Senior Director of Gators VIP Experience - Gators VIP Experience

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

The University Athletic Association at the University of Florida is searching for a Senior Director to lead the new Gators VIP Experience department, responsible for elevating the end-to-end experience for donors, partners, and premium clients across all Gators Athletics programs. Oversees hospitality, gifting, procurement, and experience strategy to ensure consistency, efficiency, and excellence across all revenue-generating units for the UAA.

This position requires the incumbent to have strong leadership, administrative, interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills; have demonstrated ability to build and scale teams; manage relationships with clients and client-ace alongside primary account management; have strong familiarity with college sports, fandom, and athletic competition at various capacities; be organized, detail-oriented, and self-motivated; work independently and as part of a collaborative team; multitask effectively; engage effectively with others of diverse cultures or backgrounds; and work a non-standard work week which will include evenings, weekends, holidays, and overnight travel for select away games and production of premier events for stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities:

• Vertical Leadership - Builds and leads the Gators VIP Experiences vertical, establishing standards, processes, and long‑term strategy.
• Account Management Cooperation - Works alongside account management of various verticals to ensure delivery of elite-level experiences associated with Florida Gators Athletics. Serves as internal point of coordination for partner, donor, and premium client experience delivery.
• Streamline Processes - Transfers currently disparate processes between business verticals into comprehensive synergistic experience strategy.
• Platform Generation - Collaborates with Donor, Partnership, and Premium leadership to assist in development of sellable platforms to generate revenue.
• Hospitality & Gifting - Oversees all hospitality programming, gifting strategy, and stakeholder touchpoints across Gators Athletics.
• Procurement Management - Manages procurement workflows (e.g. signage, gifting, event materials, field logos, premium assets) to ensure consistency and cost efficiency.
• Cross-Department Collaboration - Partners closely with Partnerships, Premium Seating, and Development leadership to support their business goals.
• Resource Planning - Develops and executes a staffing plan to support the vertical, including future hiring of managers and coordinators.
• Experience Strategy - Creates a unified experience strategy that enhances retention, satisfaction, and revenue growth across all groups.
• Performance Measurement - Tracks KPIs tied to business health, YOY revenue performance, and client satisfaction.
• Venue Relations - Develops relationships with venues to activate and entertain Florida Gators Stakeholders across the state and beyond; creatively leverage newly developed on-site entertainment spaces.

This posting will remain open until a qualified candidate is chosen.

MINIMUM EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in appropriate area of specialization*
• Six years of experience in event management, premium experience, donor relations, or partnership management*
• Experience managing procurement, hospitality, or large-scale client programs and associated budgets
• Valid driver’s license

Preferred Qualifications:

• Eight or more years of experience in event management, premium experience, donor relations, or partnership management

*An equivalent combination of education and experience may be accepted in lieu of listed requirement.

BENEFITS:

Comprehensive benefits package including but not limited to health, dental, life, LTD, AD&D, pension plan (upon eligibility), tuition assistance, athletic event tickets, employee events and recognition programs as well as possible relocation assistance. Competitive compensation package commensurate with candidate’s previous experience and qualifications. You can view our full benefits guide on the official job posting by clicking here.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Interviews may be conducted prior to the closing date, but no offer of employment will be extended until after the position closes. Once an official offer is extended and accepted, the candidate will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9 and will be contingent on satisfactory background screening results. The candidate will also be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove identity and authorization to work in the United States without the need for employment-based visa sponsorship now or in the future. The University Athletic Association, Inc. is an at-will employer, a separate company from the University of Florida and not a state employer.

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