ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Since its founding in 1949, the Institute has been driving change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most critical challenges facing communities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.

CONGRESSIONAL PROGRAM

The Congressional Program is an educational program - only for members of Congress - to gain a deeper understanding of critical national public policy issues by joining together at 5-day conferences, along with internationally renowned scholars and experts, to discuss and learn. The program, established in 1983, convenes conferences, four to six times per year, and more than 600 members of Congress have participated in these conferences. The only participants in the conferences are current members of Congress, their spouses, scholars and experts. No U.S. taxpayer dollars support the Aspen Institute Congressional Program.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The day-to-day duties for this position will include managing all of the multiple logistics and planning elements of four to six conferences annually in foreign countries, including ethics filings, contracts, meeting space, air travel and all requirements related to air travel, meals, and ground transportation in foreign cities. Operational duties will include overseeing all accounting needs of the program and other program-wide planning needs.

This position reports directly to the Deputy Director. The salary range for this position is $113,000 - $125,000. In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the potential candidates should be willing to be in-person in our D.C. office with colleagues a minimum of 40% of the time while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Conference Responsibilities:

• Travel as the primary conference organizer to 4-6 international congressional conferences each year. Each conference lasts 7-10 days.
• Lead the design & implementation phases for each conference, based on the policy & educational priorities of the Congressional Program.
• Work in collaboration with the entire Congressional Program team to help identify country/city conference locations & manage the overall look and feel of each conference.
• The Assistant Director will be responsible for organizing all conference-related logistics. Including: Identifying meeting spaces, organizing meals & security (when necessary), identifying in-country logistics and travel operators to assist with conference logistics and managing ground transportation services.
• Lead liaison with contracted airline travel agent to secure air reservations for all conference participants.
• Lead liaison with contracted hotel travel agent to secure rooming blocks for all conference participants.
• Lead liaison with contracted visa procurement agency for obtaining travel visas when necessary.
• Oversee insurance requirements and coverage for each conference.
• Primary point of contact for all vendors for each conference, including contract management.
• In some cases, assist program deputy director with site inspection visits and in-country advance work.
• Work closely with program deputy director and program finance manager on creating and managing conference budgets, ensuring that all expenditures are within pre-determined spending limits.
• Manage pre-travel and post-travel House and Senate ethics process – ensuring the pre-travel forms are approved by Aspen Institute legal counsel and filed by participating members, prior to the ethics deadline.
• Lead communicator for all travel participants. Including: travel & contact details, ethics forms, conference updates, etc.
• Lead the management and creation of conference notebook – printed and digital.
• Lead the management and creation of a conference mobile app that is utilized by each travel participant.
• Work with contracted print companies to create the necessary printing for each conference.
• The Assistant Conference Director works closely with Congressional Engagement Manger and develops and maintains key relationships among congressional schedulers and members.
• The ideal candidate will successfully demonstrate the following skill-set and professional qualities: highly organized and attentive to details, strong written and oral abilities, knowledge of Salesforce a plus, independent, proactive worker, strong ability to multi-task, creative problem solving, calm under pressure, collaborator, leadership, integrity, teamwork and be a joy to work with along with other colleagues at the Congressional Program.

Operations Responsibilities:

• Oversee bill payments and contracts process – including wire transfers to vendors, monthly credit card payments for the Congressional Program team and working closely with bill payer and part-time finance manager, including CRM contracts for data management.
• Lead Liaison between the Congressional Program and other entities at the Aspen Institute. Including: Legal, risk management, human resources, and executive director’s interaction with other company entities and events.
• Support for Congressional Program executive director and Deputy Director including team member review process and other projects as needed.
• Support executive director and deputy director in seeking new foundation support and supporting foundation relationships.
• Maintain master contact list compiled with other Congressional Program Team Members.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree and minimum 7+ years of experience in conference planning.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple details for multiple conferences at once.
• The key skills for this position include multitasking skills, organizational skills, communication skills, attention to detail including detail accuracy, and budgetary skills.
• Flexibility is a key element, and the ability to work with a small team and jump in to assist other team members when needed is also a key element.
• Capitol Hill experience is a plus but not a requirement.
• Ability to travel internationally a minimum of four to six times per year, and be in Washington, DC, during peak conference preparation times.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please email hrsupport@aspeninstitute.org or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability.