Careers

Position:                      Conference and Events Manager

Reporting to:             Director of Operations

Job Purpose:             To manage the Events Department towards the organisation of seamless events

Philea – a joint Dafne & EFC convergence, nurtures a diverse and inclusive ecosystem of foundations, philanthropic organisations and networks working for the common good. We help our members to get inspired, act together and achieve greater impact by sharing data and knowledge, exchanging best practices, connecting around common themes, engaging in policy work, and more.

Main Duties

• Organising all annual flagship events (Annual Conference, PEX Forum, Europhilantopics…) in close collaboration with the team and membership
• Facilitating, coordinating, and overseeing all events taking place at Philanthropy House (whether Philea events or external)
• Supporting the organisation of any Philea meeting held online or outside Philanthropy House (thematic networks meetings, conference committee meetings, governance meetings…)

Key Responsibilities

Before the event or on a regular basis

• Being the go-to person for all aspects of Philea events
• Handle all requests for events held at the Philea premises, including managing meeting room calendars, requests for meetings, catering inquiries, hotel recommendations, AV equipment, invoices…
• Identifying venues and hotels in Belgium and around Europe, negotiating rates and acting as main point of contact with them (this includes negotiating all-year corporate rates with Brussels properties and conducting site inspections of potential venues)
• Dealing with suppliers – travel agencies, caterers, technical equipment suppliers – as well as local counterparts when organising events outside of Brussels
• Finalising contracts, payment of deposits and any other agreement needed to confirm an event
• Drafting and keeping detailed events budgets
• Arranging ad hoc travel/accommodation for VIPs, speakers, staff, etc.
• Creating and updating event registration websites using Cvent platform (troubleshooting, facilitating registrations, …)
• Working with colleagues, committees, speakers and/or session designers to establish time frames for event preparations, advising on event related matters and assisting them to ensure adequate meeting space, accommodation, catering, AV, etc. is provided
• Communicating event updates, deadlines and changes to other colleagues.
• Reporting on event progress at staff meetings.
• Updating online events calendar, as necessary.
• Preparing an introduction to the activities of the events management department for new colleagues.
• Training new staff, developing staff schedules, leading staff in pre-conference site inspections while onsite…

Specifically for the annual conference and similar large events

• Working with the programme committee or other ad hoc membership and experts’ body to develop content – sending invitations, arranging meetings, preparing dossiers, writing minutes, follow up on action points, preparing a timeline of work, collecting, and analysing session proposals and sending thank you letters post event.
• Taking responsibility for overseeing the organisation of the conference plenaries – inviting keynote speakers, planning the structure, and timing of the plenaries, assisting in the preparation of audio-visual content and sending thank you letters post event.
• Developing guidelines for colleagues, committees, session designers, speakers and moderators.
• Organising calls with speakers and moderators ahead of the conference to ensure they are briefed and comfortable with their role on stage
• Working with the comms department and the host committee to develop a full communications strategy for each event (including overseeing designs, editing, reviewing and correcting proofs).
• Maintaining the conference website and event app to ensure all information is up-to-date
• Disseminating conference information and publications with assistance of communications department.
• Running a scholarship programme to support attendance of delegates, including drafting the request of funds from Philea members, identifying suitable scholarship recipients and allocating the funds through booking flights and accommodation, collecting scholarship reports and preparing and disseminating reports to the donors.
• Organising the registration desk onsite – creating a timetable for other staff, preparing all necessary materials and giving training.
• Assisting the accounts and administration department in chasing payments, tracking special deals, providing documentation to support queried payments, processing invoices and receipts and processing refunds following cancellations.
• Overseeing the preparation of all conference material such as badges, table tents, participant lists, banners, presentation templates, stands…

During the event (if presence is needed)

• Leading staff in pre-conference site inspections
• Ensuring that the actual event runs smoothly and successfully by
• Checking that the session rooms are prepared and staffed
• Maintaining the communication with conference venue staff (and/or other suppliers)
• Dealing with any technical and logistical problems as they arise and adapt event orders to avoid possible further complications
• Dealing with any queries or problems in a quick and efficient manner
• Ensuring participants have a seamless experience and only need to focus on content and networking

