[Hiring] Meeting & Event Planner @NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Role Description

The Meeting & Event Planner oversees the planning, coordination, and execution of NAIS events, helping to deliver consistent, high-quality experiences across a broad range of programs. This role manages assigned event logistics projects from timeline development through on-site or virtual execution, coordinating tasks, vendors, budgets, and cross-team communication to ensure events are delivered on time, on budget, and aligned with program goals and audience needs.

• Lead project management efforts for assigned programs, including timeline development, task tracking, cross-team coordination, and ensuring successful on-time, on-budget delivery.
• Partner with program leads to align logistics execution with content goals and audience needs.
• Support the Director, Event Logistics with the site selection, price negotiations, and contract process for institutes, workshops, and specialty meetings (Board Meetings, Leadership Retreats).
• Assist the Vice President, Event Logistics and Director, Event Logistics with planning, coordinating, and executing all large-scale conferences, ensuring high-quality attendee experiences and seamless operational delivery.
• Provide input into event budgets and financial forecasting to ensure responsible planning and resource allocation.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of event planning standards, industry best practices, and emerging trends through professional development, seminars, peer networking, and trade publications.
• Ensure consistency and quality across all event experiences, including conferences, institutes, workshops, board meetings, and virtual programming.
• Contribute to a culture of collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement across NAIS.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in event logistics, meeting planning, or related fields.
• Strong strategic thinking skills with the capacity to develop, communicate, and execute complex tasks across multiple projects, while maintaining a high standard of quality and accuracy.
• Demonstrated knowledge of event-related contracts, including experience leading RFP processes and negotiating contracts with event vendors and venues.
• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively to a collaborative team environment.
• Proficiency in event management platforms, Zoom, and Microsoft Office Suite; ability to learn new technologies quickly.
• Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Requirements

• Communication: Understand and communicate effectively with others using a variety of contexts and formats, which include writing, speaking, reading, listening and interpersonal skills.
• Creativity: Generates new ideas, supports change, provides innovative solutions, solves problems creatively.
• Flexibility: Openness to different and new ways of doing things; willingness to modify one’s preferred way of doing things.
• Interpersonal Awareness: The ability to notice, interpret, and anticipate others’ concerns and feelings, and to communicate this awareness empathetically to others.
• Managing Conflict: Listens well, diffuses conflict before it starts, finds solutions to problems in a constructive manner.
• Organization: Sets priorities, creates goals and timetables to complete required tasks or projects. Tracks progress and makes necessary adjustments to efficiently complete work.
• Problem Solving: Breaks down problems into smaller components, can simplify and process complex issues, can identify and understand root cause.
• Quality: Is attentive to detail and accuracy, is committed to excellence, looks for improvements continuously, monitors quality levels, finds root cause of quality problems, owns/acts on quality problems.

Position Attributes

• HR Role: Individual Contributor
• Status & Classification: Regular, Full-time, Exempt
• Business Unit: Event Logistics
• Supervisor: Director, Event Logistics
• Location: Washington, DC, currently remote
• Physical Requirements: Standard office environment. Long periods of sitting; ability to lift 20 pounds.
• Travel: Extensive travel to a variety of events and conferences