A cover letter and resume are required for consideration for this position.  The cover letter should specifically address why you are interested in this position, describe specific skills and experiences in your history, and directly relate them to the responsibilities of, and qualifications for this position. For the Career Portal system to accept your cover letter, include it as the first page of your resume document.

The following is a job posting for a Meeting/Special Events Assistant position at the University of Michigan Survey Research Center (SRC) at the Institute for Social Research (ISR).  ISR is a national and international leader in interdisciplinary social science research involving the collection or analysis of data from scientific sample surveys. Survey Research Operations (SRO) is the operations branch of the SRC.

This position is part of SRO Data Collection Services (DCS). DCS is primarily responsible for supporting the staff who are engaged in the recruiting, hiring, training, and supervising of interviewers who collect data in-person, by telephone or mail, both from the centralized telephone calling center and from decentralized locations throughout the country.

The Meeting/Special Events Assistant will assist with training and meeting logistics within SRO, under supervision of the Meeting and Special Events Manager.  This person will assist with all aspects of trainings, meetings, and events for field, lab, and internal staff.  The successful candidate will demonstrate willingness and ability to be organized, thorough and professional in a variety of situations.

For additional information on SRC and SRO, please visit our websites at http://www.src.isr.umich.edu  and http://www.src.isr.umich.edu/services/survey-research-operations

In addition to a career filled with purpose and opportunity, the University of Michigan offers a comprehensive benefits package to help you stay well, protect yourself and any eligible family members and plan for a secure future. Benefits include:

• Generous time off
• A retirement plan that provides two-for-one matching contributions with immediate vesting upon meeting eligibility requirements
• Many choices for comprehensive health insurance
• Life insurance
• Long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts for healthcare and dependent care expenses

Coordinate on-site and off-site meeting and training logistics for room set-up and breakdown, including packing training materials and transporting materials and equipment to/from the training site. The use of a University of Michigan vehicle can be made available to accomplish this if other requirements are met. Ensure proper and timely set up of audiovisual and other components. Produce identification badges for data collection staff members. Provide on-site support at trainings and meetings to SRC/SRO clients, staff, and participants. 

Assist the Meeting and Special Events Manager with planning and execution of logistics including arranging/scheduling services and venue logistics from external vendors and internal university departments. Assist with site selection, food and beverage selection, as well as make arrangements for audio-visual, transportation, and other services. Communicate with event participants and vendors via participant letters, vendor requests for proposals, follow-up calls, vendor visits and appointments, and personal interactions at events. Coordinate travel arrangements for staff.

Assist in meeting and training logistics by preparing agendas, nametags, table tents, and relevant materials.  Schedule rooms and off-site facilities. Maintain training supply inventory, including equipment, displays, and electronic and printed promotional items. Draft correspondence and training materials with critical attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Review, edit, and process expense reports, travel advances for field staff, and timesheet submissions.  Answer and respond to telephone calls from interviewers and managers.

Perform other duties as assigned in support of SRO training and meeting events. 

• Bachelor's degree in related field and/or equivalent combination of education and experience
• At least one year of experience in the hospitality industry, meeting and event industry, and/or special events
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively
• Ability to take direction from multiple people
• Experience working with multiple project timelines under tight deadlines, maintaining a high level of attention to detail
• Ability to maintain confidentiality following department guidelines
• Demonstrated competence in MS Office and Google Workspace
• Demonstrated excellent communication skills both oral and written, including grammar and punctuation
• Flexible schedule and ability to work early mornings, evenings, and weekends as needed
• Ability to travel to and work at a variety of event and meeting locations, including overnight travel 
• Ability to transport equipment and supplies weighing up to 50 pounds to event venues for event execution needs; must be able to staff a check-in desk during an entire shift and be able to move throughout the event venue space to execute event needs 
• This position involves traveling to various locations on and off campus to deliver materials. If the successful candidate opts to use U-M vehicles to fulfill this requirement, they must comply with the University Vehicle Operator's policy, https://ltp.umich.edu/fleet/policies-and-procedures/

• Advanced experience in MS Office
• Advanced experience in Google Drive Suite
• Experience reviewing and preparing expense reports/PCards reconciliation
• Knowledge of university policies and procedures

M-F, days.  Will require occasional early morning, evening shift and weekends, as well as overnight travel to meet unit needs.

This position requires being on-site at the University of Michigan offices in Ann Arbor. If the project tasks assigned, job performance, and SRC policy allow, the option for a hybrid schedule including off-site work may be available after an initial period of orientation.

Positions that are eligible for hybrid or mobile/remote work mode are at the discretion of the hiring department. Work agreements are reviewed annually at a minimum and are subject to change at any time, and for any reason, throughout the course of employment. Learn more about the work modes.

Salary is dependent upon qualifications and experience of the selected candidate. 

The Institute for Social Research (ISR) at the University of Michigan seeks to create a community of respect and authentic collaboration by recruiting and retaining individuals that represent a variety of voices as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of Michigan, to maintain the excellence of the university, and to ground our research in varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

The University of Michigan conducts background checks on all job candidates upon acceptance of a contingent offer and may use a third-party administrator to conduct background checks. Background checks are performed in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Institute for Social Research job openings are posted for a minimum of fourteen (14) calendar days. This opening may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended. 

The University of Michigan is an equal employment opportunity employer.