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.

 

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT PROGRAM

The Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program (EEP) is a 54-year-old program that works with people, organizations, and governments to act on climate change. In doing so, EEP seeks to:

• Provide a space for “impossible” dialogues to thrive, encouraging leaders across industries and sectors to recast what they think is achievable in terms of how policy, economics, technology, and above all, relationships can be brought to bear in furtherance of a sustainable future.
• Advance equity and justice by elevating and amplifying diverse voices across energy and environmental issues, encourage those who hold greater agency and responsibility to change the course of the climate crisis to listen and act; and focus dialogues around community engagement in climate solutions.
• Connect our collaborators with one another and inspire different spheres of influence to take greater climate action together, and to better connect the dots between efforts, organizations, and communities.

The Energy & Environment team works with the Public Programs team at the Aspen Institute to produce Aspen Ideas: Climate (AIC), a large-scale event that is open to the general public. This position will support AIC, to be held July 20-22, 2026 in Chicago.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Aspen Institute seeks a Program Coordinator within the Energy & Environment team to help support the team with communications for AIC and coordination for the broader program. Travel to Chicago for the event in July 2026 is required.Long hours and working on weekends are expected during June and July, leading up to and during the event.

This position reports to the Assistant Director, who oversees the AIC team. This is a temporary position lasting from early December 2025, through early August 2026, with a salary of $52,000 - $54,000. In accordance with our Reimagining Work policy, the coordinator should be willing to be in-person with colleagues a minimum of 40% of the time while having the flexibility to work remotely for the balance. In-person consists of meaningful connections with colleagues in an office, traveling to a different office or location to meet fellow staff members, at an Aspen event, at a meeting outside the office or other opportunities to meet in person with teammates and colleagues.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Programmatic & Content Management Responsibilities

• Clipping content for social media, website;
• Writing blogs featuring content, leaders & identifying new content opportunities, including potential podcast collaborations;
• Supporting in developing the communications strategy for the event;
• Drafting monthly newsletters featuring AIC content, as well as broader EEP content where relevant, and drafting Attendee Wires as AIC approaches;
• Supporting with database management, including tracking and scheduling for the broader Executive team;
• Supporting with other tasks related to content development and partner management, as assigned, and;
• Willingness to step into other events & EEP-related projects as they arise.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent of 2+ years of work experience in event planning.
• Background in relevant content.
• Exceptional organizational skills, self-motivated, detail-oriented and has an eye for the big picture.
• Thrives in optimizing processes, workflows, tracking information, and general improvement of event planning and management.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• A "Yes, and" attitude.
• Superb customer service skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Word, Excel and other programs preferred such as Google Docs, Outlook, Cvent, RainFocus.
• Intellectual curiosity a plus.
• Candidates should be located either in Chicago or Washington, DC or nearby; Travel to Chicago for the event in July, 2026 is required.

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.