USENIX Conference Production Assistant

The Conference Production Assistant supports the entire Conference Production Department in the logistical production of USENIX’s wide range of meetings and conferences and in the publication of conference papers, proceedings, slides, and videos associated with the paper and talk presentations at the events. The Conference Production Assistant reports directly to the Conference Director, who supervises the role in collaboration with the Production Manager.

The ideal USENIX employee is mature and responsible, thorough and accurate, and collegial and collaborative. There’s no room for big egos here; we do whatever needs to be done in support of our mission, operating as a single team across multiple functional areas. We work hard, but also respect work-life balance. USENIX is a fully distributed organization, and employees should display technical proficiency with cloud-based software and be enthusiastic about learning new programs and systems. We encourage our employees to be curious and seek opportunities to grow in their roles.

Principal Duties

• Serve as one of the primary points of contact for email and telephone inquiries, in collaboration with the Conference and Membership Coordinator; prioritize and determine appropriate action, referral, or response, exercising judgment to reflect the Association’s style and policy
• Assist in the prompt fulfillment of customer service requests from staff, our volunteer event organizers, Board of Directors, sponsors, Association members, conference attendees, and other USENIX constituents seeking information or support with matters pertaining to USENIX publications and website
• Assist in the proofing of conference programs, proceedings, and individual papers; and of other conference materials including signage and digital collateral
• Assist in the preparation and proofing of external-facing email communications regarding key event deadlines
• Assist in the tracking and collection of presenter information and materials
• Assist in the performance of basic event registration and constituent management tasks, including:
  • Preparing invitation letters for visa applications
  • Sending registration confirmation emails and invoices
  • Processing refunds and discounts
  • Processing registration substitutions and cancellations
  • Updating registration statistics
  • Processing student validations
  • Tracking donations and preparing donation acknowledgments
  • Resolving common constituent account issues
• Assist in the creation, proofing, and maintenance of event websites and other content on USENIX.org
• Assist in the creation and maintenance of event-related content in third-party mobile event software (e.g., Sched)
• Assist in setting up Slack channels and discussion threads for events
• Perform other duties as assigned and prioritized by the Conference Director in collaboration with the Production Manager

Necessary Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree
• 2+ years of professional work experience, which may include part-time work
• Excellent English skills, both written and oral
• Exceptional communication skills with a variety of audiences
• Impeccable organizational skills and ability to thrive with multiple simultaneous deadlines
• Keen and efficient attention to detail
• Ability to be focused and flexible in a deadline-driven environment
• Upbeat, professional attitude that carries through via email and telephone exchanges
• Solid computer skills; demonstrable familiarity with Google Drive/Docs/Sheets and comfort with navigating web-based software applications
• Growth mindset: desire to improve existing skills and learn new ones
• Service orientation: enthusiasm for helping out wherever needed
• High level of initiative: ease with both independent, remote work and identifying when to reach out to supervisor or colleagues for assistance and collaboration

Preferred Skills, Interests, and Experience

• Interest in a career at a non-profit organization
• Comfort interacting with a technically-minded audience
• Experience with Adobe Creative Cloud (especially InDesign), Drupal or other CMS, Salesforce or other CRM, Wrike or similar project management software, Slack, and Zoom or other video conferencing software
• Ability to travel and attend events as needed

Requirements of the Role

• Ability to lift up to 40 lbs
• Ability to travel, mostly domestic, up to 10 percent of the time