Community Relations and Events Coordinator

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This is being offered as external until June 30th 2026

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

Reporting to the Associate Director, Community Relations and Events the incumbent will provide a high level of administrative and event support within Community Relations and Events (CRE). The Community Relations and Events Coordinator will play a key role in the coordination of high-profile events and will help to lead our annual recognition events. The Coordinator will be responsible for the creation and deployment of event communications, including websites. The Coordinator is required to maintain efficient office procedures and logistics, and provide general administrative support to the team; and contribute to collecting, organizing, and analyzing relevant reports and documentation.

The Community Relations and Events Coordinator works collaboratively and closely with University Relations staff, staff in faculties and departments, staff in UW senior administrative offices and external stakeholders and contractors to plan and execute successful University events and programs. Some interaction with convocation volunteers is involved. The Coordinator is a point of contact for external inquiries, including managing the convocation inbox.

Key Accountabilities

Event and Convocation Support

· Supports the execution of the University’s high-profile marquee events including convocation, Waterloo Innovation Summit, public lectures, President’s events, and recognition events.

· Provides event coordination and logistics support. This includes catering, room bookings, AV support, printing of briefing materials, and managing invitations and registration for events.

· Leads travel and accommodation arrangements for VIP guests, such as honorary degree recipients.

· Sources and manages services to support event activities. This includes equipment and tools for event staging (e.g., signage, flags, etc.). Campus partners include, but not limited to, the Registrar’s office, Plant Operations, parking, UW Police, and external vendors.

· Provide exceptional convocation support which includes:

o Manage the convocation website, providing well written and accurate communication in a timely manner

o Building and managing our ticketing system by ceremony ensuring accuracy of numbers and placement.

o Providing administrative support to recruit volunteers through a volunteer communication tool. Support the training of volunteers and provide leadership onsite as required.

o Manage a complex database that houses all event and participant information. This database is the template for creating the program, invitations, communications, participation listings, etc.

o Manage the main tracking document of attendance for our convocation procession, faculty procession, award winners, and luncheon guests.

o Assist with developing objectives, issuing and/or tracking event invitations and drafting event programs.

o Support the production of convocation materials including the compilation and editing of the convocation program and invitations.

o Solicit and compiling feedback for post-event “wrap-up” sessions and sharing with Events Specialist for continued improvement of convocation.

o Assist with maintaining and editing convocation procedures. These procedures ensure protocol is followed, applied to all written materials and is well documented.

o Act as a point of contact for convocation requests and inquiries from internal and external contacts, which are time sensitive and require tact and diplomacy.

o Support VIP participation, which may include the convocation robing rooms, administrative support to awards winners and honorands and managing the inventory of academic regalia.

o Supports the Government Relations team by executing protocol for government visits, funding announcements, ceremonies and campus visits.

Event coordination and administrative support

· Supports event communications from concept to completion including drafting, creating, and deploying event communications, invitations, registration pages. Ensures consistency, accuracy and excellence in quality and content of messaging in all materials.

· Tracks, organizes, and prepares invitation lists and registration reports in a timely manner to all relevant parties.

· Provides exceptional customer service while coordinating, screening and handling all event and non -event inquiries in person, by telephone or electronic communication.

· Supports all UWaterloo community relations and events activities. This may include completing parking arrangements, catering, mailings, and invitations, as well as preparing accurate meeting minutes for meetings.

· Manages effective relationships to ensure prompt, expectation-exceeding service and accurate information, balancing deadlines and responsibilities while graciously accommodating interruptions to deal with a wide range of questions as they arise.

· Supports all convocation efforts through back-end management of a ticketing system, arranging accurate numbers and floor plans by ceremony. Prepares all volunteer documentation and is available on-site as a leader to these volunteers.

· Coordinate technical components of virtual, or hybrid events ensuring technical equipment is secured and/or tested.

· Identify and recommend emerging collaborative applications, tools, software and best practices such as Airtable, Smartsheet, Adobe Connect, Cisco WebEx, etc., to enhance administrative support within Community Relations and Events.

· Alerts CRE staff or other departmental staff to any issues within appropriate timeframes and displays judgement as required to ensure the appropriate staff are aware of emerging matters, urgent or sensitive items that may impact the University

· Maintains key administrative support to internally focused events which include town hall meetings, receptions, staff recognition events, and when required, campus and community consultations tied to strategic planning.

