Director of Annual Meeting and Events

The American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the vitality and democratic purposes of undergraduate liberal education. Through our programs and events, publications and research, public advocacy and campus-based projects, AAC&U serves as a catalyst and facilitator for innovations that improve educational quality and equity and that support the success of all students. In addition to accredited public and private, two-year and four-year colleges and universities and state higher education systems and agencies throughout the United States, our membership includes degree-granting higher education institutions in more than twenty-five countries as well as other organizations and individuals. To learn more, visit www.aacu.org.

AAC&U seeks a strategic, experienced, and highly collaborative Director to lead the planning and execution of its Annual Meeting and related convenings. The Director provides leadership for meeting strategy, operations, budgeting, communications, vendor management, and attendee experience, ensuring that each convening advances AAC&U’s mission, strengthens member engagement, and reflects the organization’s standards for quality, professionalism, and fiscal stewardship. Working in close partnership with the Vice President of the Office of Global Citizenship for Campus, Community, and Careers, the Director serves as a strategic visionary who translates institutional priorities into a high impact, mission driven conference experience.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES

• Provide strategic vision and leadership for the Annual Meeting, aligning planning priorities, member engagement, attendee experience, and operational execution with AAC&U’s mission and institutional goals
• Lead the full non-content planning portfolio for the Annual Meeting, including timelines, workplans, internal coordination, vendor partnerships, stakeholder communications, and on-site readiness
• Build and manage relationships with external organizations, partners, facilities, speakers, and vendors to support concurrent meetings, special sessions, and related convenings
• Oversee attendee facing communications, marketing coordination, website content, meeting materials, branding, signage, and digital platforms to ensure a cohesive, accessible, and professional meeting experience
• Provide leadership for cross department staff coordination, training, on-site assignments, risk awareness, and readiness planning to ensure disciplined execution and a high-quality service experience
• Provide strategic oversight for the Call for Proposals process, registration strategy, program scheduling support, and meeting flow in partnership with the Vice President of GC4
• Develop, manage, and monitor the Annual Meeting budget, exercising sound financial stewardship, identifying cost efficiencies, tracking expenditures, and ensuring appropriate documentation and expense reconciliation
• Lead contract, Memoranda of Understanding, facility, vendor, and speaker agreement processes in consultation with appropriate internal leaders, ensuring alignment with programmatic, operational, financial, and risk-management objectives
• Provide strategic and operational leadership for other GC4-hosted meetings, special convenings, and cross-functional initiatives, as needed

EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree required; CMP or comparable professional credential preferred
• Experience managing complex conferences, convenings, or large-scale events, including strategy, logistics, budgets, vendors, registration, communications, technology platforms, and on-site execution
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, exercise sound judgment, lead through influence, manage ambiguity, and translate organizational priorities into actionable plans
• Exceptional organizational, communication, problem solving, and relationship management skills, and ability to work effectively with senior leaders, partners, vendors, and members
• Understanding of higher education, membership organizations, and the role of convenings in advancing mission, thought leadership and community building
• Ability to anticipate emerging trends, member engagement, event design, accessibility, and participant experience and apply those insights to continuous improvement
• Proven ability to manage complex projects, competing priorities, stakeholder expectations, and high visibility deliverables with discretion, accountability, and sound decision making
• Advanced proficiency with event management systems, registration platforms, spreadsheets, databases, digital collaboration tools, and web based platforms used to support conference planning and execution

Please submit a resume, cover letter describing relevant work and educational experience, a list of three references, and salary requirements to AAC&U, Box HR, 1818 R Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009, or to recruit@aacu.org. Review of applications will begin on September 22, 2026.

This is a remote/hybrid position, with a slight preference for candidates based in Washington, D.C. A reasonable rate of compensation for this position is between $100,000 - $110,000

AAC&U believes that a broadly diverse staff is critical to achieving excellence as a national higher education association. We seek to recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. We are fully committed to equal employment opportunity and compliance with the full range of fair employment practices and nondiscrimination laws.