About Us
The vision of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing is to make mental wellbeing, including recovery from substance use challenges, a reality for everyone. Despite overwhelming need, nearly 30 million people across the U.S. do not have access to comprehensive, high-quality, affordable mental health and substance use care when they need it.
Founded in 1969, the National Council is a 501(c)(3) membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of more than 3,400 mental health and substance use treatment organizations and the more than 10 million children, adults and families they serve. We advocate for policies to ensure equitable access to high-quality services. We build the capacity of mental health and substance use treatment organizations. And we promote greater understanding of mental wellbeing as a core component of comprehensive health and health care. Through our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) program, we have trained more than 3 million people in the U.S. to identify, understand and respond to signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges.
The National Council is growing to meet this moment; both our budget ($77M) and passionate staff (250+) have grown more than 50% since 2020. In addition, while we maintain office space in Washington, DC, we are a remote-first organization, meaning our employees work remotely from their locations across the United States.
We are an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and commit ourselves to creating an inclusive environment for everyone.
Position Summary
We seek an Assistant Vice President, Conference & Events to implement and oversee all logistical aspects of the National Council’s 40+ annual events, including NatCon–the largest mental health and substance use treatment conference with 5,000+ attendees. As our events and logistics leader, you will inspire and lead your team to execute all initiatives and processes that enable the successful execution of our events. You will also produce and manage enterprise-wide procedures, methods, and processes related to meeting planning/logistics while continuously assessing them to ensure they remain innovative and effective. As our ideal candidate, you will have a proven penchant for effective, efficient, and precise planning and strong leadership abilities, and you will enjoy working collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to deliver exceptional event experiences.
This is a people manager role with four direct reports. While this role is fully remote, we strongly prefer you to be based in the Washington, DC area or have a willingness and desire to travel to the Washington, DC area regularly for support leading up to, during, and after events. Our working hours are 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM ET.
Responsibilities
Management, Program Evaluation and Finance
- Oversee project management related to meeting/event planning for a variety of meetings, workshops, trainings, and annual conference
- Develop and monitor budgets, identifying and pursuing cost-saving measures and new revenue streams
- Review financial information for accuracy in collaboration with SVP, MCE, and Finance Department
- Oversee the implementation and reporting of evaluations and other outcomes measurement requirements to ensure effective program evaluation
People Leadership
- Oversee the Conference and Events team of 7 staff with four direct reports, providing a safe and inclusive team environment and ensuring employee growth and development through regular coaching and feedback
- Establish and track team goals and objectives that are aligned with organization/department strategic goals
- Provide guidance and ultimate accountability for decisions made by direct reports
- Oversee and direct workflows, prioritization, and resources
Event Management and Administration
- Oversee all facets of registration, program development, logistics, and accreditation of all in-person and virtual conferences and events
- Build strategies, facilitate planning sessions, and drive change activities required to maintain association operations and competitiveness and meet the needs of stakeholders
- Negotiate, review, and administer contracts and agreements with outside vendors including hotels, registration, audiovisual, and transportation companies
- Establish event goals and objectives by working closely with key member groups, task forces, and internal cross-functional teams, ensuring they tie into the association's strategic plan and priorities
- Develop, socialize, and train staff with current event SOPs; maintain and update SOPs and annual timelines for signature events; Create and maintain forms, templates, and planning documents that can be utilized across events to standardize processes, as well as strengthen the overall effectiveness & efficiency to maximize productivity
- Collaborate with all relevant internal departments to successfully execute events according to the established standards
- Provide timely and relevant updates to staff on key milestones and deadlines to allow for seamless planning of all events
- Cultivate and facilitate authentic cross communications between department members of core planning team
Operations Management
- Provide leadership of cross-functional teams and project managers to analyze and present key financial and strategic issues to executive leadership
- Provide consulting expertise and program management for specific strategic initiatives that are deemed critical to the association's success
- Develop on-site staffing schedule and conduct training for staff to prepare them for staffing assignments
- Direct logistics and production of event specifications, including the management of vendors for all aspects of meetings and events
Conference Development
- Proactively identify new opportunities
- Engage in external outreach activities, identifying and pursuing cost-saving measures and new revenue streams
Required Qualifications
- 7-9 years minimum of progressive experience in large events management leadership with preferred experience at a nonprofit association or related organization
- 5+ years of experience in a people management role
- Demonstrated success leading the event planning, planning management, and execution of extraordinarily complex and visible conferences and events
- Hold and maintain the Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) certification
- Demonstrate critical leadership abilities such as emotional intelligence, delegation, strategic thinking, and a future focus
- Excellent communication and project management skills with the ability to understand project prioritization in a dynamic workplace
- Demonstrated ability to be highly collaborative, foster strong teamwork under strict deadlines, and manage a full calendar of events
- Ability to effectively collaborate and lead in a remote work environment
- Ability to travel up to 20% for National Council events and site selection for future events