Director, Event Programming & Operations

The American Institute of Architects (AIA):

AIA will provide you with the opportunity to advocate for the value of architecture and give architects and design professionals the resources they need to do their best work. The collective voice of architects is essential and our work drives positive change through the power of design.

Each one of us at AIA is a leader committed to demonstrating our mission and values, and designing a better future for our country and planet. Even in times of change, AIA's values remain constant:

• We stand for equity and human rights
• We stand for architecture that strengthens our communities
• We stand for a sustainable future
• We stand for protecting communities from the impacts of climate change
• We stand for economic opportunity
• We stand for investing in the future
• We speak up, and policymakers listen

The American Institute of Architects, as part of the global community, is building a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion within the profession of architecture to create a better built environment for all. Achieving this vision has a direct impact on the relevance of the profession of architecture and the world's prosperity, health, and future.

Job Summary

This is a professional position in the AIA Events department responsible for the execution and management of educational and programming content as well as speaker management. This role will be responsible for collaborative design and implementation of the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design educational program working closely with the Knowledge and Practice team on overall development, supporting the overall strategic goals and priorities of the conference. The Director will lead the execution of all educational operations for the conference including classroom sessions and expo learning sessions and will provide operational support of the tour program. This role will also manage the educational program for AIA signature events and will provide operational and logistical support for other AIA events, as needed. Goals will include operational excellence, experience innovation, implementation of strategy, and collaborative leadership.

Job Duties:

Education Program, Speaker & Operations Management

• Partner with the Knowledge and Practice team to develop conference educational content and strategy that positions AIA as leading edge, exceeds attendees' learning expectations, and enhances their professional development.
• Manage all aspects of the Call for Presentations to include development of the submission website, submission guidelines, peer reviewer recruitment and training, and collaboration with the Marketing team to promote the CFP.
• Manage external and internal review process, presenter acceptance and notifications, reports, timelines, and responsive support to all individuals submitting proposals.
• Maintain communications with the external peer reviewers and internal stakeholders to ensure proper review and scoring of proposals.
• Collaborate with Knowledge & Practice team on final selection of proposals received via the submission process.
• Assign meeting space to be used for educational sessions during conference and manage and prepare work orders to include room sets, audio-visual equipment, and utilities.
• Collaborate with events team on the design and logistics for all session rooms and educational areas.
• Manage the expo CE session and learning lounge submission process, in collaboration with the Business Development team.
• Coordinate promotion of conference program with Marketing team, in alignment with overall conference marketing plan.
• Develop and maintain speaker resources.
• Manage speaker evaluation process, building a repository of speaker reviews and an internal speaker database.
• Provide full speaker management pre, on-site, and post-show including ensuring full execution of speaker contracts, coordinating speaker housing and travel, and processing final invoices and reimbursements, as needed.

Small Meeting Management

• Manage logistics for small meetings and events as required; to include logistical details such as contract negotiations, speaker management, housing block management, food and beverage, meeting room set-up and audio visual, transportation, special events, on-site management, billing, etc.

Frequent Contacts

• Managing Director, Member Education & Learning
• Senior Director, Member Learning
• SVP, Sales, Events & Expositions
• MD, Events
• Marketing
• Senior Leadership Team
• Managing Directors and staff
• Cross-functional teams
• Elected leadership/volunteers
• Vendors/suppliers
• Consultants

Qualifications:

• Solid foundational expertise in educational programming and speaker management.
• Solid foundational expertise in meeting and event planning and execution.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex budgets.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with a customer service focus.
• Self-motivated, detail oriented, and strategic with proven skills in team building and problem solving.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, PowerPoint, advanced Excel, and Outlook, Teams), SharePoint and OneDrive, and Smartsheet.
• Skilled at building a collaborative team culture by providing mentoring, training, recognition of team and individual successes, and thoroughly motivating team members in working towards successful completion of established goals.
• Bachelor's Degree with at least 7-10 years of in-depth experience in meetings management, including VIP, special events, digital meetings, and citywide conventions

Supervisory: none

What we offer:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package that reflects our company values and workplace culture, including:

• Medical, vision and dental
• 401(k)
• Flexibility
• Paid time off
• Flexible spending accounts
• Income protection (Life Insurance Coverage up to 2x salary) & disability plans at no cost.
• Tuition and membership reimbursements
• AIA employees have access to a variety of other programs, including:
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for employees and their family members
  • Computer purchase program
  • Fitness club discounts
  • Prepaid legal services program
  • Identity theft protection

Work Location: 100% Remote from the AIA Approved States : AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, KY, ME, MI, MN, MT, NH, NM, NY, NC, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, UT, VT, WI, WY

This position will periodically be required to be on-site at the AIA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Travel Requirements: Up to 25% travel required.

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability, in accordance with the applicable law.