Assistant Director (Communications & Marketing Special Events Coordinator) - UT Chattanooga

The University Center at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is a bustling hub of campus activity, designed to foster community engagement and facilitate events that enhance student life and university operations. Spanning a vast 200,000 square foot facility, the center serves as a versatile venue for a wide range of university and external events, making it an integral part of the campus infrastructure. The center works collaboratively with various campus departments, including catering, police, parking, and custodial teams, to ensure a seamless event experience and maintain a safe, welcoming environment for all visitors.

The Assistant Director role is a critical position within the University Center, providing leadership and oversight to daily operations and event coordination efforts. This role involves managing the logistics of multiple complex events simultaneously within the UC-managed spaces. The Assistant Director plays a pivotal role in ensuring that events run smoothly by working closely with event organizers to determine details such as room layouts, technology needs, and necessary staffing. A proficiency in using space reservation systems, particularly 25Live, is essential for processing and confirming event bookings. Beyond event management, this position supervises a core team including the University Center Coordinator and approximately 25 student employees, covering both event coordination and marketing functions. This entails recruiting, training, and evaluating student staff to align their efforts with the University's goals and standards.

In terms of facility oversight, the Assistant Director partners with campus tenants and the facilities team to maintain operational excellence. They are also expected to participate in an on-call rotation to address any issues that arise during evenings or weekends, demonstrating a commitment to responsive service. Additionally, this role supervises the student marketing team, including oversight of social media activities, promotional content development, and collaboration on marketing initiatives with various university departments. A keen understanding of branding standards and university policies is required to maintain consistent and appropriate communication.

The ideal candidate will bring a mix of event management skills, customer service principles, strong organizational abilities, and excellent interpersonal communication. The role provides an exciting opportunity to contribute to the University’s vibrant campus life by ensuring exceptional event experiences and fostering collaboration across campus partners. This position offers a salary range of $52,750 to $55,000, categorized under UT Market Range MR07, and requires full-time onsite presence at the Chattanooga campus. Reviewing applications will begin July 8, 2026, with priority given to those received by that date.