Event Planner

• • Salary: £30,000 - £40,000 depending on experience. Read about our compensation policy, powered by Figures. 
  • Start date: ASAP
  • Contract: Full time
  • Working hours: Flexible
  • Team: Community Engagement and Growth
  • Reporting to: Jenna Kelly, Senior Events Manager
  • Location: Hybrid 
  • Office: Most of our team opt to come into our swish, wheelchair-accessible office in Elephant & Castle 1-3 times per week
  • Visa sponsorship: Not available. You must have the right to work in the UK
  • Background checks: Due to the nature of the work we do with global governments and partners, all employees are required to pass BPSS verification
  • Closing date: 3rd March 2024
  • You can expect to hear from us, no matter the outcome, by: 8th March 2024

We care deeply about having a diverse and inclusive workforce, and welcome candidates from all backgrounds. Should you require any accommodations during the hiring process, please don't hesitate to let us know. We will do our best to ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. See more on accommodations. 

To keep up to date with future open roles, follow us on LinkedIn. 

Who we are

Apolitical is a social learning platform for government. We equip policymakers with the knowledge, skills and community they need to solve the world’s hardest challenges. Our platform is used by more than 200,000 public servants and policymakers in 170 countries, with community members ranging from mayors, ministers, and heads of civil services to policy pioneers and digital disruptors. 

• 📍 Founded in 2015 by Robyn Scott and Lisa Witter, Apolitical is a team of 50+ employees with an office in London.

• 🌍 Our mission is to help build 21st century governments that work for people and the planet.
• 🚀 Our moonshot is to accelerate the adoption of better skills and solutions in government, so that 1% of governments' $30 trillion annual budget is spent 50% more effectively, unlocking $150 billion each year for society.

How we work

Our mission demands the purposeful, collaborative work of a driven and diverse team. Guided by our leadership principles, Apolitical team members are mission-driven and ready to embrace complex challenges with innovative and critical thinking. In our organisation, we value ownership, impact, and a supportive and inclusive environment enriched by kind and constructive feedback.

The role

This is an exciting opportunity for an early-career events professional to empower public servants to solve 21st century problems, for the benefit of people and the planet. 

The Event Planner is responsible for the successful delivery of Apolitical's programme of virtual events - including weekly community events for learning and engagement, partnered events which drive revenue, and a range of others which position Apolitical as thought leaders in government learning. ​​This role is crucial in creating learning journeys and social connections for public servants through best-in-class live event experiences. The Event Planner will ensure that events run smoothly, provide a positive attendee and partner experience, and meet our membership engagement goals.

Team

You’ll be working closely with our Senior Events Manager, Jenna, to deliver a programme of events for Apolitical members, partners, and internal stakeholders. The events function sits within our Community Engagement and Growth Team, headed up by Ilana. This team is responsible for boosting Apolitical’s growth (new members) and engagement (from existing members). 

High level responsibilities

• Manage the operational delivery and build of best-in-class virtual events as per their design, bringing the 'Event Brief' on paper to life
• Maximise event and attendee experience by leveraging the Apolitical website, event platforms and marketing channelsSet up seamless communications systems with event invitees, registrants and attendees, through email and other channels
• Manage the central event systems and calendars
• Collect and analyse event data, including live event insights and ongoing research

Core tasks

Event Operations:

• Manage the operational delivery and build of online events, ensuring they adhere to design specifications, are accessible, and maximise attendee experience.
• Build engaging event pages on our website using our content management system (Contentful).
• Create and maintain accurate event calendars, cross-referencing and proofing event details across internal and external platforms.
• Moderate live events, keeping the event to plan, and managing dialogue with speakers and attendees.
• Manage access and functionality for MS Teams and Zoom accounts used for events, including setup of event polls and other interactive experiences.
• Provide back-end technical support on Zoom and MS Teams to ensure events run smoothly.
• Collaborate with internal teams to identify opportunities for platform improvements and features that enhance event satisfaction.
• Manage recordings and transcripts, and distribution of other post-event assets.
• Collect and analyse event data to measure performance and identify areas for improvement.
• Reporting on event key performance indicators towards Apolitical’s goals, such as event registration numbers, attendees, and engagement with event marketing campaigns
• Conducting industry and user research to keep on top of trends and event experience preferences which will boost engagement and performance. Stay up-to-date on emerging event technology and best practices. 

