About ISOCARP
The International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) is a global member-association of urban and regional planners. ISOCARP coordinates various planning , design and research initiatives for and with its network of international members, including workshops, publications, and webinars, amongst many other projects

Most prominently since its foundation in 1965 ISOCARP organises an annual World Planning Congress for city and regional planners. Its Secretariat is in The Hague, The Netherlands and comprises a young team of about eight employees. From here our activities around the globe are coordinated.

Job profile
As an international association, the core business of ISOCARP is to support its global member community, consisting of individual (appx. 750) and institutional members (appx. 40). The Congress/Office Director position is a key role in the organisation, primarily responsible for the overall floor and operational management of the Society, including providing support to the Board in strategic planning, providing leadership to all staff, advising the Board on organisational activities, creating policies to improve staff performance, overseeing and streamlining daily operations, and executing core and new projects, primarily the annual World Planning Congress. The Congress/Office Director shall aid in the promotion of the mission and objectives of the Society, while maintaining positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders and keeping sound financial practices.

The Congress/Office Director is part of the staff of the ISOCARP Secretariat. She/he supervises the Secretariat staff and reports to the Board through the Executive Committee.

Responsibilities

1. Office Management

• Responsible for the administrative and operational management of the Secretariat, including providing support to the Board in strategic planning, overseeing daily operations, and delegating tasks to the Secretariat staff.
• Support the Board in developing and implementing strategies aiming to promote ISOCARP’s mission and objectives, including supervision of the membership policy.
• Oversee recruitment and retention of the required number of staff to ensure that the daily operations and the organisation’s objectives are met.
• Develop and direct operational strategy as well as drafting organisational policies.
• Oversee day-to-day Secretariat activities.
• Conduct staff performance reviews.
• Support budget preparations and oversee financial accounts in coordination with the bookkeeper and treasurer/financial administrator.
• Support and oversee fundraising and revenue generating efforts.
• Forge and maintain relations of trust with the member community as well as with other stakeholders.

2. Management of the World Planning Congress

• Overall direction, organisation, administration, and implementation of the annual World Planning Congress (in Brussels, Belgium in October 2022) in accordance with the general policies and guidelines of ISOCARP, the Congress Agreement, and the programme timeline agreed with the host organisation.
• Convene and preside over meetings of the Congress with relevant parties and stakeholders to plan scope and format of Congress, establish and monitor budgets, and review administrative procedures and progress.
• Prepare, administer, and monitor the Congress budget for submission to and approval of the Executive Committee.
• Manage the congress e-mail account and respond to a variety of queries from congress participants and other parties in a timely and professional manner.
• Liaise regularly with the organising committee of the hosting organisation and other parties within the World Planning Congress Team in defining the theme, sub-themes, and track topics of the Congress.
• Structure and develop the programme, publication materials, and other congress-related content, together with the World Planning Congress Team and the ISOCARP Secretariat .
• Supervise all congress-related tasks and assignments at the ISOCARP Secretariat of the ISOCARP Congress Assistant and Graphic Designer and ISOCARP Financial Officer.
• Take ownership of all Congress reporting regarding registration, attendance, and success measures.
• Coordinate all aspects of the Congress and serve as main point of contact for all parties, including keynote speakers, local organising committee, Congress Team, and ISOCARP Secretariat.
• Keep all relevant parties informed on issues and challenges faced for further solution/decision.
• Communicate and resolve problems effectively and in a timely manner.
• Attend activities and/or events to promote the Congress, as deemed appropriate.
• Ensure that all Congress deliverables, reports, and outputs are met in a timely manner.
• Onsite coordination during the congress (e.g., registration, administration of content, authors, speakers, and other logistical needs), together with other staff from the Secretariat.
• Train and supervise volunteers or congress organisers, as required.

Profile and competencies of our ideal candidate

Functional competencies:

• You have completed an academic education in the field of city and regional planning, business administration, international relations, or a similar field relevant for this position.
• You have demonstrable experience in organising events and meetings and handling logistics and administrative matters.
• You have worked in or for international companies/organisations and you are sensitive to multicultural communication among various stakeholders; you consider different needs, interests, and cultures; knowledge of Dutch labour policies is a plus.
• You have good analytic skills and context sensitivity, which enable you to estimate and predict the feasibility of actions and/or decisions.
• You are able to manage conflicts of interest and develop solutions to problems arising from complaints and unmet wishes

Profile:

• You have at least 5 years of demonstrable experience in programme and/or project management.

• You are interested to work in an international organisation and are willing to travel.

• You have strong affinity and solid experience in event organisation who can handle the challenges a big event (+500 people) brings along.
• You have strong leadership skills and can ‘make things happen’.
• You are highly organised but flexible when working with the team, you have a hands-on mentality, strong initiative, budgeting skills, strong attention to detail, and quick problem-solving skills.
• You can meet tight deadlines and work under pressure.

• You are reliable and discreet, able to learn and keep confidential matters, adaptable, and can negotiate and build relationships.
• You have experience working with Dryfta (event management platform) or are willing to learn using it.
• You are proficient in the English language, both written and oral (the working language). It is recommended but not necessary to speak Dutch; knowledge of other languages is a plus.

• You are legally permitted to live and work in the Netherlands or willing to move. Working from abroad is not possible.

We offer you

• To become part of a young, ambitious team.
• A fulltime position of up to 36 hours/week (more or less, days are negotiable).
• A one-year fixed-term employment contract, subject to renewal depending on performance.
• A salary aligned with Dutch salary standards for a NGO.

The position is available from 1 January 2022. To apply, send your CV and motivation letter before 13 December 2021 at jobs@isocarp.org. We will be assessing applications on a rolling basis, so we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible.