Conference Programming Manager

Company Description: EarthX is an international environmental nonprofit that educates, inspires, and connects people to drive meaningful action for a more sustainable future. Since its launch in 2010, EarthX has expanded into EarthX Media, a 24/7 channel with an on-demand library of original series, award-winning films, and Earthx2027: Congress of Conferences, a global sustainability-focused event. The organization’s mission is to energize a global community to create a cleaner, healthier future for all living things and future generations.

Its vision is to serve as a leading global connector and environmental forum, advancing practical, scalable solutions for a more sustainable and conservable world. EarthX embraces diversity and encourages a balanced exchange of ideas among people from many backgrounds and professions to drive collaborative solutions for a sustainable future.

Role Description: The Conference Programming Manager is a Contract-to-hire position, on-site role based in Dallas, TX. The Conference Programming Manager manages the programming process across all EarthX and Partner Conferences. This position serves as the primary liaison between EarthX and conference curators, guiding agenda development from initial planning through final Chairman approval while ensuring all conferences follow established timelines and EarthX programming standards.

Rather than curating conference content, the Conference Programming Manager manages the programming process by coordinating communication, monitoring progress, facilitating collaboration, and ensuring that every conference is prepared for executive review, marketing, production, registration, and successful event execution.

This position works closely with the Chairman, CEO, conference curators, and cross-functional teams to ensure that all programming supports EarthX's mission and strategic objectives while maintaining consistency across the Congress of Conferences.

This is a contract position. Regular attendance at planning meetings, programming meetings, working sessions, and conference week activities is required.

Primary Responsibilities

Programming Process Management

Manage the overall programming process for all EarthX-curated and Partner Conferences from planning through event execution.

Develop and maintain the master programming timeline, monitor conference progress against established milestones, identify programming risks, communicate schedule expectations, and ensure that each conference remains on track for successful delivery.

Curator Coordination

Serve as the primary EarthX liaison for all conference curators.

Guide curators through the EarthX programming process, provide programming timelines and standards, conduct regular status meetings, monitor progress, assist with scheduling questions, encourage collaboration among conferences, and ensure each curator understands programming expectations and deadlines.

Track programming progress and escalate delays, concerns, or issues to the CEO and Chairman when necessary.

Executive Programming Coordination

Meet regularly with the CEO and Chairman to review conference agendas, programming progress, speaker development, and overall conference readiness.

Prepare programming reports, coordinate agenda reviews, document executive feedback, communicate revisions to conference curators, and ensure all requested changes are incorporated prior to final Chairman approval.

The CEO may provide preliminary programming approval and direction; however, final approval of all conference programming remains with the Chairman.

Programming Governance and Agenda Oversight

Monitor the development of all conference agendas to ensure consistency with EarthX programming standards, conference structure, scheduling expectations, and overall event objectives.

Review agenda completeness and readiness before executive review, monitor conference balance across the overall event schedule, identify scheduling conflicts or duplication, and coordinate solutions with conference curators.

Cross-Functional Leadership and Communication

Serve as the central programming communication point across EarthX, ensuring all departments receive timely, accurate, and complete programming information necessary to perform their responsibilities.

Collaborate closely with Marketing to support conference promotion, speaker announcements, website content, agendas, schedules, and promotional materials.

Coordinate with Information Technology to ensure programming information is accurately reflected within Sessionboard, registration systems, mobile applications, websites, and other digital platforms.

Work with the Speaker Coordinator to transition approved speakers into the speaker operations process and communicate agenda updates affecting speaker logistics, moderator assignments, and scheduling.

Partner with Production to communicate conference room requirements, audiovisual needs, room capacities, production schedules, staging requirements, and other conference production needs.

Collaborate with Operations and Registration to ensure programming information supports attendee registration, conference logistics, room assignments, hospitality planning, and overall conference execution.

Coordinate with Public Relations regarding programming announcements, keynote participation, media opportunities, interviews, and other public-facing communications.

Conference Readiness

Monitor each conference's overall readiness throughout the planning cycle.

Ensure conference agendas are progressing according to schedule, production requirements have been communicated, marketing information has been delivered, speaker information has been transferred for operational management, digital platforms remain current, and conference curators are actively supporting attendee development and promotion consistent with their conference commitments.

Conference Week Responsibilities

Serve as the programming lead throughout conference week by coordinating agenda changes, supporting conference curators, assisting moderators and executive leadership, communicating programming updates across departments, resolving programming issues, and maintaining continuity across all conferences.

Reporting and Continuous Improvement

Participate in post-event evaluations, collect programming feedback, document lessons learned, prepare programming reports, recommend process improvements, and assist in planning future EarthX conferences.

Qualifications

Demonstrated experience in conference management, conference programming, event planning, or the delivery of large-scale, multi-track events, including coordination of complex agendas, timelines, and stakeholders.

Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple conferences, priorities, deadlines, and workstreams simultaneously while maintaining exceptional attention to detail.

Excellent written and verbal communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build productive working relationships with conference curators, speakers, partners, executive leadership, and cross-functional teams.

Experience collaborating across Marketing, Production, Operations, Information Technology, Registration, Public Relations, and Executive Leadership to ensure programming requirements are effectively communicated and executed.

Ability to provide a high level of professional service and responsiveness when working with speakers, conference partners, curators, attendees, and internal stakeholders.

Experience managing programming-related logistics, schedules, deliverables, and budgets, with the ability to identify risks, resolve issues, and keep projects progressing according to established timelines.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office and cloud-based project management and collaboration tools. Experience with Sessionboard or comparable conference management platforms is preferred.

Experience working with sustainability, environmental, mission-driven, or nonprofit organizations is beneficial but not required.

• Bachelor’s degree in Event Management, Communications, Business, Environmental Studies, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience, is preferred.