After the event

• Finalising payments and dealing with the Accounting Department to make sure all logistical expenses are dealt with, fully documented and thoroughly reported
• Dealing with issues and re-negotiating terms with suppliers (if needed)
• Preparing annexes and reports for management

Experience:

• 4-6 years’ experience of working in the events sector organising large events
• Computer proficiency in e-mail, ppt/word-processing, spreadsheets and databases. Knowledge of Cvent platform, experience with conference apps as well as online meeting platforms, Microsoft’s CRM and SharePoint would be advantageous

Specific Skills

• Very good analytical and organisational skills
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills (other EU languages are a plus)
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills
• Strong sense of initiative and responsibility
• Ability to flexibly handle multiple priorities effectively and meet tight deadlines
• Ability to process a large volume of information and to convey key messages
• Ability to work individually or as part of a team
• Flexibility to travel within Europe (up to 10-12 trips a year)
• Ability to work long hours under pressure
• Demonstrated ability to interact with people from different professional, cultural and social backgrounds
• Experience of providing personalised service to client/members

How to apply

Does this sound like it could be you? Then please submit the following to Philea (jobs@efc.be) before: 3 February

• One-page motivational letter
• CV

References will be requested at a later stage, please note that due to the large number of applications we can only respond to shortlisted candidates.

Philea is looking for a student wishing to take a break from their studies, or those individuals who have recently finished studying. Positions require a responsible individual who is outgoing, yet with a committed and sensible attitude towards work. Based in Brussels, Belgium this placement offers you the opportunity to live and work in the heart of Europe and provides you with essential employment skills.

This position is open to graduates from one of the following Universities:

• Università degli Studi di Torino
• Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale “Amedeo Avogadro”
• Politecnico di Torino
• Università della Valle d’Aosta
• Università degli Studi di Scienze Gastronomiche

Duration:

Up to one year remunerated internship (minimum 6 months) Starting date: Spring 2022

Job and Candidate Profile:

Philea is looking for an eager, committed and hard-working intern to provide support to its Operations Department.

The intern will work within the Operations Team, supporting colleagues with face-to-face and online events, membership services, and office and building management. They will also play a key role in supporting the various events held online and at Philanthropy House, as well as the Annual Conference and the EuroPhilantopics meetings, and provide secretarial support to the Department Director in the different areas of work that fall under Operations within Philea.

The Operations intern will report directly to the Department Director, who reports to the CEO.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Support the Events team coordinating event logistics and content including processing registrations, preparing meeting materials, researching event venues, event planning, promotion, and on-site execution;
• Support the Membership team with administration, CRM maintenance, and potentially acting as a point of contact for members and prospect members;
• Cover and manage reception at Philanthropy House together with the Facilities Officer;
• Update and manage the CRM database;
• Assist the Department Director with general secretarial support: organise meetings and follow-ups, write reports and support the daily management of the Operations Department.

The selected candidate will be involved in the planning and development stages of various events, and get a practical insight of the daily management of an international infrastructure organisation.

We are looking for an individual with:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English, other languages are an asset;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, further ICT skills are welcome (databases, CRM)
• Capability of working well both independently and in a team
• Ability to deal with multiple priorities, and work well under pressure
• Excellent organisational skills

The position calls for a responsible, customer-oriented person with a great eye for detail and a creative all-rounder, but foremost a motivated and enthusiastic person.

What we offer:

• Remuneration in accordance with Belgian law (796,90€ per month)
• Daily lunch vouchers (4,91€ net per working day)
• Reimbursement of public transport (monthly Brussels metro pass reimbursement for 49€)
• Reimbursement of a language course (up to 62,50€)
• One return trip to the intern’s home country (up to 150€)
• Workplace accident insurance

Please send your CV and half page cover letter to jobs@efc.be with the reference: OPS Intern

Deadline: 11 February

Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
Please do not contact Philea to enquire about the status of your application.