The Director of Institutional Event Project Management serves as Trinity College's centralized project management leader for assigned institutional events. The Director provides strategic planning, project management, operational coordination, and continuous improvement for the College's highest-profile academic, ceremonial, presidential, and institutional events.

Working collaboratively with faculty, staff, administrators, and campus partners, the Director leads a standardized planning methodology that strengthens collaboration, promotes operational excellence, preserves institutional knowledge, and creates exceptional institutional experiences aligned with the College's mission and strategic priorities.

Responsibilities

Institutional Project Management

Lead comprehensive project management for assigned institutional events.
Develop and maintain master project plans and implementation schedules.
Coordinate planning timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
Monitor project progress and facilitate timely decision-making.
Identify project risks and develop mitigation strategies.
Ensure alignment with institutional priorities and strategic objectives.

Cross-Functional Planning & Coordination

Coordinate planning across multiple College divisions and departments.
Facilitate Institutional Events Team meetings.
Build collaborative relationships among campus partners.
Coordinate planning activities across all Institutional Planning Areas.
Ensure effective communication among stakeholders.
Support Executive Sponsors throughout the planning process.

Operational Readiness

Lead Operational Readiness Reviews for institutional events.
Coordinate venue readiness, logistics, technology, hospitality, safety, and campus presentation.
Monitor event readiness and resolve operational issues.
Coordinate event-day operations and decision support.
Ensure contingency and emergency plans are in place.

Planning Methodology & Standards

Implement and maintain Trinity College's Institutional Experiences and Event Management Framework.
Develop and continuously improve planning templates, project documentation, and operational standards.
Maintain planning calendars and project management tools.
Promote consistent planning practices across institutional events.
Support organizational learning and planning excellence

Assessment & Continuous Improvement

Lead structured post-event assessments.
Measure operational performance and institutional outcomes.
Capture lessons learned and best practices.
Maintain institutional planning documentation.
Recommend improvements to planning processes and participant experiences.
Prepare executive reports and recommendations.

Executive Support

Prepare planning briefings and executive updates.
Support senior leadership with planning analysis and recommendations.
Coordinate materials for Executive Sponsors and College leadership.
Assist with strategic decision-making throughout the planning process.

Institutional Planning Areas
Coordinate planning across the College's Institutional Planning Areas, including:

Academic & Ceremony Operations
Student Experience & Engagement
Operations & Logistics
Facilities & Infrastructure

Safety & Emergency Management

Communications & Marketing
Information Technology & Event Production
Hospitality & Guest Experience
Advancement & Constituent Engagement
Trinity Traditions & Institutional Heritage
Presidential & Executive Engagement

Perform other related duties as assigned and based on departmental need.

Qualifications

Required

Bachelor's Degree, required
Five to seven years of progressively responsible experience in project management, institutional operations, higher education administration, event management, or related fields.
Demonstrated success managing complex, cross-functional projects.
Excellent organizational and project management skills.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
Experience facilitating collaborative planning processes.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Ability to exercise sound judgment and maintain confidentiality.

Preferred

Master's Degree, preferred
Experience in higher education.
Experience managing major institutional events, commencements, convocations, or presidential events.
Knowledge of project management methodologies.
Experience with enterprise scheduling or event management systems (EMS or similar).
Familiarity with higher education governance and academic protocol.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Strategic planning
Project management
Operational integration
Facilitation and consensus building
Organizational leadership
Executive communication
Risk management
Budget awareness
Process improvement
Data analysis and reporting
Customer service and hospitality
Continuous improvement

Trinity is a highly selective, independent, nonsectarian liberal arts institution located in the capital city of Hartford, Connecticut. The college maintains a rigorous academic profile complemented by a vibrant co-curricular program. With more than 2,100 full-time undergraduate students, representing forty-three states and ninety-one countries, we consider our location in a culturally and socioeconomically diverse capital city to be among Trinity’s most distinctive assets; and we cultivate strong connections with our surrounding neighbors and with institutions and organizations throughout Hartford and the region. As a preeminent liberal arts college in an urban setting, Trinity College prepares students to be bold, independent thinkers who lead transformative lives.

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