Location: Full-time, hybrid role requiring occasional work in Washington, DC office. Candidates must be currently based in D.C./DMV area.

Starting salary range of $34.33 - $38.37 per hour.

The Associate, Conferences and Events will join the team responsible for planning and delivering the Council's large-scale, in-person events. The Council hosts one flagship national conference each year, alternating between Leading Locally and Building Together, which typically attracts 700-1,000+ attendees. The role also supports staff retreats, a policy summit, webinars, and other events and learning experiences.

The Associate plays a key role in delivering a seamless attendee experience by serving as the primary administrator for event technology, registration systems, and attendee data. This position manages registration and scholarship processes, provides customer service and support to participants, and serves as a first point of contact for conference-related inquiries.

The Associate collaborates closely with internal teams, vendors, speakers, and attendees to support conference planning and execution from initial registration through on-site delivery. Through strong communication, attention to detail, and effective use of event technology, the Associate helps ensure accurate data, efficient operations, and exceptional event experiences.

PRIMARY JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage conference registration operations, including registration strategy documentation, registration builds, attendee communications, invoicing, refunds, transfers, on-site registration, and customer support throughout the event lifecycle.

• Serve as the primary administrator and organizational subject matter expert for Cvent and related event technology tools.

• Configure and manage event registration systems, badge production, reporting, OnArrival services, system integrations, vendor relationships, training, and support.

• Stay current on platform enhancements and support the evaluation and implementation of future event technology solutions. 

• Manage registration and attendee data across Cvent and Salesforce, ensuring data accuracy, maintaining records, troubleshooting discrepancies, and developing reports and dashboards that support event planning, budgeting, evaluation, and organizational decision-making. 

• Administer conference scholarship programs, including application management, recipient communications, registration coordination, reporting, and process improvement. 

• Coordinate attendee experience activities, including dine-arounds, excursions, and other special events and manage related vendor communications, attendee registration processes, and operational logistics. 

• Support conference operations through inventory management, event supplies, shipping, receiving, and other logistics-related activities before, during, and after events. 

• Support event-related administrative processes, including drafting and tracking contracts and speaker agreements, and scheduling meetings. 

• Manage the conference team email inbox and provide exceptional customer service by responding to attendee, speaker, sponsor, partner, and general event inquiries. 

• Support webinars, trainings, and registration activities across the organization as needed. 

• Research event technology, attendee engagement strategies, industry trends, and operational best practices to support conference planning and continuous improvement. 

• Identify opportunities to improve registration, customer service, and event operations through process enhancements, automation, emerging technologies, and artificial intelligence tools; recommend and implement solutions that improve efficiency and the attendee experience. 

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

• 3 years of relevant work experience

POSITION SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES

• Excellent customer service skills to include empathy, problem-solving, and clear written and verbal communication.
• Strong project management and problem-solving skills. Experience with event planning is preferred.
• Experience managing data, reports, registrations, customer records, or other administrative information.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous learning and improvement.
• Collaborative working style with the ability to work effectively across large teams.
• Ability to learn new technology systems quickly and troubleshoot issues effectively.
• Experience working with event management software, registration systems, or similar tools is preferred.
• Understanding of the philanthropic and charitable sector is preferred.

GENERAL COMPETENCIES

• Ability to actively engage in, demonstrate commitment to the Council’s Operating Principles and Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion values.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, the ability to listen well, and positively represent the organization and its mission.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to identify and solve problems efficiently and quickly.
• Ability to manage many and/or differing tasks, maintain productivity, and successfully meet deadlines.
• Ability to work effectively and positively both independently and on a team with a range of individuals and working styles, and with people at all organization levels including staff, board members, foundation officers, donors, and vendors.
• Experience or ability to use CRM database solutions, preferably Salesforce.
• Proficient skill in Microsoft Office 365 applications.

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS

Ability to travel up to 10% domestically, including overnight trips. 

Benefits

Learn more about the Council's benefits.