Job Description
Director, Events, Public Affairs
United Nations Foundation
Washington, DC 20006
About UN Foundation
The UN Foundation strives to advance human dignity and protect the planet through our work on transformative issues critical to humanity’s shared future. As a strategic partner to the United Nations, we bring together fresh thinking and diverse voices to mobilize the people, ideas, and resources needed to tackle urgent problems and drive progress towards the collective promise of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Position Overview
The Events Director combines creative vision with first-rate skills in planning and execution to drive and deliver a varied slate of UN Foundation events at the highest level, including physical (when possible), virtual, and hybrid. From high-profile, and multi-day convenings with large numbers of people and major public figures, to small white-glove private workshops and briefings, the Events Director brings the ambition, drive, skills, and vision to build on UN Foundation’s reputation for excellence and take the organization’s events and convenings to the next level, innovating on formats and virtual/hybrid technology to drive engagement. With exceptional standards and expectations of excellence, the right person is focused on creativity, detail, participant experience, and delivering on institutional goals and priorities. With experience across both physical and virtual events, this person will roll up their sleeves as well as lead a team of skilled events staff, manage contractors and suppliers/vendors, and provide strategic and tactical expertise to ensure all events are as good as they can be, and help advance Foundation mission, priorities, and brand. The Director is a member of the Public Affairs Team and reports to the Senior Communications Director.
Essential Functions
Manage and plan for a busy calendar of complex, often parallel, events, including assigning appropriate staff and resources, and executing personally as needed
Work with organizing teams to envision and execute innovative events that help strengthen UN Foundation brand, engagement, and partnerships
Ensure comprehensive planning, on time delivery, and exceptional execution for in-person, hybrid, and virtual convenings, while managing contingencies, changes and evolving needs and expectations
Work closely with internal key stakeholders across multiple teams to create staffing, budget, and work plans, and to prioritize tasks and delegate work streams as necessary to deliver high-quality events that reflect the organization’s brand and values
Supervise junior events team staff, and manage external vendors
Provide high level updates, execution and contingency plans for the Chief Communications Officer (CCO) and the Executive Leadership Team to ensure that they are well informed about upcoming events, and conduct follow up as necessary
Develop playbooks, reusable assets and best practices for in-person, virtual, and hybrid events to be shared both internally and externally
Oversee the post-event coordination including but not limited to debrief meetings, follow-up outreach to participants, financial reporting and data analytics
Participate in the development of a strategy/plan for meetings and events to meet UNF core objectives
Assist in the building of marketing plans for recurring events and ensure plan works in conjunction with communications outreach strategies and efforts, and coordinate delivery of post-event content
Ideate & implement innovative solutions to increase event engagement
Other duties as assigned
Selection Criteria
College degree and/or Certified Meeting Professional (CMP)
5-7 years of experience with UN/governmental protocol and events involving high-level public figures and celebrities, as well as large-scale convenings of on-the-ground practitioners, and activists; must include virtual events experience
2 or more years’ experience supervising a team
Considerable demonstrated experience and expertise in virtual, and hybrid events at national and international levels
Extreme attention to detail and the highest standards of service-delivery and participant satisfaction
Ability to work effectively with people at all levels from policymakers and CEOs, to children
Excellent judgment, and creative problem-solving skills, including contract negotiation, dispute resolution, and contingency planning
Self-starter, and also a team player who thrives in atmosphere focused on building an organization rather than individual success
Ability to stay calm and make quickly thought-out, appropriate decisions in a changing environment and anticipate future needs
Comfortable with flexible working hours and dependable to be available via phone or email during these times
Experience of MS Suite, CRM databases, standard event software, and virtual event platforms, including some technical fluency in virtual events
Ability to travel and work domestically and internationally outside standard business hours including evenings or weekends when necessary (when safe)
Ability to lift up to 50lbs
Ability to meet regular attendance/tardiness policy
Preferred:
Previous experience working with the UN system
A demonstrated knowledge of UN/UN Foundation priority issues
Benefits & Compensation
For full-time, benefit eligible employees, UNF offers an excellent range of benefits, including:
a choice between two health plans through UnitedHealthcare (PPO or HDHP with HSA)
dental insurance
vision insurance
flexible spending accounts
403b retirement savings plan with a generous matching contribution
group term and supplemental life insurance
short-term disability
long-term disability
health club discounts
commuter subsidy
back-up care
employee assistance program
Additionally, all benefit eligible employees have 12 paid holidays, 20 vacation days, 10 sick days, 3 personal days, and 8 weeks of family leave care.
The United Nations Foundation is proud to be an equal opportunity and affirmative-action employer. The United Nations Foundation provides equal employment opportunity to all employees and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.