Are you UNSW’s new Strategic Events Maestro?
Orchestrate a high-impact events program for UNSW with the world’s leading thinkers that gets the world thinking.
We’re looking for a visionary Director of Strategic Events to join our dynamic team in the newly established Division of Societal Impact, Equity and Engagement who can help us shape and execute innovative events that align with the University’s vision.
The Director of Strategic Events plays a pivotal role at UNSW Sydney, spearheading the development and execution of a comprehensive events strategy. This leadership position requires a professional with a proven track record in events management, strategic thinking, and team leadership. The successful candidate will be responsible for conceptualising and delivering high-impact events that align with the University’s strategic plan, fostering key relationships with stakeholders (internally and externally), and ensuring the success of each event through meticulous planning and post-event analysis. If you’re a strategic visionary with a passion for creating memorable events with impact, we invite you to apply and lead our dynamic events team.
- Position description
- Terms
- How to apply
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The Director of Strategic Events is a key position within the Division of Societal Impact and Engagement, supporting the University’s aspiration to become one of the world’s greatest universities, consistently ranked top 50 in the world. Improving UNSW’s profile globally is a priority and the Director of Strategic Events is pivotal in realising this vision. The Director will partner with senior staff across the University to create a high-impact events program. Many of these events will sit under the umbrella of Centre For Ideas showcasing our thought leaders, as well as hosting prestigious external speakers and distinguished guests.
The Director will lead and develop a strategic events team and manage requirements for high-profile visitors to campus.
Specific accountabilities for this role include:
Strategy and planning
- Provide leadership and professional expertise in the collaborative planning, production and delivery of high quality, high profile public and internal events across UNSW, as well supporting the logistics for high profile visitors to campus.
- Provide a clear and compelling three year marketing and communications plan for events, which demonstrates: how we will continue to develop a portfolio of ‘products’; where we deliver events for maximum value (on-line, on campus, with partners, overseas etc); and how we ensure maximum profile from the promotion of our program.
- Collaborate strongly with Deans and other Senior Academic Leadership to ensure the academic vision and integrity of our strategic events program, and ensure our events meet the goal to raise our profile globally and amongst target groups.
- Establish strong governance to guide the development of our strategic events plan, ensuring new feedback and monitoring systems are in place to better understand our return on investment for planning purposes. Formal reporting required bi-annually to inform the forward planning process.
- Play an active role in the senior management of the Division, and support the senior Divisional team to deliver their KPIs.
Service Excellence
- Champion a strong ‘customer service’ ethos, supporting business partners with a professional, effective and responsive service and a deep commitment to achieving both the partners and UNSW’s strategic goals and targets.
- Manage and develop a team of event experts, creating a professional development plan for staff which focuses on adopting leading strategic events practice.
- Support the broader events management staff across campus with training to improve skills and share experiences, developing a toolkit of templates and central resources to help them in their work.
- Create a ‘Community of Practice’ across campus, working collegially to share ideas and best practice.
Service Delivery
- Deliver the agreed strategic events program to the highest operational standards.
- Develop systems and processes to improve the quality of our strategic events, harnessing technology wherever possible to organize and promote our programs.
- Establish strong feedback mechanisms from internal ‘customers’ and event attendees, in line with the Operational Excellence framework, to ensure the team delivers upon expectations.
- Implement the UNSW health and safety management system within your area of responsibility including ensuring adherence to insurance and legal obligations specifically relating to events delivery.
- Align with and actively demonstrate the UNSW Values in Action: Our Behaviours and the UNSW Code of Conduct.
- Cooperate with all health and safety policies and procedures of the university and take all reasonable care to ensure that your actions or omissions do not impact the health and safety of yourself or others.
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Skills
- Relevant degree with substantial experience relevant to the strategic events role or equivalent competency gained through any other combination of education, training and/or experience
- Substantial marketing experience including developing products or services to generate revenue and managing highly significant promotional campaigns
- Evidence of successful delivery of high profile events that support organisational strategy
- Strong project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple and complex projects to a high standard
- Demonstrated ability to effectively manage financial, administrative and human resources to achieve organisational goals
- Significant evidence of innovating and applying creative solutions to business challenges
- Highly developed interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively liaise with and influence key stakeholders and establish highly effective working relationships
- Ability to direct/monitor the implementation and effectiveness of the safety management system
- An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines.
- Knowledge of health and safety responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant health and safety training.
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We will offer the successful candidate a salary package commensurate with the position responsibilities and the candidate’s skills, qualifications and experience.
All of our employees (excluding casuals) are entitled to receive 17% employer superannuation contributions. New employees are entitled to select their preferred superannuation fund or UniSuper, the industry fund for the Tertiary Education sector.
Our salary-sacrificing initiatives allow you to pay some or all of the offering before tax.
We also offer the option to salary package a fully maintained vehicle under a lease known as a novated lease. Car parking is available on campus with the ability to pay via fortnightly payroll salary sacrifice deductions.
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Your employment is conditional upon the completion of all required pre-employment or background checks. In addition, your ongoing employment is based upon the satisfactory maintenance of all relevant clearances and background check requirements.
UNSW requires that all employees have eligible working rights within Australia. As one of Australia’s top employers, we understand that some candidates may benefit from support to relocate and join our university.
If you are offered a position at the university and are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident, the university may be able to assist with sponsorship arrangements. This includes obtaining the appropriate visa to allow you to work at UNSW.
The type of visa arrangement would depend on the length of your appointment at UNSW. Our external providers, Visa Lawyers Australia, will initially make that assessment of your application on behalf of UNSW and the UNSW Recruitment team will also guide you through this process.
We may also offer financial assistance to successful candidates who are required to move from their current residence in order to take an appointment at UNSW.
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UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community; a community doing extraordinary things. But what makes us different isn’t only what we do, it’s how we do it. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do.
Taking this combined approach is what makes our work matter. It’s why we come to campus each day.
We make it as easy as possible for our staff to have a rich and balanced life at work and home. As part of our approach to flexible working, we have introduced greater flexibility across location, hours, full-time equivalents, schedules and job sharing.
In terms of other benefits, we offer various types of leave, lifelong learning, discounts, entitlements, health and wellbeing support. Further information can be found on Jobs@UNSW.
For further information and a confidential discussion, please contact Natalie Walker who is advising the University on this appointment.
Tel: +61 (0)2 6243 3673
Email: UNSWDirector@walkerexecutivesearch.com
Website: www.walkerexecutivesearch.com
Applications close Friday 1 March 2024 at midnight AEDT.
UNSW is committed to equity diversity and inclusion. Applications from women, people of culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those living with disabilities, members of the LGBTIQ+ community; and people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, are encouraged. UNSW provides workplace adjustments for people with disability, and access to flexible work options for eligible staff. The University reserves the right not to proceed with any appointment.
