Events and Meetings Associate in Washington, District of Columbia at The Aspen Institute

ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC, and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners.

FINANCIAL SECURITY PROGRAM

The Aspen Institute Financial Security Program’s (Aspen FSP) mission is to illuminate and solve the most critical financial challenges facing American households and to make financial security for all a top national priority. We aim for nothing less than a more inclusive economy with reduced wealth inequality and shared prosperity. We believe that transformational change requires innovation, trust, leadership, and entrepreneurial thinking. Aspen FSP galvanizes a diverse set of leaders across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to solve the most critical financial challenges. We do this through deep, deliberate private and public dialogues and by elevating evidence-based research and solutions that will strengthen the financial health and security of financially vulnerable Americans.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

Reporting to the Event and Operations Manager, the Events and Meetings Associate coordinates and executes a portfolio of in-person, digital, and hybrid meetings and events for Aspen FSP. The Events and Meetings Associate manages multiple simultaneous workstreams, ensuring a stellar quality of experience with the brand while engaging with key internal and external stakeholders to promote engagement with Aspen FSP and help initiatives achieve their goals. The salary range for this position is $62,000 - $70,000. The role is based at Aspen’s Washington D.C. headquarters, with an in-office expectation of a minimum of 2x a week to collaborate with colleagues.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Logistics and Event Execution

• Execute logistical responsibilities of digital, in-person, and hybrid events, including site selection and management of vendor contracts (AV, catering, room rental, subscriptions).

• Scout, source, and manage hotel or conference services (BEO selection and review, room blocks).

• Lead pre-event planning including runs-of-show, tech checks, and speaker management and preparation.

• Own on-site or on-platform event operations, including setup, registration, troubleshooting, and breakdown. Serve as the onsite point of contact during live events.

• Coordinate attendee logistics such as registration, travel, accommodations, and accessibility accommodations.

Strategic Alignment and Goal-Setting

• Partner with program leads to understand and refine the purpose, objectives, outcomes, and target audiences for each meeting or event; help advance progress toward the event’s strategic goal.

• Advise on and contribute to the impact goals for events and meeting management, and collect and maintain updated metrics to ensure quality, consistency, and attendee experience across Aspen FSP.

• Translate program priorities into event formats and agenda, recommending the appropriate event modality and scale based on objectives, audience, and resources.

Project Management and Planning

• Generate comprehensive meeting or event workplans, complete with major milestones, roles and responsibilities, and internal meeting agendas to ensure that goals and deadlines are met.

• Project-manage the workplans from kick-off to completion, proactively tracking dependencies and resolving issues to keep events on schedule, while coordinating across internal teams and external partners to ensure all contributors understand their deliverables and timelines.

• Anticipate risks and develop contingency plans to keep events on track when circumstances change.

• Lead internal planning meetings and status check-ins, keeping stakeholders informed of progress, decisions, and open items.

Content and Materials Production

• Guide the lifecycle of event materials and agendas; maintain quality control and manage the production pipeline with marketing, design, and digital publishing teams.

• Develop and proofread event collateral, including invitations, programs, signage, presentations, and attendee communications.

• Ensure brand consistency and accuracy across all event-facing materials.

Budget and Financial Management

• Build, monitor, and track individual event budgets; manage vendor RFPs, contract proposals, and day-to-day costs.

• Performing full post-event hard cost reconciliations and analysis to inform future event projections and resource planning.

• Ensure accurate, on-time payments to all external stakeholders.

Additional

• Maintain a high standard of event execution, stay up to date on industry trends and innovations, and work to consistently improve the overall quality and accessibility of Aspen FSP events.

• Assist in planning internal Aspen FSP staff meetings, such as team retreats, annual gatherings, and management team meetings.

• Handle other duties as they emerge.

• Occasional evening and weekend events (5%) and some work travel (up to 10%) is required.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• 1 - 3 years of relevant meeting and event management experience.

• Demonstrated ability to drive overlapping workstreams forward while understanding changing priorities and meeting deadlines in a multi-stakeholder, collaborative environment.

• Strong organizational skills, high degree of attention to detail, and excellent interpersonal communication.

• Strong proactive problem-solving skills; proven ability to anticipate or identify roadblocks to deadlines and independently propose and negotiate timely solutions.

• Exemplary customer service skills when interacting with event attendees or other external parties.

• Fluency with event registration software, websites (Wordpress), digital meeting software (Zoom), and CRM software.

• Proficiency with core Google Workplace applications (Documents, Sheets, Slides) and Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

• Knowledge of and passion for the mission of the Aspen Institute Financial Security Program.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

While not a minimum or mandatory qualification, we strongly encourage candidates from historically underrepresented demographics, and those with first-hand experience of financial insecurity to apply for this role.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or hav questions about accessibility, please email hrsupport@aspeninstitute.org or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability.