Introduction

The International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) is a member-led organisation founded in 2013 to promote ‘Humanitarian Studies’ – that is research and learning into and around societies undergoing humanitarian situations (stemming from disaster conflict and crises), humanitarian organisations, programmes and related issues. A key element of the Association’s mandate is organising the biennial IHSA Conference. The multi-day hybrid conference has taken place in multiple countries around the world, and usually welcomes between 200 and 400 attendees – both in-person and online. 

The 2025 conference, to be held in October or November 2025 in Istanbul, Türkiye, is being produced through a consortium consisting of IHSA as well as a national NGO partner and partner university. The multi-day conference will feature both in-person and online paper presentations, roundtable discussions, and keynotes, as well as a social element for in-person attendees. To support the creation of this conference, IHSA is recruiting a Freelance Conference Manager for the period of October 2024 to November 2025. Hours for this position will be variable, expected to be low (c. 8-12 hours per week initially) and then much more intensive (eventually 40 hours per week) in the lead-up to the conference.

What will you be doing?

• Take day-to-day lead of organising the conference
  
• Coordinate (including meeting minutes and organising) the Scientific Committee, which will define the theme, review panels and papers, etc
  
• Attend meetings of and update the Conference Executive Committee (formed of IHSA Board Members, as well as the national NGO partner and partner university)
  • You will also need to provide a practical counterpoint to the Scientific Committee, and facilitate its running. Related tasks could include (e.g.) collating submitted Abstracts and communicating to potential presenters.
    
• Make sure that all practical elements of the conference are handled satisfactorily, for example: 
  • Co- organising physical spaces and catering at the partner university
  • Co- organising the digital conference platform (Zoom) 
  • Organising and processing promotion and ticketing for the conference 
  • Updating and giving (general) guidance for attendees
  • Updating and maintaining the conference website
  • Co- managing conference volunteers
  • Maintaining budgets and payment systems (ie. Mollie, PayPal)

Please note that you won’t be working alone in this! The national NGO partner and partner university will be appointing counterparts for your position. Where necessary for (e.g.) promotion of the conference, you will be working with the IHSA Secretariat (Coordinator and Community Manager), and there will be a team of volunteers available during the conference itself. There is also a very detailed handbook available for your use. 

The ideal candidate should have:

• Experience organising multi-day conferences or other events
• Experience organising hybrid conferences or other events
• (Some knowledge of) the Conference topics
• Experience of administration for a multi-day event
• A team player
• Business fluency (C1) in English, knowledge of Turkish or any other language would be an advantage
• Experience of working in Türkiye would be an advantage

IHSA Offers:

• A consultancy relationship for the duration of the preparation/conference period (Nov 2024 – Nov 2025)
• Per-hour or per-day payment (please specify this in your application) according to timesheets, up to a maximum of 15,000 euros
  • This equates to (at 50 euros per hour): 300 working hours
  • Or 37.5 full working days across 8 months
  • Extension or further hours can be agreed with the IHSA Board if necessary

To Apply:

Please send a CV and letter of motivation (outlining your previous experience and skills, preferably one page!), as well as an overview of your hour/day rate to info@ihsa.info with the subject line ‘IHSA Conference Manager’

This vacancy will remain open until filled, and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis!