Director of Sales and Event Experience

Job Posting Title:

----

Hiring Department:

----

Position Open To:

----

Weekly Scheduled Hours:

----

FLSA Status:

----

Earliest Start Date:

----

Position Duration:

----

Location:

----

Job Details:

University Unions enhances the student experience at The University of Texas at Austin by offering welcoming facilities, engaging programs, and a supportive environment. Serving more than 50,000 students, faculty, staff, and guests annually, our team is committed to providing a welcoming and innovative services that reflect the spirit of Longhorn Nation.

The University Unions at The University of Texas at Austin is seeking a highly motivated and results-oriented Director of Sales and Event Experience to lead and grow our event sales program. With more than 20 premier meeting, conference, and event venues, University Unions plays a critical role in supporting student life, campus departments, and external partners through dynamic, well-executed events.

The Director of Sales and Event Experience will be responsible for developing strategic sales initiatives, managing client relationships, negotiating contracts, and ensuring a seamless handoff to event operations. This position is responsible for leading new business development and renewing existing clients. The director directly supports our mission of creating welcoming and engaging campus experiences.

• Lead and implement a comprehensive event sales strategy to maximize space utilization and event revenue.
• Develop and maintain relationships with relevant colleges, schools, and units to understand their space and programming needs.
• Identify and cultivate new business opportunities across internal university units, student organizations, and external clients.
• Conduct site visits, prepare customized proposals, negotiate terms, and secure executed agreements.
• Serve as the primary sales contact for key clients, ensuring on-site presence and maintaining long-term relationships to encourage repeat bookings and referrals.
• Collaborate closely with the event services and operations team to ensure seamless event delivery, including staffing coordination, payment processing, inventory logistics, and client communication.
• Supervise and support internal sales and event services staff, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team environment.
• Monitor space performance and industry trends to inform pricing, packaging, and promotional strategies. Stay current on industry trends and best practices in event services and hospitality to identify innovative approaches for enhancing services and attracting new clients.
• Represent University Unions at networking events and campus activities to promote venues and services.
• Maintain accurate records of leads, conversions, and sales data using CRM and event management systems.
• Prepare regular reports for leadership on sales goals, space usage, and client feedback.
• Collect and compile formal feedback data from user groups and generate regular assessment reports summarizing results and trends.
• Ensure events align with UT Austin's high standards of safety, accessibility, and hospitality excellence.
• Collaboration with Forty Acres Catering to increase catering revenue through integrated sales efforts.
• Collaborate with the Cactus Cafe to increase Special Use events and enhance venue visibility.
• Serve as a consistent primary point of contact for high-profile events, acting as a liaison between clients and internal teams to ensure exceptional customer service and successful event execution.
• Proactively prospect for new clients and generate opportunities for new events.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers and existing clients to foster long-term engagement and repeat business.
• Participate in the planning and execution of event operations for special use rentals, including internal and external events of various scales and special events.
• Communicate with clients and internal department planners, coordinate with internal and external contracted vendors, including catering, production, housekeeping and maintenance, UTPD and parking.
• Schedule and conduct client site visits and event production meetings.
• Implement and execute all UT Austin policies and procedures and ensure that all UT Austin standards are maintained.

• Bachelor's degree.
• A minimum of five (5) years of progressive experience in event sales, venue management, or hospitality leadership.
• Experience in organizing events of all sizes and complexity.
• Demonstrated ability to meet or exceed revenue goals in a complex event or venue environment.
• Demonstrated ability to develop compelling proposals and reports.
• Experience supervising teams or leading cross-functional coordination.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and presentation skills.
• Proficiency in CRM software and event/space management platforms (e.g., EMS, Mazevo, Social Tables).
• Excellent organizational, time-management skills, and interpersonal skills.
• Highly effective and demonstrated communication and organization skills, along with effective relationship-building skills.
• Capable of working independently and under pressure, while also engaging in collaboration between teams.
• Commitment to client service, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Provide regular ongoing reports and analytics.
• Ability to adapt quickly and navigate ambiguous settings.
• Ability to drive results.
• Personal and professional confidence.

• Bachelor's degree in marketing, business, hospitality management, or a related field.
• Seven (7) or more years of experience in event coordination, group sales, or venue marketing.
• Experience in a college or university setting, particularly within student unions or auxiliary services.
• Familiarity with university processes related to contracts, student organizations, and campus scheduling.
• Knowledge of best practices in hospitality services, including coordination of events such as conferences, weddings, student celebrations, and donor/administrative functions.
• A driven leader with energy, drive, and creativity.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and drive to discover new opportunities.

$80,000 + depending on qualifications

• Work is performed in an office environment with frequent visits to event venues.
• Occasional/ Frequent evening and weekend hours required to support key events based on event schedules.

• Full-time, in person, 40 hours per week with occasional/frequent evenings/weekends for events.

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Importantfor applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure thatALLRequired Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers:As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questionspresented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

----

Employment Eligibility:

----

Retirement Plan Eligibility:

----

Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

----

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

----

Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

----

Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

----

E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

----

Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.