ECS Job Opening: Meetings Coordinator

Reports to: Director of Meetings                                                
Classification: Full-Time Exempt

MAJOR FUNCTION

Assists with the development, organization, and planning of the technical program content for ECS meetings (biannual, satellite, and other sponsored events) and with overall logistics of the meetings (hotel, food and beverage, staff travel, marketing, etc.). Provides a high level of customer service and technical support to division leadership, symposium organizers, meeting presenters, and meeting attendees.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Assists with the abstract submission and scheduling processes; setting up and managing the submission website, providing customer support, quality checking submitted abstracts, tagging invited and key talks, quality checking scheduled sessions, processing late submissions, confirming session chairs, and more.

2. Supports ECS meeting logistics; coordinating food and beverage details with society volunteers and events; if arranging staff travel, coordinating shipment details, setting up online event registration, compiling metrics, analytics, and other data for various reporting needs, and more.

3. Assists with the onsite execution of event logistics; setting up signage, checking room setups, monitoring technical sessions and coffee breaks, acting as an event greeter, monitoring cancelled presentations, providing presenter assistance during poster sessions, general HQ office management, and more.

4. Supports the creation, proofing, and updating for the meetings department’s marketing and promotional efforts such as the meeting website, call for papers, published abstracts, printed program, onsite signage, emails, blog posts, etc.

5. Monitors the Meetings@electrochem.org and Abstracts@electrochem.org mailboxes, with frequent communications with presenters, attendees, and volunteers, including the Society officers, division officers, committee members, symposium organizers, invited speakers, and award winners.

6. Processes author requests for letters of invitation for visa purposes and other visa-related inquiries for meeting presenters, and also author requests for letters of attendance for credit/reimbursement purposes and other attendance inquiries for meeting attendees.

7. Travels to ECS meetings (about 8-9 days, 2-4 times per year), and site inspections (about 3-4 days) at least twice per year.

8. Utilizes software such as: netFORUM (for association management), Confex (for abstract management), IOP Science (for abstract publication), and an in-house symposium planning tool (for future meeting planning). Additionally, uses other software (e.g., Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) to manage reports, data, and documents.

9. Develops Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to help facilitate successful meetings and conferences.

10. Performs other activities as requested by the Director of Meetings.

POSITION RELATIONSHIPS

Internal: Reports to the Director of Meetings. Has regular contact with the Meetings Manager, Meetings Program Specialist, Publications department, Community Engagement department, Finance department, and other staff members in performance of his/her duties.

External: Has regular contact with ECS division chairs, symposium organizers, authors of technical papers, session chairs, and meeting attendees. Participates in key committees such as the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Subcommittee, Symposium Planning Advisory Board, Meetings Subcommittee, and the Low-Temperature Fuel Cells Coordinating Committee as needed. Has contact with partners such as IT, AV, exhibit company, and venue staff to ensure all planning requirements are met to deliver excellent content and programs.

PREREQUISITES FOR THE JOB

1. Education and Experience: Associate degree or higher or 1-2 years event planning/hospitality industry experience.

2. Prior association experience is beneficial, but not required.

3. Strong interpersonal skills: will have extensive contact with internal/external stakeholders.

4. Strong verbal and written communication skills in order to craft detailed communications pieces to various event stakeholders.

5. Able to plan and execute special projects during time-critical assignments with ability to remain calm and professional under pressure.

6. Capable of managing multiple meetings with multiple competing deadlines.

7. Detail-oriented and able to multi-task under high demand with frequent tight deadlines.

8. Adept at communicating with, and integrating the interests of, all levels of meeting participants, including presenters, attendees, Society leaders, exhibitors, advertisers, and sponsors.

9. Solid analytical and problems solving skills; ability to use good judgment.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The specific demands for this position include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Physical mobility is required;

2. Frequent travel is required both domestically and internationally, up to 10-12 days per trip;

3. Must be able to bend, lift, reach, and stand for long periods of time;
4. Requires ability to meet critical deadlines and goals under high-pressure demands;
5. May be expected to lift boxes and other collateral materials of up to 25 pounds;
6. Requires ability to perform essential duties in a hotel or convention center setting at biannual and other meetings or events.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described below are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Majority of work is performed in an office setting; hybrid/flexible work options are available. Full-time employees work 37.5 hours per week, Monday through Friday. (The office is located in Pennington, NJ.)

2. Fast-paced environment with the need to juggle multiple demands and timetables.
3. Must be available to work nights and weekends to meet heavy work demands and frequent deadlines.

INTERESTED IN APPLYING?

Send your resume and cover letter to:

1. Jessica Smyth, ECS Associate Director of Human Resources & Operations, at Jessica.Smyth@electrochem.org
2. John Lewis, ECS Director of Meetings at John.Lewis@electrochem.org