Event Marketing:

• Create email journeys for attendees of each event in Apolitical’s CRM (HubSpot)
• Proofread all marketing assets before event launch.
• Create marketing emails and segmented targeting lists to promote events to Apolitical members, applying regular testing and optimisation to campaign activities

Event Production and Design:

• Assist in creating event agendas which meet goals of event attendees
• Craft event titles, scripts and other content design pieces
• Support with speaker outreach and relationship management with experts in public service

Requirements

This is a great fit if you…

• Have some experience in event planning and operations.
• Are a confident project manager, and can manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritise tasks effectively.
• Think collaborating across teams and functions is the way to succeed.
• Have strong grammar, written and verbal communication skills.
• Feel at home speaking in public - we have a strong roster of event moderators at Apolitical, and you would be one of them! 
• Find the idea of monitoring and analysing event data to draw conclusions from metrics insightful and inspiring.
• Are proficient in event hosting platforms including MS Teams, Zoom.
• Are proficient in marketing automation and CRM systems such as HubSpot.
• Have experience using CMS like WordPress, Contentful or similar.
• Have an eagle eye for detail.
• Are experienced with email marketing and campaign management.
• Are excited by the prospect of experimenting to make user experiences better.
• Have a passion for quality and constant improvement.

Let us know if you have…

• Worked with public servants before.
• Experience in other event areas, like production or in-person delivery.

This won’t be the right role if you…

• Prefer to work entirely independently - this role requires a lot of collaboration and cross-team communication.
• Prefer working on a few slow-burning projects at once - this role looks after more granular tasks for up to 30 events at once, and day-to-day responsibilities often resemble a checklist of fast-moving tasks.

Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. Apolitical is dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Interview Process

We’ve designed our hiring process to identify the traits, knowledge and skills that are likely to result in high levels of job performance and test for these qualities in an effective manner. We use semi-structured, behavioural interviews to get strong, measurable insights about you as a candidate and we aim to keep the discussion comfortable rather than interrogation-like.

1. Application screening. We review (anonymous) applications to ensure they meet the minimum criteria for the role. We only see personal details once a candidate has been moved to the next stage of the process.
2. Culture interview [45m on Google Meet]. We ask you questions on fundamentally essential behaviours for working at Apolitical. We may also ask questions related to critical technical abilities for the specific role. This call is about finding candidates who will add to our culture. It’s an opportunity to get to know how you work and for you to get to know us as an organisation, so we make time at the end for you to ask questions you have about how we work and if we're the right place for you.
3. Skills assessment task [async]. We use SATs to see how you approach problems and to give you a sense of the type of work you would be doing in the role. We use them because they’re reliable in assessing and predicting suitability for a role. Our SATs are designed to take a maximum of 2 hours and we mark them anonymously to reduce bias. 
4. Team interview [45-60m on Google Meet]. You’ll meet with members of the hiring team to answer questions about the required skills and traits for the role (as in the job spec).

Benefits

(In addition to working with smart, kind people on one of the most important challenges of our time…)

• Stock options: Our employee options plan gives you a stake in our vision.
• Flexibility: Everyone works differently. Whether it’s early mornings, late nights or a day at home, we support what gives you energy and makes you effective.
• Holidays: Unlimited holidays, trusting people to take what they need when they need it (and encouraging time off where people aren’t taking enough). As a restorative reboot, we give everyone on the team the last Friday of every month off.
• Office: We’re a hybrid working company, but when we’re at the office, we’re based 3 minutes from Elephant & Castle station, easily accessible from all areas of London. Our office is wheelchair accessible and has gender-neutral loos, and we also have flexibility around remote work in the UK.
• Parental leave: Four months' maternity, paternity and adoption leave.
• Childcare benefit: Access to salary exchange through YellowNest, designed to help parents of kids aged 0-5 save 30-47% on childcare costs in the UK.
• Development: Learning and development budgets for books, conferences and courses. We also offer have an extensive library to which team members contribute their favourite book.
• Socials: Regular virtual and in-person socials. We aim to make activities, food and beverage at socials as inclusive as possible and are always open to suggestions from the team.
• Financial wellbeing: Pension contribution on a banded scheme, salary exchange, and access to Maji, a financial planning tool to help you achieve your goals.
• WFH setup: A work Macbook and working-from-home budget for equipment that supports your physical wellbeing.
• Mental Wellbeing: Membership to Health Assured, supporting employee mental health through 24/7 access to therapists.
• Cycle-to-Work: We are registered on the UK’s Cycle-to-Work scheme, so you can buy a bike and cycling accessories tax-free.

Non-discrimination and equal opportunity policy

Apolitical is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, colour, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran’s status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Privacy policy

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