Senior Events & Programme Manager

Das ist der Job

But too often, people leave them with a badge, a notebook, and very little else.

Darum lohnt es sich

The team is small, the pace is intense and many things still need to be built. Work closely with the EFI team to ensure that every event serves a clear strategic, intellectual and community‑building purpose. Interest in European politics, international affairs, culture, democracy, civil society or public debate.

A small, ambitious and collaborative team. Senior Events & Programme Manager Vienna, Full time Compensation: €70,000-90,000 gross per year Start date: September 2026 Europe has many conferences, panels and institutional meetings. At Europe's Futures Initiative, we want to build something different.

We want to create moments that matter: conversations people remember, rooms where unexpected alliances are formed, formats that make people think differently, and experiences that leave participants with more than a programme and a few business cards. EFI is a new European platform based in Vienna.

We bring together thinkers, policymakers, journalists, artists, civic leaders, fellows and practitioners to imagine, debate and shape Europe's future. Now we are looking for someone who can help us make things happen: beautifully, precisely, ambitiously and across Europe.

Who we are Europe's Futures Initiative is a new independent organisation working at the intersection of ideas, politics, culture and public debate.

We produce content, convene people, launch projects, support more than 40 members spread across Europe and create spaces where the continent's future can be discussed with ambition, depth and imagination. We are based in Vienna, but our work is European in scope.

Our ambition is to build a new kind of European platform: strategic, civic, intellectually serious, open to new voices and capable of moving beyond the usual circles. That is exactly why joining EFI now matters. This is not a role for someone who wants to maintain an existing calendar of events.

It is a role for someone who wants to help build the convening culture of a new European organisation. Who we are looking for We are looking for a Senior Events & Programme Manager who can design, organise and deliver high‑quality EFI events across Europe. Someone who knows that an event is never just an event.

It is content, hospitality, logistics, atmosphere, timing, relationships and magic. We are looking for someone with the instinct to make things happen: someone who sees the missing detail before it becomes a problem, who can manage many stakeholders without losing clarity, and who cares deeply about what participants feel, understand and take away.

You should be able to organise small closed‑door dinners, retreats, public conversations, workshops or larger gatherings without being afraid of complexity, travel, pressure or last‑minute changes.

You should have the professional discipline of an event manager, the taste of a curator, the calm of a producer and the energy of someone who wants to build something new in Europe. What you will work on Design and produce EFI events across Europe. Develop event concepts, formats, agendas and participant journeys.

Coordinate logistics, venues, suppliers, travel, hospitality, technical needs and on‑site production. Build and track timelines, budgets, checklists and production plans. Manage relationships with speakers, participants, partners, venues and external stakeholders. Help build EFI's event standards, templates, routines and supplier networks.

Make sure that participants leave EFI events feeling that something meaningful happened. What we expect Several years of experience in event management, event production, cultural programming, public affairs, conferences, festivals, institutional events or a related field. The ability to manage complex projects with many moving parts.

Excellent organisational skills and very strong attention to detail and a structured working style. Strong stakeholder management and excellent communication skills. Experience in working with senior speakers, partners, institutions or high‑level participants. The ability to stay calm, clear and solution‑oriented under pressure.

Excellent written and spoken English. Other language skills are an asset, but not required. A strong sense of hospitality, atmosphere and participant experience. Willingness to travel regularly across Europe. The ability to work independently and take ownership.

What we offer The opportunity to help build a new European organisation from an early stage. A role with real ownership over EFI's events and convening culture. The chance to work across Europe with thinkers, policymakers, civic leaders, journalists, artists and institutions.

A fast‑paced and intense working environment for people who enjoy taking responsibility, momentum and getting things done. Contributing to a meaningful mission in a European context. Flexibility and a hybrid working environment. An office in the centre of Vienna.

What this role is not We are not looking for someone who simply repeats existing formats or manages logistics in isolation. EFI is young and growing, so priorities may shift and new opportunities may emerge quickly. The role requires flexibility, calm under pressure and the ability to create order while things are still being built.

This is also not a purely logistical role. We are looking for someone who thinks about the bigger picture: content, people, atmosphere and impact, not only schedules, suppliers and checklists. #J-18808-Ljbffr