Associate Director of Stadium Events - Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is a renowned multi-purpose sports and entertainment complex located in Memphis, Tennessee, spanning over 136 acres. It is centered around the iconic stadium, originally known as Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, which opened in 1965 as Memphis Memorial Stadium. This historic venue serves as the home field for the Memphis Tigers Football program, Southern Heritage Classic, AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL). Currently, Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium is undergoing a $220 million renovation, which will enhance its status as a premier destination for college football, entertainment, and major events, attracting a wide range of visitors and large-scale gatherings from across the region and beyond. The stadium is integrated into the broader community and acts as a critical asset for Memphis’ sports, entertainment, and tourism sectors.

The University of Memphis, which manages the stadium, stands as a leading urban public Research 1 (R1) institution. It serves approximately 20,000 students and employs around 2,500 staff members, including over 1,000 full-time faculty. The university offers more than 230 bachelor's degree programs, over 50 master's programs, and 26 doctoral disciplines, supported by a $500 million operational budget and an institutional record of research awards exceeding $100 million for the fiscal year 2024. This backdrop provides the stadium with strong academic and community ties.

The Associate Director of Stadium & Events at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium holds a crucial role in supporting the coordination of external events, partnership engagement, parking operations, and stadium event logistics. Reporting directly to the Director of Stadium Events, this role is pivotal in venue utilization initiatives, event development, and operational coordination while maintaining and nurturing strong relationships with community, corporate, and external partners. Approximately 40% of the position focuses on event and partnership coordination, involving collaboration with prominent organizations such as the Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Memphis Sports Council, Liberty Park management, University of Memphis departments, local tourism agencies, event promoters, sponsors, and various community organizations. This collaborative environment aims to boost the stadium’s activation and usage through well-managed, diverse events.

About 20% of the role concentrates on coordinating parking operations for Liberty Park and the stadium. This entails overseeing event parking logistics, traffic flow coordination, and working in concert with parking vendors and public safety personnel to ensure smooth ingress and egress for visitors during events. The remaining responsibilities are evenly divided between supporting stadium operations and event execution roles. The Associate Director oversees detailed event logistics to ensure successful event delivery, seamless guest experiences, and operational readiness. This includes managing load-ins and load-outs, vendor coordination, staffing, security arrangements, and troubleshooting operational issues.

The role demands excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills as the Associate Director represents Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in meetings, community functions, and networking events. Collaboration with internal teams and external partners is essential to support marketing, logistics, and overall guest experience initiatives. The position requires flexibility, including the ability to work nights, weekends, holidays, and extended event days in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

In addition to event coordination, the Associate Director supports stadium leadership in venue utilization planning and operational readiness. Coordination with facility operations teams ensures maintenance, event setup needs, and ongoing stadium improvements are managed effectively. The role involves maintaining comprehensive event documentation, operational notes, diagrams, scheduling records, and post-event reporting. Physical demands include frequent walking throughout event spaces and parking areas, standing for extended periods, occasional lifting up to 50 pounds, and working indoors and outdoors in varying weather conditions. Noise levels in the work environment vary from moderate during planning stages to loud during live events.

Overall, this position is ideal for candidates with a bachelor's degree in Sports Management, Business Administration, Marketing, Hospitality, Event Management, or related fields with at least three years of experience in event operations, venue or parking operations, or equivalent. Alternatively, a master's degree coupled with one year of relevant experience is acceptable. Experience in sports, entertainment, tourism, hospitality, or large public assembly venues is highly preferred. Candidates must be authorized to work in the U.S. as Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium does not offer employment visa sponsorship. The Associate Director of Stadium & Events plays a vital role in enhancing the stadium's reputation as a top-tier venue, ensuring operational excellence and memorable experiences for all guests and partners.