Meetings & Events Officer Job in Kenya - Open Society Foundations

Role Purpose

The Meetings & Events Officer will support the planning, coordination, and delivery of meetings and events across OSF’s global office locations and external venues. The role will help strengthen organisation-wide consistency in event workflows, policies, tools, and best practices, ensuring colleagues have clear guidance and practical support throughout the event lifecycle.
Working closely with internal event organisers, Global Operations colleagues, and external vendors, the Meetings & Events Officer will provide specialist logistical and operational support for high-priority and complex events. The role requires strong planning skills, sound judgement, cultural awareness, and the ability to remain calm, proactive, and solutions-focused in fast-moving event environments.

Key responsibilities

Support the Organization-Wide Event Planning & Coordination

Develop a full understanding of meetings and events that are hosted by OSF and/or attended by OSF staff members.
Support the design of the meetings and events support framework, including the event lifecycle, workflows, policies and roles and responsibilities of various internal and external stakeholders.
Provide step-by-step guidance to the event organizers on the event planning and successful execution within the support framework; when asked to support outside its remit, re-direct to the appropriate stakeholders with professionalism, discretion and integrity.
In collaboration with meeting/event organizers, incorporate continuous improvement to the meetings and events support framework and adapt to the changing needs of the organization.

Guidance & Training on Event Tools and Policies

Walk the event organizers through relevant event tools and policies, including those managed by external vendors or other internal colleagues.
Provide regular training to the event organizers on event design principles, workflows, tools, and compliance.
Maintain a set of supporting materials for the meetings and events support framework that are clearly organized and shared with the event organizers for ease of access and utilization.

High‑Priority & Complex Event Support

Provide hands‑on, in-person logistical support for high‑priority and complex events.
Work closely with the event organizers and event management companies in preparing for complex events and coordinating with various internal and external stakeholders.
Display adaptability and calm under pressure to think quickly on their feet and manage any unexpected situations during the events.
Event Vendor Management and Support
Manage relationships with hotels, event venues, and vendors in key operational cities.
Establish and maintain global master service agreements with preferred event planners and venues, both at the global level and at the regional/local level.
Manage usage of global event providers including booking confirmation, payment processing, and performance evaluation.
Review the current preferred external venues, accommodations and other event vendors on a regular basis based on staff’s feedback on their contribution to the meetings and events.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration and Continuous Improvement

Collaborate with other members of Global Operations, OneOps teams, event organizers and programmatic staff members in ensuring the successful event planning and execution, as well as continuously improving
Liaise with facilitators, consultants, and external partners in improving their experience and contribution toward successful OSF events.
Support the Global Associate Director in improving event workflows and policies by proactively identifying operational gaps and recommending enhancements.

The ideal candidate

Essential Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Essential Experience

Demonstrable experience supporting or delivering end-to-end meetings, events, conferences, convenings, or complex stakeholder gatherings.
Experience coordinating multiple event workstreams, including timelines, logistics, stakeholders, venues, vendors, participant needs, and follow-up actions.
Experience working with external vendors, venues, hotels, event agencies, or service providers, including negotiation, booking, contracting support, or performance follow-up.
Strong project coordination skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, deadlines, and changing requirements.
Strong stakeholder management skills, including the ability to guide internal event organisers through processes, policies, and practical event requirements.
Ability to remain calm, solutions-focused, and professional during high-pressure or live-event situations.
Strong attention to detail and follow-through, including documentation, task tracking, and process compliance.
Ability and willingness to travel for high-priority or complex events when required.
Excellent working knowledge of English and fluency in the local language of the office location.

Desirable Experience

Experience in a global, regional, nonprofit, foundation, philanthropy, development, international organisation, or mission-driven environment.
Experience working with event management companies.
Experience using event platforms or tools such as Stova, TROOP, registration platforms, travel/event logistics tools, or similar systems.
Experience creating event guidance documents, workflows, checklists, templates, or knowledge resources.
Experience supporting events with accessibility, safeguarding, security, protocol, or sensitive participant considerations.
French language fluency or strong working proficiency, particularly for roles based in Dakar or supporting West Africa coverage.

