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Job Category:
Academic Staff
Employment Type:
Regular
Job Profile:
Event Manager
Job Summary:
The Event Manager oversees the planning, coordination, and execution of more than 100 events annually, both on and off campus. The Event Manager serves as the primary on-site leader for events, ensuring compliance with all applicable food safety, health, and university policies while delivering excellent customer service.
This position maintains a consistent physical presence at events to supervise student hourly staff, monitor product quality and inventory, and ensure smooth execution from setup through teardown. The Event Manager works closely with health inspectors, event partners, and Babcock Dairy personnel (including management, communications, and drivers) to deliver high-quality events that meet regulatory and customer service standards. The role includes comprehensive event preparation, such as coordinating and transporting products and supplies, checking equipment and logistical needs, and organizing transportation for off-campus events throughout the state.
This role requires strong knowledge of food safety regulations, the ability to manage multiple events in a single day, and proven supervisory experience. The ideal candidate will have strong project management, organizational, multitasking, and problem-solving skills. They will also have the ability to meet certification and compliance requirements of the position, including obtaining ServSafe Food Manager Certification within 6 months of hire, maintaining eligibility for UW-Madison Driver Authorization, and demonstrating a working knowledge of PCI compliance standards related to secure handling of payment transactions.
Primary Responsibilities:
• Plan, coordinate, and execute events from concept through completion (e.g., scoop shops at athletic events, markets featuring cheese and ice cream, and community events)
• Develop and manage event timelines, run-of-show documents, and logistics plans
• Secure event spaces and manage vendor relationships
• Negotiate contracts and manage event budgets
• Manage inventory and order event supplies and products for resale
• Provide excellent customer service at all events
• Oversee on-site event setup, execution, and teardown
• Supervise and coordinate event staffing, and student employees
• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, OSHA standards, university policies, and personnel procedures
• Troubleshoot issues in real time during events
• Conduct post-event evaluations and reporting, including attendance tracking, budget reconciliation, and feedback analysis
Additional information:
• Full-time, onsite position
• Work hours vary based on event schedule; evening and weekend availability required
• Requires standing for extended periods, lifting up to 40 pounds, and pushing heavy carts (approximately 200 pounds)
• Some travel required for off-campus events
• A criminal background check may be required
• A 12-month evaluation/probation period may be required
Key Job Responsibilities:
- May exercise supervisory authority, including hiring, transferring, suspending, promoting, managing conduct and performance, discharging, assigning, rewarding, disciplining, and/or approving hours worked of at least 2.0 FTE or equivalent employees
- Identifies, proposes, and implements new or revised unit operational policies and procedures
- Monitors the budget and approves expenditures
- Establishes and executes day-to-day operational functions and goals of events to align with existing strategy
- Establishes and sustains relationships with internal and external stakeholders
Department:
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Food Sciences, Babcock Dairy. Opening in 1951, Babcock Dairy has been a renowned ice cream and cheese producer in the state of Wisconsin for decades. We provide a wide variety of products to the surrounding community in support of the Department of Food Science's mission. https://babcockdairystore.wisc.edu/
Compensation:
The minimum salary for this position is $60,000 per year. Actual salary will depend on experience and qualifications.
Employees in this position can expect to receive benefits such as generous vacation, holidays, and paid time off; competitive insurances and savings accounts; retirement benefits. Additional benefits information can be found at: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/download/fasl.pdf
Required Qualifications:
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing events, including on‑site coordination, logistics, and customer-facing operations
• Applied knowledge of food safety regulations and experience ensuring compliance with local/state health codes, OSHA standards, and organizational policies
• Proven supervisory experience, including training, scheduling, and overseeing employees in a fast‑paced setting
Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience managing high volume or concurrent events (i.e. athletic events, campus programs, or large public gatherings)
• Current ServSafe Food Manager Certification, or prior experience maintaining food safety certifications in a regulated food service or event environment
Education:
Bachelor's Degree Preferred in Hospitality Management, Event Management, Food Service Management, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
How to Apply:
To apply for this position, please click on the "I am a current employee" button or "I am not a current employee" button under Apply Now. You will be prompted to upload the following documents.
• Cover Letter
• Resume
Please note, there is only one attachment field. You must upload all your documents into the one attachment field.
It’s important that your cover letter and resume reflect your experience for this position related to the Qualifications section. Your application materials will be used during our evaluation to determine your qualifications as they relate to the job. The most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in the next step of the selection process.
Please note that successful applicants are responsible for ensuring their eligibility to work in the United States (i.e. a citizen or national of the United States, a lawful permanent resident, a foreign national authorized to work in the United States without need of employer sponsorship) on or before the effective date of the appointment. University sponsorship is not available for this position.
References: Finalists will be asked to provide contact information (phone and email) for three references, one of which must be a current or former supervisor. References will not be contacted without prior notice.
Contact Information:
Hong Zhang
hong.zhang@wisc.edu
Work Phone: (608) 265-4473
Fax: (608) 262-6716
Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.
Institutional Statement on Diversity:
Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.
To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.
Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.
The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.