Nine Worlds 2017 is likely to consist of around 250 programme items, including panels, talks, screenings, performances, quizzes, gaming sessions, social meetups, and DJ sets. All of these events will require a team of Stewards and gophers on-site to provide assistance, and help ensure rooms do not become over-full over the course of the weekend.
With this in mind, we are looking to expand our Ops management team in 2017 to have three full Team / Shift managers in place. The existing Head of Ops will be on-hand to offer guidance and training, with a view to sharing tasks and making shift management more effective. All tasks will be shared across the team based on availability and skills, with any “seniority” based solely on personal Nine Worlds experience and the need to have one person where the buck stops.
Necessary
- An interest in events management - whether from a fandom or a career perspective
- To enjoy challenges - including solving complex and fluid problems, while interacting with a range of interesting people
- To be a confident and competent communicator - online and face to face
- To be willing to work as part of a team - Nine Worlds is built on teamwork. You need to be ready to work closely with the other Ops Managers, the Tech team, the Nine Worlds management team, and the rest of the organisation as required.
- Basic spreadsheet skills - Many of the venue records are kept and updated in spreadsheets.
- Regular, frequent access to an internet-connected computer - All of our organising is carried out on-line, partly from necessity as it's difficult to get everyone in one place. We may be able to loan laptops or Chromebooks to volunteers for the duration of their role in organising the 2017 event. You will need to have frequent access to the internet, and be prepared to keep in close touch with the other Ops Team Managers and the management team.
- Decision making - During the event, you will need to manage a large number of requests for stewards / assistance from all areas of the event, and direct your resources as effectively as possible. You need a well-developed ability to respond constructively to occasionally very forceful requests, without being railroaded into making decisions against the best interests of Nine Worlds and its attendees.
- The time and capacity to carry out allocated tasks - See below for details
Before the convention the busiest periods for the role will be recruitment from February through May, then July and early August 2017, but there will be a continuing overhead over the year as soon as you take post. Tasks required will be shared across the three roles, and will include: recruiting the team of Stewards & gophers, co-ordinating a delivery schedule with Content and Venue teams, assessing existing training literature, designing the shift plan and rota for the event, creating a welcoming atmosphere for your new team and managing the Volunteer Team’s social media accounts.
Meetings with your co-Team Managers will take place either online or in person at least monthly, and there are regularly scheduled meetings by the management team that it would be beneficial to attend (this can be via Skype/Google Hangouts).
At the convention itself you will be expected to work shifts as agreed with the other Ops Team Managers, to liaise with all other relevant members of the organisation, assist with any operational/stewarding related queries, and carry out other tasks as they are required. The focus of the Ops team includes set-up and tear-down of the event, and being the friendly face of the convention across all three days.
After the convention you are expected to relax and enjoy the warm satisfaction that comes from a job well done.
Desirable
- Events management experience - Voluntary or paid work both count. This experience would be very valuable, but it can certainly be gained or extended by volunteering in this role
- Understanding of barriers to inclusion faced by marginalised groups - Membership of a marginalised or disadvantaged group counts as lived experience.
- Experience with Slack, Trello and Google Apps - Introductory training can be provided if necessary.
Reimbursement and justification
We expect these voluntary roles to be taken up by someone who is not a professional event organiser in their day job, who would find volunteering for this interesting, personally rewarding and valuable for the Nine Worlds community.
In order to accommodate the requirements of this role, we expect to offer the Ops Team Managers a weekend membership to the convention, and a space in shared accommodation either at or near the convention hotel, from Thursday night until Monday morning. We may also be able to reimburse travel expenses. We are also happy to write appropriate references for our volunteers.
If you'd like to ask about or apply for this role, get in touch at jobs@nineworlds.co.uk. There's more information on applying on the main vacancies page.