Conference Coordinator
The Council of Independent Colleges seeks a full-time Conference Coordinator whose responsibilities will include conference and meeting planning; maintaining information in a Microsoft CRM-based database; preparing materials in Microsoft Office applications; managing conference registration and financial reconciliation in an association management system (knowledge of Protech UX and MX a plus); generating conference materials; and fielding calls from conference participants.
About CIC
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), located in Washington DC, is the major national membership organization for small and mid-sized independent colleges and universities in the United States. Membership includes more than 750 colleges, universities, and higher-education organizations. CIC pursues a threefold mission: supporting and developing campus leaders, advancing the excellence of member institutions, and enhancing public understanding of the contributions independent higher education makes to society. A 30-person staff, based in an office at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, develops and manages a dynamic set of conferences, networks, projects, and programs; member services, research, and public information initiatives; and a range of other activities to advance all three mission areas. CIC’s full-time staff is augmented with senior advisors, higher education experts who contribute to specific projects and programs.
Working at CIC
CIC is an equal opportunity employer and offers competitive compensation and benefits. Full-time CIC staff are based in the DC office, with the option to work remotely on two designated days per week. Work hours are flexible around designated “core hours” (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
CIC offers a generous benefits package that includes health, vision, and dental insurance. CIC also offers a retirement plan with an employer contribution match; a flexible spending account; short- and long-term disability insurance; and life insurance. Employees are also eligible to participate in CIC’s
Tuition-Exchange Program. CIC recognizes 11 paid holidays per year and offers 20 days of annual leave.
About the Position
Each year, CIC conducts several small to medium-sized meetings and three large conferences for college and university presidents, deans, faculty members, and other campus leaders. The Conference Coordinator’s primary focus will be working with the planners of the annual Presidents Institute. Additionally, the position will support CIC’s annual series of Department and Division Chair Workshops, as well as a select number of spring and summer program meetings. The position reports to the conference manager and works closely with the other members of the conferences staff as well as several program managers. Occasional travel to and on-site support at conference locations within the U.S. is expected.
This is a hands-on position: the successful candidate will understand that high-touch, team centered collaboration produces top-quality experiences for participants at our conferences. In that spirit, the Conference Coordinator will:
- Provide all customer service for the annual Institute and other assigned meetings. Responsible for the registration process (payments, refunds, phone call/emails), as well as the accuracy of all participant information. Responsible for the development of all registration-related materials such as the list of participants and name badges. Manage the Institute shipment and registration desk experience. Support the Institute hotel rooming list audit.
- Be responsible for all presenter logistics, including ongoing communication and arrangements for registration, hotel, and stipend payments.
- Collaborate with program managers, hotel counterparts, and vendors to oversee and monitor various meeting elements, including meeting materials, room set-up, food and beverage selections, A/V, manage hotel rooming list, etc. Serve as the on-site logistics coordinator to ensure all banquet event orders (BEOs), selections, and instructions are executed.
- Implement post-meeting tasks including processing speaker reimbursements and honorariums and the financial reconciliation of events.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Qualifications, Competencies, and Requirements
The ideal candidate will have conference and/or administrative work experience supporting programs, conferences and events for a membership organization, higher education institution, or non-profit organization. Strong experience with association management systems and commonly used office productivity and collaboration tools (including Microsoft office) is required, as well as experience with financial accounting systems. Experience working as part of a hybrid teams is desirable, as is experience working in a highly collaboratively environment. A bachelor’s degree (preferably from a CIC member institution) is required as well as at least one to three years of full-time work experience.
The successful candidate will demonstrate attention to detail, the ability to be organized, and strong writing skills. Effective interpersonal communication and a highly collaborative work style are required, as are flexibility and the ability to adjust quickly in response to changing needs and circumstances. The successful candidate will be proactive, confident and able to work with minimal day-to-day supervision.
Like all CIC staff members, the Conference Coordinator will demonstrate a proactive, positive, and member-focused disposition; handle competing priorities independently and effectively; exercise creativity, initiative and good judgment in solving problems; and be inclined to thrive in a diverse and collegial small office.
This position requires occasional overnight, weekend, and out-of-area travel several times a year. Performing the responsibilities of this position requires the ability to see, hear, and speak; work in a normal seated position for extended periods of time; use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and be able to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds; manually operate standard office equipment such as keyboards and printers; and move throughout an office or conference space. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. CIC requires that employees be optimally protected against COVID-19 by receiving all recommended vaccinations.
