AHEAD are Hiring: Education Events Officer

AHEAD, established in 1988, is a non-profit organisation working with and for disabled people to shape inclusive and empowering environments in tertiary education and employment. You can find more about what we do by watching this short video.

You can also read  AHEAD’s Strategic Plan 2024-28 where you will find our values and strategic objectives which help us to work towards our vision of an equitable society where people with disabilities have the power and opportunity to flourish through education and employment.

If you are interested in our organisational culture, check out our team charter which describes how we seek to work together on our best days - AHEAD Team Charter

The Education Events Officer will play a key role in the planning, organisation and administration of AHEAD Education Team events. They will also provide administrative and organisational support across other areas of the team’s work as required.

The successful candidate will be highly organised, efficient, adaptable and a strong team player. They will take the lead in organising various events, while also working collaboratively and taking direction from more experienced colleagues where needed. This may include supporting events outside their area of expertise, helping with working group administration, taking minutes and managing meeting communications, or providing administrative support for other events and activities.

The ideal candidate will have excellent planning and organisational skills, strong digital skills, and a good understanding of accessibility, both in digital environments and in relation to events. They will also be willing and able to learn new technologies and accessible practices through mentoring, training and self-directed learning.

Event Organisation and Support

• Lead coordination and administration of several assigned AHEAD Education Team virtual, hybrid and face to face events such as AHEAD’s Annual International Conference (called the ALTITUDE Summit in 2026), the John Kelly Awards, the online gATther event, Better Options, and potentially other AHEAD Education events. Key responsibilities include:
• • Working closely with others in the Education Team (in some cases, with external organisations who are partnering with us) to develop and design the theme, outline and content of events where they are primarily responsible. 
  • Maintaining and updating AHEAD event web pages and ensuring key information about events is delivered clearly and concisely.
  • Setting up and monitoring event registration and working with the Communications and Membership Officer to disseminate and promote events.
  • Acting as a contact point for event queries and communicating key information to registered speakers, participants, and stakeholders.
  • Liaising with venues and event suppliers to ensure the smooth and effective running of virtual and face to face events (e.g. AV, catering, captioning and sign language interpretation services).
  • Ensuring all events, whether virtual or physical, are delivered in an accessible/inclusive manner and in line with GDPR responsibilities.
  • Developing staffing plans for events and communicating with staff involved about their roles in the smooth and effective running of the event.
  • Organising a working group to reimagine the outline for judging, theme selection, and strategic plan for the future of the John Kelly Awards. 
  • Acting as a key contact for speaker enquiries and working with others in the Education Team to ensure that speakers are prepared and understand the scope and nature of their contributions. Where necessary, preparing briefs for event MCs or invited guests (e.g. CEO, chair of the board, government ministers or senior stakeholders)
• Lead and coordinate all AltitUDe Community events and activities including but not limited to planning 3+ webinars annually and corresponding regularly with all members of the group.  Utilise the inputs of the AltitUDe Community to design and adjust the AHEAD Conference accordingly. 
• Contribute to the running of Employment/Research and Policy Team events on request in a support capacity.

Administrative and Digital Support

• Perform administrative tasks for the Education Team as assigned by the Education Manager including composing and answering emails, creating and monitoring spreadsheets, organising meetings, updating webpages etc.
• As required, support the Information and Training Officer and Digital Media and eLearning Officer by conducting administrative and digital tasks associated with the design and delivery of training/eLearning programmes and other AHEAD outputs e.g. the AHEAD Journal. Sample tasks might include responding to associated emails, uploading content to webpages or providing technical support during webinars.

Stakeholder Communications

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with events staff in external organisations including further and higher education institutes, technology and hybrid technicians, venue and catering staff, etc.
• Ensure the reputation of AHEAD is upheld in all engagements with external stakeholders.
• Represent AHEAD in a variety of external contexts, both at local and national level. 
• Support the (non-technical) development of AHEAD’s communications, events and social media output concerning education related events.

Other Activities

• Periodic delivery of written reports on completed events/other major activities to the Education Manager on request for use in AHEAD board reports and the Annual Report.
• Liaise with the Education Manager to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of programmes.
• Participate and contribute to AHEAD staff meetings and weekly Education Team meetings and well as weekly 1 to 1s with the Education Manager.
• Complete/contribute to reports as requested by the Education Manager, including staff meeting, monthly activities, and board and funding reports.
• Collaborate with other disability organisations in presenting and disseminating information regarding accessible and hybrid events.
• Undertake other duties as may reasonably be assigned by the Education Manager or the CEO.

Working Style

• Strong organisational, planning, administrative and digital skills and a close attention to detail.
• A very strong ‘team player’ ethic, eagerness to collaborate and help out other members of staff and take direction from them as required.
• Willingness to be adaptable, try new approaches and, and master new skills.

Required Experience & Skills

• A minimum of two years’ experience in a similar role with experience of managing, organising, or working in large scale events (min 100 attendees) like conferences, etc.
• Demonstrable background in/understanding of issues concerning the engagement of a disadvantaged population.
• Ability to adapt writing styles for different contexts and target audiences e.g. board reporting, sector guidelines/guidance, funder reports and public event descriptions etc.
• Demonstrated experience of ICT and administrative skills including using content management systems, Eventbrite, mailchimp, database management (excel), word processing, etc.  Comfortable with using a range of digital technologies and comfortable in learning to use new technologies.

Desirable Experience & Skills

• Experience with accessibility and particularly with accessible event and hybrid event management.
• A third-level qualification in event-management, accessible practices, or something similar.
• Experience or background of working in the community and voluntary sector and/or in an area related to AHEAD’s work: inclusive education, assistive technology, inclusive teaching and learning, disability support etc.
• Understanding of how to produce accessible documents/materials.
• Basic design skills and experience using associated digital programmes (e.g. Canva, Adobe Suite).

To apply for this role, please send a cover letter and a maximum 2-page CV with the subject line, “Education Events Officer” to recruitment@ahead.ie  by 10am, Wednesday 23^rd September 2026.

First round interviews will take place the week commencing 5^th October.

AHEAD is an equal opportunities employer. Applications from people from diverse backgrounds are welcome and AHEAD will provide reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process for disabled candidates as required. Lived experience of disability will be viewed as a positive attribute in the process, and successful candidates who are disabled will have appropriate supports identified and implemented through participation in our needs assessment process.

The salary range for this position is €37,293 to €41,380 for a full time 5 days a week position (40 hours) and commensurate with AHEAD’s pay scale and experience.

AHEAD also offers the following benefits to employees.

• Rewarding and flexible working environment
• Hybrid working and flexi-time
• Comprehensive needs assessment for employees with disabilities
• 25 days annual leave per annum (pro-rata)
• Company pension scheme after successfully completing 6 months’ probation
• Access to EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) covering a range of services such as nutrition, fitness, legal, financial and wellbeing supports in addition to free mental health counselling and coaching.
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