Events Associate, Office of the CEO

About the Obama Foundation

At the Obama Foundation, we are guided by a core belief: that ordinary people working together can change history. Our mission is to inspire those people to take action, empower them to change their world for the better, and connect them so they can achieve more together than they can alone.

We were founded by community organizers, so when we seek change, we do it by bringing people together. 

That approach begins at home, on the South Side of Chicago, where we are building the Obama Presidential Center. The Center represents a historic opportunity for Chicago: a chance to build a world-class museum and public gathering space that celebrates our nation’s first African American President and First Lady, steps away from where he began his career, where she was raised, and where—together—they made their home. 

But that approach extends to all our work, whether it’s holding leadership training sessions in communities throughout the U.S., bringing local leaders together in countries around the world, working to support the global education of girls, or ensuring young men of color have pathways to opportunity.

As President Obama has said, “we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together.” So join us. 

For more information, please visit www.obama.org.

Purpose of the Role

The Event Associate will be an integral part of the Events Team reporting directly to the Events Manager. The Events Team, Office of the CEO is responsible for planning and executing Foundation events, from large scale events like Democracy Forum to Chicago community events, events for Obama Foundation programs, as well as events that involve President and/or Mrs. Obama. The Events Team's primary objective is to ensure Foundation events are designed and executed at the highest caliber, on budget, and in a way that is aligned with the Foundation’s mission and values.

You will have a wide range of responsibilities for planning and executing events, primarily focused on attendee management, speaker management, and event logistics. Specific responsibilities will vary event to event and be dependent on the event design and team needs.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Attendee Management - 60% of job responsibilities
• Build and manage event registration sites and mobile apps in the Foundation’s instance of Cvent, in varying degrees of complexity (in coordination with event logistics agency for larger events)
• Own the attendee experience for assigned event from start to finish - will work closely with the Event Manager who is leading the overall event logistics
• Develop and execute attendee communications plan - examples include event invitations, reminders, travel letters, communication emails, and post-event surveys
• Manage invitation list development and maintenance
• Manage attendee travel, hotel and ground transportation (in coordination with event logistics agency) for assigned events
• Work with attendees to assist with specific needs  - examples include accessibility accommodations and dietary requirements
• Lead name badging process for events (utilize Cvent’s OnArrival for larger events)
• Lead quality control processes - examples include cross-checking travel and ground transportation manifests and hotel rooming lists
• Serve as attendee management lead onsite at assigned events - focus on attendee travel, hotel, check-in, namebadging, accessibility accommodations, and dietary requirements - lead team of Foundation employees and vendors in these onsite tasks
• Coordinate with a variety of internal stakeholders to gain approval on all attendee management work streams and products
• Utilize reporting tools within Cvent to quantify attendee data during and post-event
• Speaker Management - 10% of job responsibilities
• For relevant events, after speakers have been identified and confirmed by other internal teams, lead communication with speakers (celebrities, VIPs, dignitaries, etc.) and/or their team to register for the event, book hotel, and manage travel accommodations
• Serve as a point of contact for travel during event dates
• Draft and execute speaker contracts
• Manage speaker reimbursements
• Event Logistics - 30% of job responsibilities
• Manage logistics for assigned events, such as working with vendors, managing food and beverage, coordinating AV, leading onsite execution teams as assigned. 
• Perform other duties as assigned 

Key Deliverables / Outcomes

• Manage all attendee management duties (outlined above) for annual Democracy Forum and other events as assigned Manage all speaker management duties (outlined above) for Democracy Forum 
• Refine current attendee management workflows and ensure consistency across all Foundation events
• Evolve Foundation’s knowledge and use of Cvent

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of event industry experience
• Cvent expertise required (reporting, registration sites, Attendee Hub, OnArrival, and rooming lists)
• Onsite event execution experience required 
• Takes initiative and ownership of work
• Team player willing to take on a variety of tasks 
• Strong verbal and written communicator
• Highly organized with project management experience 
• Detail oriented
• Exceptional customer service
• Ability to work non-traditional business hours leading up to events and onsite at events

In the interest of employee health and safety during the pendency of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Obama Foundation is requiring that all prospective employees present proof that they are fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, or seek a reasonable accommodation for religious or medical reasons, prior to their first day of employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Foundation is committed to creating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. The Foundation does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, gender identity, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, parental status, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. We encourage individuals of all backgrounds to apply. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at careers@obama.org if you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application.