· Prepares detailed schedules, identifying critical dates and deadlines.

· Acts as point of contact with internal stakeholders at all levels within UW, as well as with various external stakeholders to provide knowledgeable and timely communication.

· Supports administrative and technical systems and processes, updating, refining and streamlining as necessary.

· Suggests options and resources to make event planning and implementation processes more effective.

· Manages the organization and maintenance of the events supply rooms.

Financial Management

· Purchase products or services ensuring compliance with UW financial policies and procedures.

· Using the corporate purchasing card (P-card) purchase required products ensuring all invoices, tracking of purchases and monthly statement reconciliation is completed following established University and/or University Relations guidelines, procedures and processing requirements. The cardholder ensures correct department, account and tax codes are applied to P-card invoices/receipts.

Communications

· Ensures the University of Waterloo brand is appropriate in all communications and events, reflecting the reputation of the University.

· Builds collegiality among other event planners on campus by providing access to information, resources and consultation.

· Responds to inquiries from internal and external stakeholders, including complaints and issues management and escalating as required.

Website

· Manage all updates to the convocation website before, after and during convocation peak times.

· Coordinate and/or complete ongoing updates and improvements for the Community Relations and Events website.

· Ensure the content is relevant, current and meets the objectives of the website while ensuring UW web design standards and guidelines are adhered to.

· Ensure events and profiles are up-to-date by uploading photographs and writing descriptions as required.

Required Qualifications

Education

· University degree in event management, public relations and communications, or equivalent post-secondary education or equivalent education and/or work experience.

Experience

· At least 3 years in an administrative and event coordination/assistant role dealing with front-line services, event planning and production, partnership building and community engagement.

· Previous experience as an event coordinator who can envision and articulate the goals and objectives of the project, work with cross-functional teams who contribute to the project, and collaborate with multiple project participants to ensure a successful outcome.

· Experience and a proven aptitude for success in problem solving required.

· Experience with the specialized requirements associated with updating web content and familiarity with a content management system as an asset. Experience with updating digital displays an asset.

· Experience with project management software an asset, such as Airtable.

· Experience with event management software such as TicketFi, SurveyMonkey and Audience View is an asset.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

· Excellent written and verbal communication skills and experience in drafting, editing and proofreading under very tight deadlines is required. Prior experience with using MailChimp and WCMS3 is an asset.

· Understanding of our audience and stakeholder needs, to ensure a quality event experience with strong audience engagement

· The individual must be strategic, analytical and insightful, able to assess and interpret the various factors affecting the successful planning and execution of events on campus and within the community and be experienced in assisting with event management approaches to address these.

· Must have a superior understanding of community relations best practices and event coordination.

· Should be able to lead volunteers effectively by providing clear and concise training and direction.

· Ability to exercise proactive project coordination, communicate effectively to project participants who need to understand progress, and identify risks/mitigating strategies before problems occur.

· Must have superb planning and organizational skills, be able to work simultaneously on multiple initiatives with demanding deadlines and manage time/resources accordingly.

· Proven ability to manage high volumes of activity, multiple tasks and constant change while demonstrating the ability to maintain confidentiality, ensuring sensitivity to the needs and interests of a variety of stakeholders and support the functioning of diverse teams.

· Proven ability for ensuring delivery of quality events in a high-performance environment, with multiple projects, stakeholders and competing deadlines.

· Demonstrated strong interpersonal skills.

· Ability to liaise with senior leaders and VIP guests and stakeholders.

· Exceptional attention to detail is essential.

· Proficient use of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint required.

· A high level of independence is required requiring excellent judgment in areas of time management, task prioritization and decision-making.

· Demonstrated ability to thrive in, and contribute to, an integrated and collaborative team environment and to apply a calm, positive team approach to working with colleagues.

· Collaborative team player who is comfortable providing and taking constructive input from multiple sources.

· Knowledge of communications planning, creative brief development, event marketing and advertising, media relations, and social media are an asset to this role.

· Knowledge of or experience working with video editing software such as Adobe Creative Suite is beneficial.

Equity Statement

The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.

The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Métis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.

Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources at hrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.