Associate Officer, Conferences Department

About the IAS

IAS – the International AIDS Society – convenes, educates and advocates for a world in which HIV no longer presents a threat to public health and individual well-being. After the emergence of HIV and AIDS, concerned scientists created the IAS to bring together experts from across the world and disciplines to promote a concerted HIV response. Today, the IAS and its members unite scientists, policy makers and activists to galvanize the scientific response, build global solidarity and enhance human dignity for all those living with and affected by HIV. The IAS is also the steward of the world’s most prestigious HIV conferences: the International AIDS Conference, the IAS Conference on HIV Science, and the HIV Research for Prevention Conference.

More information on IAS can be found at www.iasociety.org.

Details of Employment

The Associate Officer, Conferences Department will be based in Geneva, Switzerland. The IAS offers the possibility of working from the legal residence for up to 11 days per month for Swiss-based employees and up to eight days per month for French border-zone employees. The Associate Officer, Conferences Department will report to the Director, Conferences. The position is open-ended and full-time to start as soon as possible.

Purpose of the Position

The Associate Officer, Conferences Department will provide administrative, logistic and project management support to the Conferences department; and provides administrative support to the Director, Conferences. This position is 30% administrative – drafting and sending correspondence, processing reimbursements, and organizing meetings (in-person, virtual and hybrid); and is 70% project management – supporting the Conferences department on event management and side projects.

Main Responsibilities

Administrative tasks (30%):

• Lead the planning, coordination, write minutes and follow up of conference committee, department meetings and other meetings with external stakeholders
• Provide support to conference partners, committee members, etc. with logistics for the conference
• Draft and maintain up-to-date department documents and materials
• Manage the inboxes related to the conference and assigned projects
• Coordinate the collation of the post-conference project reports
• Manage the technology set-up for tele- or videoconferences and in-person meetings
• Perform administrative tasks for the Director, Conferences, such as calendar management, travel arrangements, expenses claims
• Support the Director, Conferences in monitoring the Conference budget, detailed tracking of meeting expenditures
• Support the Director, Conferences in maintaining an up-to-date project management tool and key dates by using Microsoft Project
• Support the Director, Conferences in drafting slide decks and retrieving information from various other departments
• Serve as backup for other assistants and office administrator as needed.

Conferences related projects (70%):

• Manage the organization of in-person committee meetings, which includes the logistics, committee member’s support in booking hotels, flights and per-diem distribution.
• Support the Conference logistics department in various roles (volunteers management, conference sessions management etc…)
• Working closely with outside providers related to the in-person meetings such as venue provider, restaurants bookings etc.
• Draft, coordinate and monitor project plans for event management and side projects for both in-person and/or virtual conferences
• Coordinate the certificate of attendance project between the ICT department and the Strategy and Performance officer
• Draft, coordinate and oversee the publication of the conference delegates pre-departure guide
• Support the conference team with drafting invited speakers invitation letters
• Perform any other duties that are requested

Academic Qualifications

• A degree in business, events or hospitality management, or a related field is favorable.

Work Experience

• A least 2 years’ experience in an administrative or support position
• Experience in working with meetings/events or in communications, a plus
• Experience working for international organizations or abroad, a plus
• Although not essential for this position, the IAS acknowledges the value of the experience of living with HIV and will consider this when evaluating applications.

Skills/Competencies

• Well organized, systematic and flexible, with attention to details
• Ability to work independently and handle many time-bound tasks simultaneously with limited supervision
• Ability to work efficiently under pressure, meet deadlines and occasionally work overtime
• Excellent cross-cultural communication and customer service skills, strong team player with positive attitude
• Excellent computer skills in the Windows environment (MS Office); familiarity with databases a plus
• Familiarity with tele- and video-conferencing services (Zoom, Teams).

Languages

• Fluent in written and spoken English, knowledge of other languages is an asset.

Work Environment

The IAS Secretariat in Geneva is a dynamic and diverse workplace that brings together public health, HIV science, conferencing, programme management and other specialists who all share the IAS’s vision of a world in which HIV no longer presents a threat to public health and individual well-being. We thrive on an exceptional team spirit, put trust in our colleagues’ professionalism, and value new ideas. The IAS promotes a flexible and collaborative workplace which encourages employees to grow their skills and competencies.

The IAS is committed to ensuring a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment and to the greater involvement of people living with HIV (GIPA) in all aspects of our work. To help us achieve this, we welcome applications from all qualified candidates who share the IAS values (learn more here), regardless of their sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, HIV status, race, national origin, cultural or ethnic background, disability, religion, or age.