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Job Requisition ID:
2026-00432
Time Type:
Full time
Employee Group:
Staff
Job Category:
Event Management
Employment Type:
Temporary
Department:
Advancement and External Relations - Alumni Events
Hiring Range:
$60,384.87 - $75,481.09
Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.
Term 2 years
Internal posting expires April 10th at 11:59 AM
Job Description:
Primary Purpose
Reporting to the Senior Alumni Officer the Alumni Relations Event Coordinator (AREC) will provide a high level of event support. The AREC will play a key role in the coordination, execution and wrap up of all global and local alumni events and will help to lead our annual Fantastic Alumni Day. The Event Coordinator will be responsible for the creation and deployment of event communications, marketing and promotion and is required to maintain efficient and up to date event procedures; deliver an excellent guest experience on-site at events as needed; update website content; and contribute to collecting, organizing, and analyzing relevant reports, documentation and provide general event support to the entire team. Many of the events being supported are global in nature and will require flexibility and long lead times to effectively deliver high quality events in international markets.
The AREC works collaboratively to support the business plans and strategy of the Alumni Relations portfolio and works closely with Alumni Relations staff, Alumni Professionals campus wide (including faculties, colleges, schools and ASUs) and external stakeholders and contractors to plan and execute successful Alumni events and programs.
Key Accountabilities
Event coordination
- Manages the event communications from concept to completion including drafting, creating, and deploying event, and transactional pre- and post-event, communications, invitations, registration pages. Ensures consistency, accuracy and excellence in quality and content of messaging in all materials.
- Tracks, organizes, and prepares invitations lists, registration reports and post-event attendance lists 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 Alumni Relations events activities. This may include working with internal or external vendors to book and coordinate venues, catering, A/V, photo/video, parking, and other requests, 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 alumni events efforts through back-end management of a ticketing system, arranging accurate nametags and registration lists. Ensures Alumni Relations Volunteer documentation is accurate and is available on-site as a leader to these event specific volunteers.
- Coordinates 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.
- Alerts Alumni Relations and/or Advancement 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.
- Acts as point of contact for alumni events with internal stakeholders at all levels within Waterloo, as well as with various external stakeholders to provide knowledgeable and timely communication.
- Supports event and technical systems and processes, updating, refining, and streamlining as necessary.
- Suggest options and resources to make event planning and implementation processes more effective.
- Manages the organization and maintenance of the events supply rooms.
Event Support
- Supports the coordination of the University’s high-profile alumni marquee events including, alumni reunions, Convocation, and global events where the President is in attendance (ie. Hong Kong gala).
- Provides global event coordination and logistics support. This includes catering, room bookings, AV support, printing of briefing materials, travel logistics (transportation, accommodations, etc.) and managing invitation and registration for events.
- Sources and manages services to support global event activities. This includes equipment and tools for event staging (e.g., signage, flags, etc.), indoor and outdoor events, and events held globally.
- Maintains key administrative support to internally focused events which include alumni reunions.
- Prepares detailed event schedules, identifies critical dates and deadlines.
- Solicit and compile feedback for post-event “wrap-up” sessions including pulling event data and sharing with event Manager for continued improvement of event. Assist in assessing requirements for future events and with maintaining and editing event procedures.
- Provide exceptional alumni Reunion support which includes:
o Manage the Reunion website and social promotion of event (which may include digital assets), providing well written and accurate communication in a timely manner.
o Manage updates and edits to our event ticketing system ensuring accuracy of numbers and specific reunion details.
o Give administrative support to recruit, train and manage volunteers.
o Manage the main tracking document of attendance, updating registrants to attendees for all events.
o Assist with developing objectives, issuing and/or tracking event invitations and drafting event programs.
o Support the production of cross-campus Reunion materials.
o Act as a point of contact for Reunion requests and inquiries from internal and external contacts, which are time sensitive and require tact and diplomacy.
- Supports the Alumni Relations team by representing unit at all student events through boothing and welcoming guests.
- Supports the Alumni Relations team by updating all areas of the CRM with actions, volunteer updates as well as attendee lists.
- Work with Alumni & Donor Services team to ensure alumni and donor records are current and accurate by receiving and updating the database with event engagement information in a timely manner.
Financial Management
- Purchase products or services ensuring compliance with Waterloo financial policies and procedures.
- Using the corporate purchasing card (P-card) purchase required event products ensuring all invoices, tracking of purchases and monthly statement reconciliation is completed following established University guidelines, procedures, and processing requirements.
Communications
- Provides support for the development of promotional items for Alumni Relations events.
- Ensures the University of Waterloo alumni brand is appropriate in all communications and events, reflecting the reputation of the University.
- Build collegiality among alumni professionals/event planners on campus by providing access to information, resources, and consultation.
- Respond to inquiries from internal and external stakeholders, including complaints and issues management and escalating as required.
Website
- Manage updates to the alumni events website before, after and during peak event times.
- Ensure the content is relevant, current and meets the objectives of the website while ensuring Waterloo web design and brand standards and guidelines are adhered to.
- Ensure events and profiles are up-to-date by uploading photographs and writing event 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 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.
- Demonstrated experience and a proven aptitude for success in problem solving required.
- Demonstrated ability to work independently and operate successfully in a multi-stakeholder, fast-paced and complex environment.
- Experience with the specialized requirements associated with updating web content and familiarity with a content management system as an asset. Experience with digital an asset.
- Proven experience drafting and editing internal and external event-related communications for event teams, volunteers and/or guests.
- Experience with project management software an asset.
- Experience with event management software 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 WCMS3 is an asset.
- A true 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 alumni relations best practices and event coordination.
- 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.
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 [email protected] or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.