Language

Fluency in English and the local language of the office location.

Travel

Travel is required. Travel frequency depends on the role requirements.

Functional Competencies

Event Planning and Coordination

Able to coordinate multiple meetings and events simultaneously across office-based and external venues.
Strong attention to detail, with the ability to anticipate logistical needs, risks, dependencies, and participant requirements.
Comfortable managing tight timelines, shifting priorities, and multiple event workstreams.

Communication and Stakeholder Guidance

Clear, diplomatic communicator who can liaise effectively with colleagues at all levels.
Skilled at walking event organisers through workflows, policies, tools, and complex procedures.
Able to represent the organisation professionally with vendors, venues, facilitators, consultants, and event partners.

Problem-Solving and Event Judgement

Able to troubleshoot challenges quickly during pre-event planning and live events.
Brings a solutions-oriented mindset to vendor, participant, logistics, or stakeholder issues.
Demonstrates sound judgement in complex, sensitive, or high-pressure event situations.

Vendor, Venue and External Partner Management

Skilled at building effective relationships with hotels, venues, event agencies, and service providers.
Able to support negotiation, booking, contracting, service coordination, and vendor performance follow-up.
Confident coordinating external partners for large, complex, or high-priority events.

Technical Competence and Process Orientation

Comfortable learning and using event tools, including registration platforms, TROOP, notification systems, or similar platforms.
Able to follow structured workflows and help others apply them consistently.
Skilled at documenting and maintaining event processes, guidance materials, checklists, and knowledge resources.

Continuous Improvement and Workflow Development

Looks to improve event workflows, procedures, tools, and supporting materials.
Welcomes feedback and contributes practical ideas to improve event operations.
Helps drive consistency and shared standards across global teams.

Personal Competencies

Adaptability and Calm Under Pressure

Works well in fast-paced and occasionally high-stakes environments.
Maintains composure during complex events with many moving parts.
Adjusts plans efficiently as event needs, stakeholder requirements, or risks evolve.

Cultural Competence and Global Collaboration

Experienced working with international colleagues and culturally diverse event participants.
Sensitive to global contexts, time zones, languages, accessibility needs, and cultural norms.
Able to navigate cross-cultural communication effectively and respectfully.

Professionalism, Discretion and Integrity

Handles confidential or sensitive information appropriately.
Represents the organisation’s values in all internal and external interactions.
Demonstrates reliability, maturity, sound ethics, and good judgement.

Proactive Ownership and Initiative

Takes initiative without waiting for direction.
Anticipates needs before they arise, especially for high-priority or executive-level events.
Follows through on commitments and escalates risks early when support or decisions are needed.

Service Orientation

Brings a practical, helpful, and solutions-focused approach to supporting event organisers and colleagues.
Balances responsiveness with appropriate process discipline and clear boundaries.
Builds trust by being reliable, clear, and calm under pressure.

Languages

Fluent in the local language where the role is based and excellent working knowledge of English.
Fluency in French is desirable, particularly where the role supports Francophone stakeholders, vendors, or event participants.

What we offer

Exceptional opportunities to learn, grow, and make an impact; from a generous annual professional development allowance for every employee to onsite training and learning conversations with visiting experts.
Excellent benefits and perks to promote well-being and a healthy work-life balance, including:
Generous time off and flexible work arrangements.
Staff are required to work in an Open Society office 50% of working days per month.
Employer-paid health insurance *and dental plans for individuals and families (no employee contribution required).
Exceptional retirement savings plan (non-contributory for employees) and life insurance.
Progressive paid parental leave, reproductive and family planning support, and much more.
A commitment to nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, so you can bring your whole self to work and make a positive impact.