TO APPLY: The position is available immediately and will remain open until the successful candidate is appointed. Review of candidates will begin immediately.
To apply, email a CV and a letter of interest to CICJobs@cic.edu with the subject line “CONFERENCE COORDINATOR”. CIC is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a broad and diverse pool of applicants.
Projects Coordinator, Inclusive Excellence
The Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) seeks a well-organized self-starter to provide operational support to collaborative projects in a fast-paced and team-oriented environment. The successful candidate will serve as full-time Projects Coordinator, supporting networks and programs that contribute to inclusive excellence on independent college and university campuses around the country. This position provides an opportunity to deploy and build skills in program management, member engagement, and communities of practice while contributing to addressing significant issues in higher education. The ideal candidate will be equal parts detail-oriented and relationship-focused, both supported by an inclination to leverage technology platforms and data sets to solve problems.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The Projects Coordinator is a staff position based in the CIC office in Washington, DC, reporting to the Vice President of Networks and Strategic Partnerships with additional support from, and responsibility to, the Senior Vice President for Academic Programs. In close collaboration with these and other CIC staff, the Projects Coordinator will primarily support networks, projects, and programs within CIC’s strategic priority area to improve inclusive excellence at colleges and universities.
Examples of such projects include:
- Belong: An Inclusive Learning Community—CIC is partnering with the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) on Belong, a new nationwide learning community that provides credentials to college and university faculty members and staff with the goal of increasing student belonging on campus.
- A yet-to-be-announced program that will serve students who do not historically have broad access to internship opportunities during their undergraduate experience.
- An annual faculty leadership academy that has a goal of developing inclusive campus leaders.
Responsibilities include organizing competitive nomination and selection processes, creating meeting materials, processing invoices and tracking renewals in CIC’s association management system, responding to inquiries from and providing support to campus liaisons, supporting efforts to expand the reach of programs and networks such as webinars and other digital engagements, and coordinating program outcome assessments. Candidates should enjoy facilitating multiple details of complex projects, demonstrate administrative acumen, and possess the knowledge and skills to meaningfully contribute to the design and implementation of projects aimed at enhancing equity, social justice, and inclusive excellence.
QUALIFICATIONS
A bachelor’s degree is required (preferably from a CIC member college) and some full-time work experience is preferred. Recent college graduates are welcome to apply. Experience working in or with higher education or in a membership association is a plus as is demonstrated knowledge of, or personal engagement with, initiatives related to access, diversity, equity, and inclusion in higher education.
The ideal candidate will have experience coordinating and managing projects and programs. Experience working with databases and strong familiarity with Microsoft Office and Adobe applications are essential. A high degree of familiarity with standard communications and collaboration tools such as Outlook, Zoom, Slack, and project management applications is desired.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
All CIC staff members are expected to excel at written and oral communication; demonstrate a proactive, positive, and member-focused disposition; handle competing priorities independently and effectively; organize and manage a wide range of activities with excellent control of detail; exercise creativity and initiative in developing ideas and solving problems; be familiar with office applications, virtual content delivery platforms, and other commonly-used applications and tools; and be inclined to thrive in a diverse, fast-paced, highly collaborative work environment.
This position requires occasional overnight, weekend, and out-of-area travel several times a year. Performing the responsibilities of this position requires the ability to see, hear, and speak; work in a normal seated position for extended periods of time; use hands to finger, handle, or feel, and be able to lift and/or move up to 20 pounds; manually operate standard office equipment such as keyboards and printers; and move throughout an office or conference space. Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. CIC requires that employees be optimally protected against COVID-19 by receiving all recommended vaccinations.
Working at CIC
CIC is an equal opportunity employer and offers competitive compensation and benefits. Full-time CIC staff are based in the Washington, DC office, with the option to work remotely on two designated days per week. Work hours are flexible around designated “core hours” (10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.).
CIC offers a generous benefits package that includes health, vision, and dental insurance. CIC also offers a retirement plan with an employer contribution match; a flexible spending account; short- and long-term disability insurance; and life insurance. Employees are also eligible to participate in CIC’s
Tuition-Exchange Program. CIC recognizes 11 paid holidays per year and offers 20 days of annual leave.
To Apply
The position is available immediately and will remain open until the successful candidate is appointed.
To apply, email a detailed letter of interest and a résumé to CICJobs@cic.edu with the subject line “PROJECTS.” CIC is an equal opportunity employer and seeks a broad and diverse pool of applicants.