Program Assistant, Meetings

Council on Foreign Relations•Washington, DC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Assistant will be a member of the Meetings Program at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). This program is responsible for bringing together major international and domestic officials, thought leaders, and other experts with CFR members for over 200 meetings annually. This is a full-time position that can be based in either CFR’s New York office or Washington office, requiring at least three days per week on-site. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are designated as institutional anchor days for all staff to be on-site. Starting September 14, 2026, CFR employees will be required to be on-site at least four days per week, and the remote working schedule is subject to change.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in international relations or a related field.
Knowledge of current foreign policy issues, ongoing debates, and structures of U.S. and international policymaking.
At least one year of related experience.
Self-starter with excellent attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to handle multiple tasks.
Flexible, positive, team-oriented attitude.
Strong research skills and written and verbal communication skills, including proofreading and editing ability.
Strong computer skills in MS Word, Excel, Outlook, and database management.
Ability to work flexible hours (many events are held over breakfast or in the evening).

Nice To Haves

Some event planning experience.

Responsibilities

Handle registrations for over 200 CFR meetings, conferences, and symposia on the member website (taking place virtually, in New York, and in Washington, DC).
Extensive use of membership database requiring advanced skills to write and execute statistical queries, enter event attendance data, generate general database reports, and compile meeting statistics.
Prepare program rosters for all events and create program booklets for special lectureships, symposia, and conferences.
Track and report daily on audience development for upcoming events.
Draft, send, and follow up on invitations to potential speakers.
Prepare vouchers for payment to vendors.
Provide administrative support for Meetings leads of events, as well as attending and staffing meetings to assist with logistics, and acting as back up operator on Zoom for virtual meetings.
Help to schedule internal staff meetings and perform additional administrative duties as needed for departmental functions.
With experience, coordinate logistics for select meetings each year, including drafting meeting announcements, speaker and presider invitations, maintaining database of event information, audience development, posting meeting information on the CFR member website.
Perform any other duties or tasks as assigned or required.