Director, University Accommodations

The Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games will be hosted in Los Angeles, California in 2028, returning to the United States for the first time in over 30 years. 2028 will be the first time LA hosts the Paralympic Games, creating an opportunity to expand awareness, understanding and inclusion of people with disabilities.

LA28, the organizers for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, is on a mission to create an unparalleled Games experience for athletes, fans, partners, our community and our people. Our vision is to collectively create what’s next through sport, community and the power of our differences.

The 2028 Olympics and Paralympics will represent LA and leverage the strength of our community's uniqueness and creativity as we collectively work to design a Games that we all want to be a part of. We do this by focusing on people and by inviting everyone into the story of the LA28 Games.

The LA28 organizing committee is an independent, non-profit organization that is privately funded and governed by a board of directors. 

Our Vision is to collectively create what’s next by harnessing sport, community and the power of our differences. Our Mission is to create an unparalleled Paralympic and Olympic Games for athletes, fans, partners, our community and our people.

Values and Behaviors:

• Optimism – Embody a positive, enthusiastic, and solution-oriented attitude in everything we do; challenge the status quo, inspire and support one another to achieve our best; have our eyes on the future and believe we can make a meaningful impact
• Integrity – We communicate openly and honestly, listen, and respectfully value multiple perspectives; we do what we say and are accountable for everything we do; we do the right thing, always. Even when it isn’t easy
• Excellence – We hold ourselves to the highest standard and expectations; we live our values and truths and persevere through challenges; we are continuous learners and adapt and pivot with speed to meet changing needs
• Inclusion – We seek to represent, include, empower and level the playing field; our work reflects the communities we serve and the world in which we live; we leverage our platforms to bring awareness to issues relevant to who we are
• Co-Creation – We are authors of a shared story. Everyone contributes their unique voice to our shared mission; we share pride in our accomplishments and ownership of our shortcomings
• Boldness – We embrace creativity, courage and outside-the-box thinking; we are unafraid to take risks, explore unconventional solutions, and learn from the process; we are innovators, disruptors, and challengers of the status quo

Director, University Accommodations

The Director, University Accommodations will be reporting into the Head of Accommodations for LA28, the Director of University Accommodations will be responsible for managing all university housing operations.  This role will build, negotiate and execute the plan for how LA28 will run our contracted universities as hotels for LA28 Stakeholders and Workforce.  The Director of University Accommodations will oversee a 9-figure budget, managing internal and external stakeholders to ensure the LA28 University Housing operations is a success. 

Key Responsibilities:

University Contract Negotiation 

• Build relationships with university partners and other key stakeholders and vendors.
• Negotiate Goods and Services contracts with universities for all of LA2028’s accommodations and related operational needs.
• Research and develop insights to inform business decisions. 

Strategic Operational Support 

• Support the overall Accommodations plan including but not limited to workforce housing strategy, pricing, and sourcing.
• Liaise with universities to build operational plan for LA28 Housing (i.e. vendor procurement, service level implementation, campus layout and limitations, etc.)
• Help drive operational and logistics integration to ensure feasibility of delivery plans.
• Continue to analyze housing environment, including possibility of non-traditional housing sites.
• Support integration with internal and external stakeholders.
• Manage housing operations for 10k+ rooms and 20k+ people.
• Travel to meet with university operational teams within greater Los Angeles region. 

Strategic Leadership 

• Experience in a leadership role, building teams, and working across various functions
• Develop strong, respectful relationships and build credibility with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Prepare presentations for executive staff and key stakeholders.
• Manage the project plan, collaborating with relevant teammates and external partners where relevant.
• Coordinate key meetings to meet project plan timelines and summarize / track critical action items moving forward.
• Participate, where necessary, in other accommodation based workstreams. 

Background & Qualifications:

• Minimum 10-years within large-scale event, hotel, or university logistics 
• Prior experience conducting contract negotiations
• Prior experience organizing housing and hotel operations
• Experience managing a team
• Knowledge of Los Angeles market is a plus
• Extremely detail-oriented with excellent analytical and organizational skills
• Strong communication, team building, and interpersonal skills
• Well-developed problem-solving skills and ability to work independently to resolve issues
• Fluent working with Office suite products including Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• A collaborative mindset; someone who prioritizes the team and fosters a culture of high performance without ego
• Ability to implement and manage change effectively  

Position Requirements:

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions  

• Expectation to be in LA28 offices in Los Angeles minimum 4x/week 

• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed, including site visits to hotels, universities, and other accommodations partners. 

• Ability to walk or stand for extended periods during site visits at various accommodations locations.  

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree Required 

Submission Requirements:

• Resume

The annual base salary range for this position is $150,000.00 - $170,000.00. The pay scale provided is the range that LA28 reasonably expects to pay as starting base compensation for this role. All LA28 compensation remains subject to final determination based on individual candidate qualifications, experience, or other reasonable criteria consistent with LA28’s operational business needs and applicable law.

LA28 is committed to operating fair and unbiased recruitment procedures allowing all applicants an equal opportunity for employment, free from discrimination on the basis of religion, race, sex, age, sexual orientation, disability, color, ethnic or national origin, or any other classification as may be protected by applicable law. We strive to build a team that is diverse, inclusive and encourages qualified candidates of all backgrounds, perspectives, and identities to apply. We will consider all qualified candidates with criminal histories in a manner consistent with local law. We assess applications based on relevant skills, education, and experience a candidate can add to our team.