Event and Conference Manager

POSITIONS AVAILABLE:         One

COMMITMENT:            Full-time, Remote

START DATE:             Immediately

TRAVEL:                      Some travel will be required

SALARY RANGE:           $90,000 - $110,000 - Based on Experience

About the Democracy Alliance

The Democracy Alliance (DA), founded in 2005, is a donor community of individual philanthropists, foundations, and labor unions committed to a just, thriving democracy and a shared progressive future. The DA invests in building progressive infrastructure in the United States by filling gaps, providing catalytic funding, and resourcing social change all in service of a multiracial, feminist democracy that works for all.

The DA recently completed a strategic planning process that defined a bold 10-year vision centered on racial, gender, and economic justice, as well as long-term movement infrastructure. As a convener, connector, and resource aggregator, the DA supports donors seeking long-term impact and helps them move critical resources to the field.

Job Summary: Event and Conference Manager

The Event and Conference Manager is a vital operational position that supports the daily planning, coordination, and production phases of key events for the Democracy Alliance, including small, mid, and large-scale virtual, hybrid, and in-person meetings/retreats and conferences. This role focuses on the essential day-to-day administrative management, registration oversight, and timeline tracking necessary to execute high-quality events that grow the DA community, deepen existing relationships, and provide a living demonstration of DA values—especially a commitment to racial, gender, and economic justice and a belief in the power of a just multiracial democracy.

Reporting directly to the Director of Events and Community Engagement, the Event Manager will be expected to co-author and take full ownership of tracking the master event project plan, manage the event inbox and daily communications, and oversee registration data and hotel block fulfillment. The Event Manager must demonstrate strong organizational efficiency, exceptional attention to detail, and a collaborative, results-oriented approach to keep administrative timelines on schedule and support the seamless execution of event logistics.

This role will work under the leadership of the Director, collaborate closely with DA staff and external registration consultants, and serve as a routine contact for independent vendors. On-site, the Event Manager acts as the Director's primary execution partner, leading specific operational areas to ensure a seamless experience for all DA partners and progressive movement leaders.

This position demands an advanced understanding and application of event planning and project management best practices, coupled with knowledge of the philanthropic and political communities, and requires the ability to manage a high-volume workflow that covers multiple events and constituents simultaneously.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Daily Operations & Registration Oversight

• Registration Monitoring: Conduct daily oversight of the registration pipeline, tracking attendee data and numbers and management of a registration consultant.
• Communications Management: Serve as the primary point of contact for routine inquiries from attendees and stakeholders, managing the event inbox and escalating complex issues to the Director as needed.
• Data Maintenance: Ensure all attendee records, tracking sheets, and internal event documentation are kept accurate and up to date.

Administrative Support & Timeline Tracking

• Project Plan Collaboration: Partner with the Director to initially develop and refine the master event project plan and timeline prior to each conference and event.
• Timeline Ownership: Take full ownership of updating the project plan daily/weekly, tracking progress against milestones, and proactively alerting the Director to upcoming deadlines or potential delays.
• Budget & Invoice Tracking: Maintain the event budget spreadsheet, logging expenses, tracking revenue and flagging variances for the Director.
• Task Accountability: Track action items resulting from weekly team meetings to ensure administrative timelines stay on schedule.
• Vendor Liaison: Act as the routine contact for independent, external vendors outside of the primary consulting firm as needed. This includes research, contract negotiation, scope of work alignment and on-site support and contact. 
• Venue Research: As needed, provide detailed research for venues and locations based on the needs and specifications of both the Director and the Executive Team as needed. 

• Hotel Block Oversight: Manage the event room blocks, monitor contractual attrition against deadlines, and maintain the master hotel rooming list.
• Guest Logistics: Coordinate basic lodging updates, modifications, and confirmations for attendees and staff.

On-Site Support

• Operational Execution: Support the Director on-site by executing logistical directives, supervising the registration and check-in desk, and addressing routine real-time needs.
• Event Attendance and Support: Support and or lead on smaller regional events and salons as needed. 

REPORTS TO:  Director of Events and Community Engagement

BASED IN: New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC are preferred, other locations considered 

Qualifications and Competencies:

• 5 to 7 years of experience in event coordination, project management, or high-level administrative support. Experience within progressive movement organizations, non-profits, or political campaigns is highly valued.: 
• Planning and producing multi-day conferences for diverse audiences.
• Executing and/or managing virtual events.
• Project management or coordination on large-scale initiatives.
• Handling a variety of key initiatives concurrently.
• Working in social justice organizations, progressive politics, and/or philanthropy.
• Working with historically underrepresented communities (Black, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, immigrants, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ folks) and in-depth knowledge of event vendors who identify as members of these communities.
• Experience monitoring registration pipelines and database systems. Familiarity with event tech platforms (e.g., Whova or specialized CRM databases) is a strong plus, with the ability to interface effectively with technical consultants.
• Demonstrate a diplomatic approach to working with internal and external stakeholders and resolving conflict. 
• Demonstrated experience maintaining and updating complex project plans, tracking milestones, and keeping teams accountable to deadlines.
• Ability to work occasional long hours—including nights/weekends—as required by event schedules and production deadlines.
• Able to operate effectively under pressure, prioritizing workflow, meeting deadlines, and modeling calm leadership as needs and priorities change.
• Experience managing vendors developing early to mid career team members.
• CMP or other relevant event/project management certification is a plus.

Skills Required:

• Excellent written and oral communication skills 
• Exceptional proficiency with Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets for data entry, budget tracking, and list management (e.g., managing complex rooming lists and hotel blocks). Airtable experience is a plus. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, social-emotional intelligence, and a collaborative work style.
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills, with meticulous attention to detail. (Someone whose love language is a spreadsheet!)
• Strong diplomatic skills used to influence others, resolve problems, manage projects, or achieve appropriate solutions
• Sincere commitment to working collaboratively with all constituent groups, including staff, board members, volunteers, donors, program participants, and other supporters
• Demonstrates discretion in handling confidential and sensitive issues.

Culture and Values Alignment:

• Demonstrates a deep commitment to social justice, including gender, racial, and economic justice.
• Awareness of and sensitivity to the power dynamics inherent in philanthropy; strives to minimize and mitigate those dynamics in their interactions and their management of events.
• Able to receive and offer constructive criticism and learn from successes and failures.
• Exhibits cultural competency and can communicate effectively with people representing diverse interests, styles, and backgrounds.

Democracy Alliance offers a competitive compensation and generous benefits package, including:

• Comprehensive health, dental, vision, and life insurance, with DA covering 80% of a base health plan and multiple high-quality plan options
• A 7% non-elective employer contribution to a 401(k) after six months, regardless of employee contributions
• Four weeks (20 days) of PTO, paid sick leave, paid holidays, and two floating holidays
• Two week-long office closures annually, plus Summer Fridays
• A $165 per person monthly work-from-home stipend to support remote work expenses

We believe that a diverse workplace is critical to achieving our goals. We strongly encourage applications from people with marginalized identities and lived experiences that align with the communities we seek to serve.

Frequently cited statistics show that applicants from structurally marginalized and/or underrepresented groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. The Democracy Alliance encourages you to break that statistic and to apply. No one ever meets 100% of the qualifications. We look forward to your application!