Program Manager, Conference Program

Description

About NAFSA: Association of International Educators

NAFSA: Association of International Educators is an organization of people dedicated to building a global community and fostering a more peaceful world through advancing international higher education. With approximately 10,000 members, NAFSA is the world’s largest professional development and advocacy organization committed to international learning and creating a more globally engaged, welcoming, and educated United States.

NAFSA believes that international education advances learning and scholarship, fosters understanding and respect among people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives, is essential for developing globally competent individuals, and builds leadership for the global community. We believe that international education lies at the core of an interconnected world characterized by peace, security, and well-being for all.

NAFSA is a workplace that not only appreciates diversity but believes it is our strength, and we strive to create an inclusive culture for all our team members. NAFSA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Learn more about NAFSA at www.nafsa.org.

Position Summary:  

Together with the Senior Director, Conference Program and the Deputy Executive Director, Knowledge Development, the Program Manager, Conference Program works on developing, managing, and evaluating the content of NAFSA’s annual conference, which brings together over 8,000 international education professionals from around the world in the field of international education. 

Working closely with the Senior Director, the Program Manager is expected to work with a high degree of independence on managing specific tasks for the annual conference program, and works closely with the member conference planning committee, the conference department staff, and other NAFSA staff who support the annual conference. Attention to detail, maintenance of the conference database, strong interpersonal skills, and ability to communicate timelines effectively are critical for this position.

Major Functions and Responsibilities

Conference Speaker and Program Management (45%)

• Assist with the online call for proposals and proposal submission process
• Assist with the review of session proposals and manage the pool of peer reviewers
• Maintain an accurate proposal and presenter database
• Manage presenter communications, including notifications, preparation, and policy with high level of judgement and customer service 
• Assist Senior Director to develop the conference program schedule
• Coordinate the selection and organization of poster fairs held at the Annual Conference which includes close communication with volunteer leaders.
• Ensure successful management of the on-site and virtual poster fairs at the annual conference, leading with innovation

Volunteer Engagement and Customer Service (30%)

• Together with the Senior Director, serve as a staff partner to the Annual Conference Committee (ACC), ensuring a productive, and meaningful professional development experience and outstanding conference program
• Work with the volunteer local arrangements team to develop networking programming at the conference and coordinate volunteer management on site at the conference.
• Monitor speaker and conference program inboxes, answering inquiries with accurate, helpful information
• Serve as staff point of contact for inquiries regarding the conference online proposal system, online program planner, and conference app

Conference Program Technology (20%)

• Maintain accurate conference program database 
• Input new events and speaker information into the program database system, with strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Create and maintain online content for conference web pages using NAFSA’s content management system, ensuring that all information is accurate and up-to-date
• Assist Senior Director to analyze conference evaluation data

Performs other duties as assigned in support of NAFSA’s conference program and strategic objectives (5%)

Requirements

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Minimum two (2) years of professional experience with some applicable exposure to or direct experience with conference planning or program management preferred
• A track record of excellent customer relations support 
• Demonstrated ability to appropriately prioritize, manage, and complete multiple projects and assignments while meeting compet