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.

PUBLIC PROGRAMS

The Public Programs team at the Aspen Institute produces a number of events each year that are open to members of the public. This position will support the Aspen Ideas Festival, to be held June 25 -July 1, 2026 on the Aspen Institute’s campus in Aspen, CO.

The Aspen Ideas Festival is the nation’s premier public gathering for leaders from around the globe and across many disciplines to engage in deep and inquisitive discussions about ideas and issues that shape our lives and challenge our times. The 20th year of the annual Aspen Ideas Festival will return to the Aspen Institute's Campus and will foster attendees and speakers from a wide range of international sectors and industries to engage in meaningful dialogue. Each year, the Festival covers a wide range of timely and critical topic areas through panels, workshops, book clubs, debates, deep dives, and interviews.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Aspen Institute seeks a Speaker Coordinator within the Public Programs team to help support Aspen Ideas Festival speakers with logistics, travel, and lodging. The Speaker Coordinator will work closely with the speaker management team and other staff members to ensure a seamless process and experience for our event speakers and their teams.

Please note that this is a full-time (40 hours per week) temporary position based in either Aspen, Colorado or Washington, D.C. from mid-January through late July 2026 (6 months). The pay range is $30,000 - $35,000 (annualized salary of $60,000 - $70,000). Long hours and working on weekends are expected during the month of June.

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 Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of approximately 80 speakers, overseeing the coordination of their travel and other logistics as assigned and in coordination with key Institute staff.
• Assist in planning, organizing, and executing special projects from initiation to completion.
• Support speaker reimbursements and vendor invoices as needed.

Event and Speaker Management Responsibilities:

• Administration of invitations to speakers on behalf of Aspen Ideas, management of responses, support speakers’ travel and accommodations.
• Solicit biographies and headshots of speakers.
• Work with Communications staff on marketing, web content, social, and program materials related to speakers.
• Database management, including researching speaker’s work and background, contact information.
• Assist with preparation of speaker reports.
• Assist with collection of speaker audio/visual materials.
• Willingness to step into other event-related projects as they arise which could include private event coordination, art installations, live musical performances, receptions, etc.

Administrative Responsibilities

• Program billing as appropriate.
• Scheduling of calls as needed.
• Attending speaker and team calls.
• Reporting on speaker data.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO THRIVE

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent of 1 to 3 years of work experience in event planning;
• Seeking an exceptional multi-tasker, self-motivated, detail-oriented and has an eye for the big picture;
• Demonstrated experience working in a fast paced environment;
• Thrives in optimizing processes, workflows, tracking information, and general improvement of event planning and management;
• Excellent written and oral communications skills;
• Superb customer service skills;
• Proficiency in Google Suite, Excel, and Outlook. Experience with Cvent and Rainfocus are a plus;
• Intellectual curiosity a plus; and
• Candidates should be located in Aspen, CO or in Washington, DC or nearby. Travel to Aspen in late June 2025 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.