing and executing events for a higher education audience
• Experience planning conferences with more than 500 attendees (ideally at the national level)
• Software and Platform Experience
  • CRM (such as Salesforce), Proficiency in Excel, Project Management (such as Asana)

As an employee of Campus Compact, you strive to represent & live Campus Compact’s shared values & commitments in both how you show up for and work with your colleagues as well as Campus Compact’s partners and communities:

• Equity: We prioritize full participation and diversity of thought, experience, and background. We center equity in our actions, processes, and practices to uplift diverse voices and perspectives.
• Growth mindset: We consistently push ourselves and each other to do and be better. We are motivated by growth—embracing new ideas, prioritizing continuous learning, and meeting challenges head-on.
• Accountability: We recognize that long-term change requires individual and shared ownership of personal and organizational actions. We own our mistakes, give each other grace, collaborate openly, and hold ourselves to high standards of integrity.
• Responsiveness: We ensure our offerings, resources, and approaches are flexible, grounded in feedback, and responsive to the challenges of our time.
• Transparency: We are direct and authentic within our team, with our members, and with our partners. We know that building trust starts with consistent, honest, and transparent communication.

Qualification requirements: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function in a satisfactory manner. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical requirements:

• This is primarily a sedentary position requiring the ability to sit at a desk and use a computer and phone most of the day.
• Minor bending and lifting periodically, as well as periodic long hours standing and walking/moving around (mostly related to help with event management needs)
• The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Additional Information:

• Position Type: This is a remote, full-time, exempt position.
• Location: This is a remote position with regular travel required for staff gatherings and Compact Events, most specifically our annual All Staff, in-person Retreat.
• Reporting Structure: Senior Director, Communications & Events
• Director Report: Events Manager
• Compensation Band: $85,000 - $95,000
• Benefits: Campus Compact provides a competitive benefits package, including national healthcare coverage, generous paid time off, and an employer retirement contribution. The organization prioritizes employee well-being and professional development and lives out those values through a flexible work environment, an inclusive and caring culture, and dedication to professional development.
  • Organizational Breaks:
    • Winter Break: Dec. 24th - Jan. 1st
    • Summer Reset: Week of July 4th

To apply:

We would like this position to start as soon as is reasonably possible*, but ideally no later than Tuesday, March 31, 2026.

*Our 2026 annual conference is March 16th-18th. In the event that a candidate is hired with a start date prior to our conference, they would be welcome (but not required) to join us for the event. Any offer of employment is not contingent on ability to attend.

Please click THIS LINK. You will be expected to upload a resume and answer the acknowledgement and application questions

*Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled, with priority given to applicants who apply by February 16th, 2026.

Campus Compact strives to attract and retain a diverse and talented staff who will contribute to the organization’s goals, mission, and vision. We encourage individuals of all ethnic, racial, religious, and socioeconomic backgrounds to apply. Campus Compact is committed to increasing our team’s diversity, consistent with the values of our network. Campus Compact is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to qualified individuals. It does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, height, weight, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, parental status, genetic information or characteristics (or those of a family member), or any other basis prohibited by law.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

Campus Compact participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. Campus Compact will only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.

Compensation Band: $85,000 - $95,000

Benefits: Campus Compact provides a competitive benefits package, including national healthcare coverage, generous paid time off, and an employer retirement contribution. The organization prioritizes employee well-being and professional development and lives out those values through a flexible work environment, an inclusive and caring culture, and dedication to professional development.

• • Organizational Breaks:
    • Winter Break: Dec. 24th - Jan. 1st
    • Summer Reset: Week of July 4th