Event Organiser

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

A new opportunity to join our team as an Event Organiser on a fixed term basis of 12 months has arisen.

About the Role:

You will be responsible for the end-to-end event management of a portfolio of events, including training courses and scientific conferences.

You will work as part of a small team of Event Organisers, together delivering up to 50 events each year at the Wellcome Genome Campus or at one of our host institutes in Asia, Latin America or Africa. 

You will own a portfolio of events, and will work closely with scientific colleagues within Wellcome Connecting Science as well as external scientific programme committees, training teams and speakers to understand the event requirements, and ensure the event is delivered as required. 

You will undertake basic monitoring of event budgets and support on-site delivery of events held at the Wellcome Genome Campus. You will also be responsible for collecting key event metrics that contribute to internal and external reports. 

You will need to work effectively and collaboratively with a range of colleagues, from Learning and Training team members and senior leaders, to third party service providers and event attendees in order to work effectively in this role.

You will be responsible for:

Event management -Wellcome Genome Campus Events:

• Coordinating with Wellcome Connecting Science’s Conference Centre team on venue booking and other aspects of event delivery such as catering and accessibility requirements.
• Working in partnership with an education/ programme developers and other members of the Connecting Science team to fully understand all conference or training requirements and ensuring they are met e.g., by booking meeting spaces, ensuring provision of any conference or training materials and information, etc.
• Communicate with external partners, including instructors, scientific committee members and speakers and providing administrative support with their participation e.g., managing travel requirements, expenses etc.
• Administer the end-to-end course application process, including sharing of applications with selection committees, communication around application outcome with successful and unsuccessful applicants, and day-to-day management of the event registration system.
• Administer the end-to-end conference registration process, including sharing of submitted abstracts with scientific committees, communication around abstracts selected for short talks and poster presentations and day-to-day management of the event registration system.
• Ongoing communication with attendees, providing relevant information such as logistical information, joining instructions and fee payment process; ensuring actions are completed in a timely manner.
• Liaising with the third-party supplier of the hybrid conference portal and providing administrative support when needed.
• Basic monitoring of individual event budgets, sharing relevant information with team budget holder.
• Responsible for overseeing the on-site delivery of events held at the Wellcome Genome Campus, including maintaining a presence at the registration desk, acting as the main point of contact for attendees, exhibitors and speakers and providing speaker briefings for conferences, responding to queries and escalating to team members as needed. While they will be the key person for on-site delivery for their portfolio of events, they do so as part of a collaborative team. This may include some evening and weekend working.
• Support the education/programme developers in completing post event evaluations and reporting.

Event management – Global Courses:

In addition to the above, event management of Global Courses include – Liaising with local partners and named local administrator(s) at the host institute, to ensure all event requirements are met, e.g., room bookings and any other venue requirements.

Provide administrative support to other Learning and Training team members delivering training activities on these courses, e.g., coordinating travel, expenses, etc. 

General event administration

• Provide administrative support for event planning, including scheduling and attending planning meetings, taking notes and summarising actions.
• Document core event metrics including budget information and attendee numbers.
• Contribute to the shared team calendar of events for effective long-term planning and management.
• Support the production and delivery of event materials e.g., collating course manual materials, collating conference abstract books, publishing manuals (Hinxton Courses) and shipping (Global Courses), printing of badges for attendees, generation of course completion and conference participation certificates.
• Monitor shared email inboxes and general phone voice mails. Respond to general
• enquiries and escalate when needed.
• Collaborate actively with other event organisers to provide support across other events.

Essential Skills:

• Degree in event management or equivalent experience
• A track record of successful end-to-end event management
• Excellent verbal and written communication, and ability to tailor communication to different audiences
• Demonstrable record of developing good working relationships with people at all levels
• Methodical and well-organised approach to work
• Demonstrable multi-tasking skills
• Ability to prioritise and respond to tight deadlines
• Experience of event management software, along with excellent working knowledge of Microsoft and Google Office applications
• Experience of working in an academic environment or enthusiasm for education and science.

About You:

You will be able to prioritise a range of tasks and projects in a busy working environment, working with colleagues within Wellcome Connecting Science and external organisations to deliver shared goals. 

You will be flexible, professional, proactive, and positive; able to take ownership of challenges and problems; and able to work independently, as well as part of a team.

You will have experience as an event organiser, who is seeking a new opportunity to develop skills. You will have knowledge, skills and experience, which include at least some of these elements.

About Us:

Wellcome Connecting Science’s mission is to enable everyone to explore genomic science and its impact on research, health and society. Drawing on the ground-breaking research taking place on the Wellcome Genome Campus, Connecting Science inspires new thinking, sparks conversation, supports learning, and measures and understands global attitudes and perspectives. We connect researchers, health professionals and the wider public, creating opportunities and spaces to explore genomic science and its relationship with people, and the world around us.

Our Learning and Training offer spans basic research, cutting-edge biomedicine, and the application of genomics in healthcare. We fund, develop and deliver courses and conferences, working with globally renowned scientists and healthcare professionals. We deliver events online, on the Campus, and in regional training hubs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, which aim to educate, inspire, and transform careers.

Visit our websites: wellcomeconnectingscience.org/ and coursesandconferences.wellcomeconnectingscience.org/

Other Information:

• Salary range in the region of £32,000-£37,000
• Closing date: 6th November

Application Process:

Please include a CV and cover letter outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements and responsibilities of the role, as part of your application.

For informal enquires, please contact Amy Pass (amy.pass@wellcomeconnectingscience.org)

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger:

We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks, LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

We want our people to be whoever they want to be because we believe people who bring their best selves to work, do their best work. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits:

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.

Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018. The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.

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