Director of Conferences and Guest Services

About Roanoke College

Roanoke College is a place where every student who works hard has the opportunity to succeed. We champion potential, providing essential learning and leadership through innovative academic programs and transformative educational experiences, giving students the mettle, mindset, and empathy to pursue lives of purpose, build meaningful careers, and meet society’s most pressing needs. Located in scenic Salem, Virginia, Roanoke College is an intimate, welcoming community that has served the local region and beyond for nearly 200 years. Now, we’re building on momentum and offering a Roanoke experience for today’s students and a legacy that belongs to every Maroon. Learn about the College's new strategic plan, Imagine Roanoke: A Strategic Plan for Roanoke College and the 21st Century Learner .

Roanoke College is a nationally ranked residential liberal arts college affiliated with the Lutheran Church (ELCA), located in the beautiful Roanoke Valley of Virginia. A Phi Beta Kappa institution, Roanoke College is an equal opportunity employer and actively seeks diversity among its faculty, staff, and students; women and members of under-represented groups are especially encouraged to apply.

The Position

Responsible for the strategic oversight of external conferences, camps, and community programs at Roanoke College, with a primary focus on expanding external partnerships and maximizing the use of campus spaces. This role actively recruits new organizations, summer pipeline programs, and external constituents to utilize college facilities while ensuring seamless event execution and alignment with the college’s mission. Additionally, the Director serves as a resource for internal campus users planning events that do not fall under the category of special events, providing guidance on logistics and space utilization.

The Director oversees the daily operations and administration of residential summer conferences and campus rentals, ensuring a seamless experience for all participants. This includes supervising student staff who serve as liaisons between event organizers, vendors, and college departments. During the summer conference and camp season, the Director will lead staff training, uphold emergency response protocols, and manage incident reporting. From May to September, they will oversee all investigations and corrective actions related to summer conferences and camps, as well as manage the annual budget, marketing strategies, and database systems for conference management.

This position fosters strong relationships with campus partners—including residence life, dining services, athletics, new student programs, and campus safety—while also working year-round to develop partnerships with external organizations. The Director is responsible for managing contracts, risk assessment, and financial oversight for conference and event operations. Through marketing efforts, outreach, and program management, the Director will play a key role in increasing the visibility and utilization of Roanoke College’s campus facilities for external constituents.

Key Responsibilities :

External Event & Conference Management

• Lead operations for residential summer conferences and camps, ensuring effective guest housing and event management.
• Handles third party requests for leasing all spaces at the college campus, ensuring alignment with college policies.
• Support to external groups, including vendors and clients, to ensure their set up needs align with college policies and logistics requirements.
• Plan and oversee summer conference operations, including guest housing and event logistics.
• Collaborate with departments like dining services, facilities and athletics for seamless event execution.
• Develop marketing strategies to enhance conference visibility and expand offerings.
• Update the conference services website and develop presentations for the conference program.
• Monitor conference revenue, budgets, and expenses to ensure financial targets are met.
• Oversee vendor services and collaborate with IT for database management related to summer conferences and camps.
• Develop, in conjunction with legal counsel, contracts for clients and ensure all risk management functions are taking place during camps and conferences.

Support for Internal Event Planning

• Serve as a resource for internal campus users planning events as needed, helping them navigate venue reservations, logistics and event execution.
• Assist departments in securing appropriate campus spaces for events and activities, ensuring alignment with scheduling policies.
• Provide logistical support for major lecture series and community educational programs.

Community & Educational Programs

• Oversee all aspects of the Elderscholar program, including program development, pricing, logistics, marketing, and execution to ensure it meets community needs and aligns with the college’s outreach goals.
• Expand and manage partnerships for summer pipeline programs and other external initiatives that engage middle and high school students, community groups and organizations with the college.

Administrative & Financial Oversight

• Manage event contracts, insurance documentation and billing processes.
• Create and manage invoices for deposits, rental fees and other billable items in collaboration with the business office.
• Ensure timely collection of invoiced amounts.
• Maintain accurate records related to housing and conference logistics, including events calendar.
• Meet or exceed annual revenue goals for camps and campus rentals as set by the Vice President of Finance and Administration and other campus leaders.
• Compile reports on housing occupancy and conference utilization for the Vice President of Student Success and the Roanoke Experience.
• Conduct assessments of all programming initiatives to evaluate effectiveness, ensure continuous improvements, and align with institutional goals.

Supervision & Training

• Supervise work-study students, summer staff and interns.
• Hire and train student staff to serve as liaisons between the Director of Community programs and event vendors, facilitating effective communication and ensuring event requirements are met.
• Conduct meetings and debriefings with relevant partners.

Residence Life & Emergency Management (Seasonal)

• Collaborate with the Director for Residence Life during the summer months, managing occupancy and maintenance issues for summer conferences.
• Foster a positive living learning environment in the residence halls and address any conduct issues with an educational approach during summer programming.
• Ensure compliance with emergency protocols and investigate any incidents during summer conferences and camps.

Other Duties

• Perform other tasks as assigned.

Education, Experience, Skills, and Abilities:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree required; master’s degree in Higher Education, Student Affairs, or a related field preferred.
• Experience: Previous experience in residence life, student affairs, or events management is essential.
• Strong organizational, leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong administrative and detail-oriented skills.
• Experience supervising staff.
• Basic budgeting and bookkeeping skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite; experience with housing or event management software preferred.
• Knowledge of StarRez, Docusign, and other software programs related to event management.