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AATSEEL Conference Manager

AATSEEL - non-location specific

AATSEEL is inviting applications for a new Conference Manager to begin shortly after the 2022 Conference in Philadelphia.

This is a contract position, with an annual honorarium of $12,000 (paid in quarterly installments). In terms of work schedule, the CM has numerous, regular duties from August through February associated with planning and running the conference. The workload in the other six months is minimal. The AATSEEL Conference will be alternating between an in-person event and a virtual event, so the CM will be expected to run both types of conferences.

Planning the in-person conference involves traveling to the host city over a year in advance to identify potential venues, soliciting bids to help select an appropriate location, and working with the Executive Director to confirm the budget for the conference. Given the organization’s financial constraints, finding an affordable venue is always challenging.

Preparing the conference involves working with the Program Committee Chair to post the Call for Proposals and planning the schedule of panels and other events. It requires configuring the room allocations, determining the catering and audio-visual needs, and managing our hotel block commitment. It also involves managing participants and their registration, working with exhibitors to facilitate their involvement, and coordinating with organizations who choose to advertise in the program. The CM also authors most communication about the conference and oversees the production of all the printwork for the conference, including the conference program booklet.

For the virtual event, some of the early work is the same as the in-person event, such as soliciting proposals and working with the Program Committee Chair to create the program. Managing the participants is also similar. But the rest of the work shifts online, including identifying an attractive, affordable digital conference platform, planning the distribution of the events on this platform, running the platform for the conference, and coordinating the volunteers who help run the event. AATSEEL 2023 will be online and 2024 will be in Las Vegas.

We seek a candidate who is outgoing, highly organized, and self-motivated, who is able to troubleshoot as complications arise in the high-stress environment of an academic conference. Knowledge of Russian, HTML, and Zoom and other online platforms is encouraged. The CM must also be prepared to work with others in the organization, most of whom are volunteers, to prepare and run the conference. We seek a CM who will help make everyone feel welcome at the conference and who values the role of AATSEEL in supporting our professional community. The initial term of commitment is three years, with the possibility of renewal.

Please send letters of interest and a C.V. to Elizabeth Durst, AATSEEL Executive Director, at aatseel@usc.edu. We will begin reviewing applications on February 1st.

Posted on January 10, 2022.