Job
description
Overview: The
Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID) is an international
feminist membership organization that works to strengthen the voice, impact and
influence of women’s rights advocates, organizations and movements internationally.
Every 3-4 years,
AWID organizes an International Forum on Women’s Rights and Development. The
largest recurring e
vent of its kind, the AWID Forum brings together close to
2,000 women’s rights leaders and activists from around the world to strategize,
network, celebrate, and learn in a highly charged atmosphere that fosters deep
discussions and sustained personal and professional growth. The next AWID Forum
will be in May 2016 in Salvador, Brazil.
AWID is currently
seeking an experienced events professional to join our Forum team. This team
coordinates every aspect related to Forum logistics and also liaises with other
staff teams tasked with producing content for the Forum. The Forum Logistics
Coordinator is responsible for liaising with relevant contractors and Forum
session organizers as well as organizing travel arrangements for sponsored
participants
The Forum Logistics
Coordinator reports to the Forum Manager.
Work location: work
location of the position is Toronto, Canada OR Brazil
RESPONSIBILITIES:
AWID International Forum: Planning, Coordination – Participate in the
development and implementation of the Forum work plan – Develop relevant Forum
logistics content and materials for approval by the Forum Manager and in
coordination with the other AWID staff – Working closely with AWID’s production
team, providing them with the necessary content and direction so that they can
produce all Forum related printed materials including but not limited to a
Forum program, signage, banners etc. – Support the planning and execution of
the second International Planning Committee meeting to be held in August 2015
AWID International
Forum: Site and Logistics – Research, assess and provide contracting
recommendations with relevant consultants and vendors in the selected site,
including airlines, hotels, local transportation providers, interpretation
services, t-shirts, conference bags, local tour providers, etc. – Liaising with
selected vendors and suppliers and ensuring all logistical requirements of Forum
are being satisfied – Work with various internal task teams to design and
develop specialized areas at the Forum, for example Young Feminist Corner – As
decisions are made regarding participants (up to 400) to be sponsored by AWID,
convey relevant information to sponsored-participants and oversee their travel,
hotel and relevant reimbursement arrangements – Provide leadership in
responding to ‘special requests’, resolving problems and channeling appropriate
concerns to the Forum Manager, as needed
AWID International
Forum: Participation, Program and Registration – Ensure regular communication
with organizers of selected session proposals and respond to requests for
information as needed – Coordinate the disbursement of funding to sponsored
participants and related logistics (application procedure, selection criteria,
flight and hotel bookings, airfare and other reimbursements) – Oversee specific
sections of Forum programming: exhibitors or market place vendors, for example
– Support registrar and proactively resolve issues with registrants including
providing support with visa applications and approvals – Oversee coordination
of on-site registration
AWID International
Forum: On-site – Assess the requirements for information, signage, and traffic
flow and coordinate logistics and resources to ensure that information signage
and traffic flow create an efficient and clear flow of participants at the
forum – Liaise with the Professional Congress Organizer (PCO) and/or
Destination Management Consultant (DMC) to ensure all logistics are proactively
anticipated and addressed (pre-forum online hotel registrations, airport
pick-ups, shuttle buses to the forum venue, providing updated rooming lists for
sponsored participants, post information on AWID’s website about DMC’s
side-trips, tours and other services available for forum participants, etc) –
Proactively coordinate and resolve safety, insurance, and security requirements
and proactively resolve all related issues in an effective and calm manner –
Provide relevant information for disbursement of funding to sponsored
participants (i.e., ensure that airfare costs are allocated according to what’s
been budgeted per participant) – Coordinate local staffing and volunteers at
the international venue site – prior and during the forum – Develop an overview
of the roles and responsibilities for all onsite staff and reviews these
position profiles with the Manager for approval – Respond to accessibility and
special needs during the forum
Organizational
Processes & Individual Work Planning – Proactively identifies operations
and technical gaps or inefficiencies, and seeks guidance from the Forum Manager
to fill or fix them – Participate and contribute to the Forum team coordination
meetings – Maintain relationships with staff in other program areas to
facilitate smooth coordination and communication – Participate actively in
organizational meeting venues (office and staff meetings) and committees –
Develop and monitor an individual work plan that will document the timeline,
requirements and deadlines for all tasks and deliverables related to the
International Forum
QUALIFICATIONS:
Experience: At least
5 years experience: – in an events logistics coordinating role, or equivalent
experience, preferably in a non-profit setting – developing effective logistics
procedures and systems, building on best practices in event planning – with
international project planning and management – working in a multi-lingual and
cross-cultural environment
Academic
Qualifications: – University degree in related field
Expertise &
Skills – Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English &
Portuguese (Brazilian), preferred – Demonstrated ability to develop, coordinate
implementation, monitor and evaluate a project plan with multiple deliverables,
stakeholders and deadlines – Keen attention to detail and quality control –
Excellent organizational skills – Experience working remotely with other team
members as well as vendors and suppliers – Experience coordinating a high
volume of travel arrangements – Demonstrated capacity in complex
problem-solving, displays good judgment – Ability to work well in high-pressure
situations and with tight deadlines – High levels of initiative, creativity,
and self-motivation – Ability to work with a diverse staff team and engage team
members, build consensus, proactively de-escalate and resolve conflict – Able
to absorb new skills and information quickly – Ability to multi-task and
willing to perform diverse tasks as needed in a timely manner – Able to work
independently with minimal supervision and as part of a team – Strong computer
skills, including databases, and presentation packages (PowerPoint),
Other Requirements:
– Demonstrated commitment to advancing women’s rights and gender equality –
Flexibility to work occasional evenings and weekends in weeks and days leading
up to the Forum – Able to travel internationally (approx 4 weeks/year) –
Committed to the principles and values of feminism, anti-discrimination and
anti-oppression
Assets – Experience
supervising consultants and/or volunteers – Tri/Quad lingual (English and
French and/or Spanish and/or Portuguese and/or Arabic/Russian/other) – Courses
or certificates in women’s/feminist studies or human rights – Experience working
in a decentralized, virtual organization
How
to apply
Please submit, in English- a
cover letter and résumé in Word or PDF format, addressing how you meet the
necessary qualifications and outlining why you want to work for AWID, to jobs@awid.org by Sunday, March 29, 2015.
Please include “Forum Logistics Coordinator – [your name]” as the
subject line of your email.
We thank all those
who apply, but only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. No calls please.
AWID encourages, promotes and support diversity in all aspects of its work. To
learn more about AWID and our programs, please visit our website at www.awid.org.
