Associate Director, Congress Planning

POSITION SUMMARY

This position will lead Congress Excellence & Execution for major Mirum Congresses to include pre-planning, alignment, recruitment, execution, and post deliverables. This role will provide strategic and tactical support to all relevant functions for key congresses and hands-on ownership of logistics for all key congresses.  They will work collaboratively across the matrix team (ie medical, marketing, advocacy, grants, global and others) and develop/communicate pre/post briefs, and leadership updates, including Congress Sessions and social listening.  This individual will continue to evolve processes, technology, policies, and best practices for planning and executing congresses.

JOB FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES

• Partner with medical and marketing congress leads to align to congress strategy via the medical and commercial congress plans.
• Proactively identify and prioritize the congress conference calendar to ensure Mirum is represented across target specialty areas in rare disease.
• Secure, manage, coordinate and execute logistics for large conferences across all departments/functions including, but not limited to: housing, registration, exhibit booth space and meeting space contracting, ancillary meetings, sponsorship and advertising opportunities, related technologies, medical education activities, pre-event planning teams, pre-event informational meetings (i.e. pre-con), providing onsite support during event, and budget development/management for all assigned congresses.
• Drive planning meetings that involve cross-functional teams. Develop and manage planning timelines and action plans in collaboration with cross-functional partners and ensure all deadlines and deliverables are met. Provide thorough and timely communication to internal stakeholders and external partners.
• Partner and maintain relationships with external logistics and marketing vendors to support the workflow of activities (ie booth build) related to event planning and logistics.
• Create and manage detailed project plans in collaboration with cross-functional partners, drive complex timelines, and ensure cross-functional partners are aware of deadlines and deliverables.
• Produce pre-event communications (final logistics detail email), and post-event reporting on key metrics, include surveys, debriefs, and budget reconciliation.
• Provide logistics support and influence consistency for smaller congresses that do not require additional vendor support.
• Ensure adherence to all HCP compliance guidelines.
• Oversee internal cross-charge process for company and HCP conference attendance costs.
• Work closely with legal, finance, procurement, and Commercial contracting team to facilitate the overall process for contract and payment management to ensure timely facilitation.
• Budget Management: Review and approve all vendor budget estimates, contracts and SOWs, PO generation, invoice approval with reconciliation.
• Responsible for ensuring improvement of Congress effectiveness and efficiency while also driving innovative solutions for improving the overall customer experience at Congresses.
• Be the business owner for commercial field Exhibits and Sponsorships process and periodic reporting.
• Provide input into and be held accountable for congress standards.
• Familiar with compliance and legal, and local departments to ensure each event is delivered in full accordance with local laws and regulations.
• Travel to assigned congresses (up to 60% travel); majority domestic, some global travel required.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 7 years of Pharmaceutical Industry and/or Corporate Agency experience preferred.
• 5 plus years of congress planning experience, including logistics management of major congresses within and outside of the United States.
• Biotech/pharmaceutical congress planning experience is required.
• Certified Trade Show Marketer (CTSM) certification a plus.
• Strong industry network with existing relationships with healthcare and convention associations.
• Strong strategic thinking, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Demonstrate complex project planning and management skills with strict adherence to timelines.
• Proven strength at communicating effectively across global audience.
• Demonstrate Innovation mindset (simplification - doing things better, faster and more cost effectively).
• Knowledge of international healthcare customers, stakeholders and influencers and understanding of their needs.
• Ability to flex across different types of cultures, complexities, business situations and matrix partners.
• Problem solver and results-oriented.
• Strong partnership skills: ability to influence and build and maintain relationships across diverse stakeholder mix.
• Ability to understand, plan, and navigate in a highly matrixed and, at times, ambiguous environment.
• Budget management experience.
• Knowledge of industry trends and experience in leading and driving operational programs and initiatives.
• Solid understanding of the cross-functional components that impact Scientific Communications & Engagement initiatives and integrate appropriate input arising from internal and external team members into the congress strategy.
• Ability to travel domestic and international.
• Self-motivated individual: able to develop recommendations with imperfect information (comfortable with ambiguity and with building new ways of executing).
• Able to manage multiple complex projects and budgets at the same time.
• Ability to think beyond the function, identifying connections between different areas of the organization to see the broader perspective.

Education/Experience:

• 4 year degree required.
• CMP certification preferred.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Computer Skills

• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, Cvent and Smartsheet.
• Interest in exploring and leveraging new technologies and digital tools to create efficiencies and transparency.

Travel

• Approximately 60% domestically and internationally.
• Onsite presence at key congresses for pre-convention set-up and throughout the convention to dynamically resolve issues on-site; may include weekend responsibilities.

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