Events Officer

URBACT Secretariat

Position description

The Joint Secretariat (JS) of the URBACT III programme is recruiting an Events Officer. This is a new temporary (15 months) position within the Capitalisation & Communication unit.

The current vacancy is a temporary support due to a peak of activity notably for programme events. The person will work under the supervision of the Head of Unit, and in close cooperation with other colleagues to deliver several major events, in particular:

• A ‘training’ style event (summer university-style) for 500 participants, mainly city and local partners of URBACT financing. This event will take place early 2022, in mainly digital format;
• A large public communication event, URBACT City Festival, for at least 500 participants. This open event will share the results of URBACT III networks and launch the URBACT IV programme. This event is part of the official events of the French Presidency of the EU 2022. The event will take place in June 2022, provisionally in-person.

Job description

Event organisation

• Support the Communication team in coordinating the organisation and delivery of major communications events as outlined above;
• Project manage the organisation of the URBACT ‘University’ in strong collaboration with the Capacity-Building Officer, and with the support of an external events agency;
• Project manage the URBACT City Festival organisation in strong collaboration with the Communication & Capitalisation Officer and the support of an external events agency;
• Identify suitable digital formats responding to the needs identified should the event be digital;
• Coordinate and follow up the organisation, logistics, graphic identity, internal and external communication;
• Assist the JS staff with the organisation of events related to specific strands of activities (especially related to Networking –e.g. Trainings for beneficiaries; Capacity-building –e.g. National training seminars and Summer universities; Capitalisation –e.g. Launch events for publications);
• designing communication campaigns for activities.

Programme implementation

• Liaise closely with the Communication & Capitalisation Officer and with the Partnerships Officer in the development of activities;
• Contribute to the preparation, implementation and follow up of the decisions of the URBACT III Monitoring Committee related to communication activities;
• Assist the Head of Unit in monitoring the Programme budget and performance indicators;
• Contribute to the production of the annual implementation reports in accordance with European Commission requirements.

Qualifications

Qualifications & experience

• A degree in a field relevant to URBACT communication activities or in a domain pertinent for the position;
• Confirmed experience in organizing large-scale events, preferably in an international environment;
• Experience using online meeting tools for professional purposes;
• Project management experience, coordinating external suppliers;
• Experience in another EU programme would be an advantage, as well as knowledge of EU communication rules, EU institutions.

Skills and abilities

• Fluency in English and French (both written and spoken); other EU languages appreciated;
• Excellent communications skills (both oral and written);
• Excellent event project management skills;
• Knowledge of traditional and digital communication tools;
• Basic graphic design skills (Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop) and ability to produce in-house graphics a plus;
• Capacity to effectively interact with a multiplicity of stakeholders including policy makers, senior civil servants and service providers;
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and deadlines, and work well with others in a fast-paced environment. Should be able to organise and prioritise own work with limited supervision;
• Attention to details;
• Available for frequent travels across Europe, subject to public health restrictions.

Application instructions