Simon Institute for Longterm Governance is looking for an Event & Travel Coordinator

Location: Geneva, Switzerland (remote possible, CET +/- 3h)

Workload: Full-time

Start date: As soon as possible

Deadline: August 21st, review on rolling basis

About SI

The Simon Institute for Longterm Governance (SI) is a Geneva-based think tank working at the intersection of frontier AI governance and international diplomacy. Our namesake, Herbert Simon, is a Nobel laureate and Turing Award winner who pioneered work on bounded rationality, AI, and decision-making, and led exchanges between Western and Chinese researchers. Similarly, we analyze trends and ecosystems, convene experts, advise decision-makers, and build bridges between governments, companies, the multilateral system, and frontier tech experts.

In our 5 years of existence, we have put AI governance on the agenda at the UN, played a key role in launching the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and the Global Dialogue on AI Governance, shaped multilateral AI governance from the OECD to UNDRR, and become a trusted adviser to key policy and industry stakeholders across China, Europe, and the US. As an impartial facilitator with technical expertise, we are now expanding our focus on frontier AI diplomacy to reduce the risk that advanced AI will further destabilize great-power relations. In doing so, we hope to contribute to technological progress that lastingly improves all people’s livelihoods.

The role

Running excellent convenings is a core capability for SI. Our impact depends on our partners’ trust in our ability to reliably and flawlessly run high-stakes, often confidential, conversations that advance international coordination on frontier AI governance.

This is a delivery-focused, team-oriented role. You will work closely with the colleagues who design and run SI’s events — including our incoming Convenings Lead — making their convenings and trips run flawlessly. The majority of the work is shipping logistics reliably and making the details disappear for the people leading our convenings and travel. If you are energised by owning execution end-to-end, read on.

Concretely, you will:

• Deliver events, end to end. Book and liaise with venues; send invitations; coordinate with speakers and participants; arrange their travel and accommodation; and handle on-the-ground logistics (A/V, catering, name cards, recordings, translation, and the rest). When we bring in external support for surge capacity, you secure, brief, and manage them.
• Own trips and scheduling. Book flights and accommodation, liaise with conference organisers and interlocutors on timing and prep, confirm meeting details once colleagues have made the initial approach, and maintain the master trip schedule.
• Build relationships and institutional memory. Steward the network that makes the above work — venues, suppliers, and partner organisations — so bookings, last-minute changes, and on-the-fly adjustments get easier over time.
• Coordinate with discretion. Handle sensitive information and logistical follow-up with individual participants, including while the team is travelling.

In the next 6–12 months this includes supporting recurrent overseas trips, roundtables, side events, and conference contributions — with room for more short trips and Geneva convenings as our capacity grows.

Where it can grow. As you build context and a track record, the role can expand toward greater ownership and scope — owning SI’s operational playbook for events and travel; managing a larger roster of external providers; building the logistical intelligence behind our trips (tracking venues, suppliers, and useful contacts on recurring routes); and growing into a broader events-management remit, taking delivery ownership of larger retreats, conferences, and annual gatherings.

What we look for

Essential:

• Delivery experience. Demonstrated experience organising events and travel, with genuine comfort owning the detail-heavy work behind the scenes that makes events succeed.
• Reliability. You support critical functions, deliver what you said you would, enjoy working closely with others, keep track of the details, and are proactive about resolving issues.
• Judgment and discretion. You communicate clearly and professionally, and have sound instincts in high-stakes and sensitive settings.
• Clear communication. You speak fluent English, write clearly, and adapt to audiences ranging from diplomats to ML researchers.
• Team play. You coordinate proactively, document and plan effectively, state your uncertainties and assumptions transparently, and give honest feedback because you care for others’ growth.
• Adaptability. You are comfortable coordinating across time zones and cultures, willing to travel for about 2 weeks per quarter, and are able to handle intense periods with peak workload two to three times a year.
• Mission alignment. You care about transformative AI going well for humanity, across borders.
• Impact-driven. You are motivated by making a difference, and willing to update your plans if new evidence suggests something else would move the needle more.

Bonus:

• Interest in AI governance, international affairs, or US–China geopolitics — useful context, but something you can build with us rather than a prerequisite.
• Project management experience and appetite to grow into a broader delivery-ownership role.
• Geneva-based, with familiarity with local venues and suppliers.
• French and/or Mandarin a plus.

Why SI

• Work that matters. The events you deliver are what make SI’s most consequential conversations possible.
• Systemic thinking. Our team engages seriously with hard problems. You’ll be surrounded by people who care about getting things right.
• Room to grow. You’ll own a core institutional capability from day one, with a clear path to a broader events-management remit.
• We care. Competitive salary of CHF 83,000–137,000 (commensurate with experience; an equivalent remote package is available), 7 weeks of annual leave, generous parental leave, professional development budget, and flexible home-office arrangements.

Location

SI maintains its HQ in Geneva and prioritizes local team clusters, but the position is open to remote candidates within Central European Time +/- 3h. SI employs international staff and has experience navigating permit processes but cannot guarantee visas for any jurisdiction.

How to apply

Our hiring process is designed to be transparent and respectful of your time:

1. Application: Submit your application via the application form. We are hiring for several related roles — feel free to indicate any other SI openings that could fit you.
2. Screening call: Selected candidates will be invited to a 15–25 minute call with our hiring partner, Impact Ops.
3. Work test: An assignment of approximately 3 hours with presentation.
4. Interview: Interview with your prospective manager.
5. Work trial: A 1-day in-person trial in Geneva.
6. References: We will ask for 2–3 references from people you have worked with.

SI will cover reasonable costs for the work test and the work trial.

There’s no such thing as a “perfect” candidate. If you’re on the fence about applying because you’re unsure whether you’re qualified, we’d encourage you to apply.

While we do our best in sharing high quality job postings, Jobs in Geneva can't guarantee or be made responsible for the content in the postings (e.g. specified deadlines or links).