Conference & Events Coordinator

Position Title: Conference & Events Coordinator

Position Type: Part-Time Employee for a 12-month Contract with the possibility of extensions

Reports To: Learning & Training Manager

About ACLCO

The Association of Community Legal Clinics of Ontario (ACLCO) represents Ontario’s community legal clinics and supports the clinic system through services, resources, and programs that strengthen the capacity of member clinics. ACLCO serves as a collective voice for community legal clinics and supports collaboration, knowledge sharing, and system-wide initiatives that improve access to justice across Ontario.

Ontario’s community legal clinics provide poverty law services to individuals and communities across the province, including through legal advice and representation, public legal education, community development, and law reform initiatives. Clinics play an important role in improving access to justice for people and communities experiencing barriers to legal services.

The ACLCO Learning & Training Program supports continuous learning, professional development, and knowledge sharing among community legal clinic staff, managers, and board members through regional conferences, leadership development activities, and other in-person and virtual learning opportunities. The program strengthens the capacity of clinics to meet client and community needs and to operate effectively, efficiently, and sustainably

Position Summary

The Conference & Events Coordinator provides operational coordination and administrative support for ACLCO’s Learning & Training Program, with a primary focus on supporting the successful delivery of in-person regional conferences and other learning activities across Ontario.

Working under the direction of the Learning & Training Manager, the Conference & Events Coordinator is responsible for the logistical coordination and operational implementation of in-person learning activities, including venue coordination, registration processes and communications, event systems, vendor coordination, and event delivery support.

The position supports the successful implementation of ACLCO’s centralized conference support model by coordinating logistics, timelines, systems, and administrative processes while preserving regional conference planning committees’ leadership over conference themes, programming priorities, speaker selection, and educational content.

The Conference & Events Coordinator works collaboratively with the Learning &

Training Manager, Administrative Assistant, Regional Conference Committees, other ACLCO staff, presenters, vendors, and service providers to ensure learning activities are delivered efficiently, consistently, and with a high-quality participant experience.

This role does not lead the substantive learning design or educational content of ACLCO programming. The Learning & Training Manager remains responsible for learning strategy, program development, and educational quality, while Regional Conference Committees retain leadership over regional programming decisions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Regional Conference Logistics and Event Delivery

Coordinate the operational delivery of the four in-person ACLCO Regional Conferences by:

• Supporting the annual Regional Conference planning cycle by coordinating planning timelines, milestones, task tracking, and operational deliverables.
• Coordinating venue sourcing, bookings, and logistical arrangements.
• Analyze vendor quotes and provide summaries and recommendations to support developing the conference budgets
• Coordinating accommodation, catering, audio-visual services, accessibility requirements, and other event logistics.
• Coordinating vendors and external service providers.
• Soliciting quotations from venues, hotels, caterers, audio-visual providers, and other vendors.
• Preparing comparative summaries of vendor quotations, identifying cost implications, service differences, and logistical considerations to support planning and procurement decisions.
• Supporting the preparation, monitoring, and reconciliation of conference budgets by maintaining accurate cost estimates, tracking expenditures, and identifying potential budget variances.
• Supporting registration processes and participant communications related to logistics.
• Maintaining registration information and monitoring participant registration trends.
• Coordinating conference materials, supplies, and operational requirements.
• Supporting onsite conference delivery, including event setup and troubleshooting. • Attending Regional Conferences in person, including occasional travel within Ontario.
• Coordinating attendance tracking and participation records.
• Supporting collection and organization of evaluation data and post-conference reporting.
• Maintaining conference records, timelines, templates, and operational documentation.
• Applying ACLCO conference procedures, policies, and operational guidelines throughout event delivery.

2. Regional Conference Committee Coordination Support

Provide operational support to Regional Conference Committees by:

• Participating in Regional Conference Committee planning meetings in a coordination role throughout the conference cycle.
• Providing logistical guidance and updates regarding centralized conference services.
• Supporting implementation of committee decisions related to conference logistics.
• Supporting communication between ACLCO, Regional Committees, vendors, and service providers.
• Tracking logistics-related action items and follow-up requirements.
• Supporting committee members in understanding conference processes, timelines, and operational requirements.
• Supporting continuity between conference cycles through documentation and knowledge management.

Regional Conference Committees remain responsible for:

• identifying regional learning priorities;
• developing conference themes;
• determining programming priorities;
• selecting speakers and facilitators;
• making substantive content decisions.

3. Learning & Training Program Operational Support

Support the operational delivery of ACLCO learning activities by:

• Coordinating logistics for board, leadership, professional development, and other learning activities.
• Supporting the delivery of virtual, in-person, and hybrid learning activities.
• Coordinating presenter and facilitator logistics.
• Supporting registration processes and participant communications.
• Maintaining attendance records and participation information.
• Coordinating distribution of learning materials.
• Supporting post-event evaluations and administrative reporting.
• Maintaining the annual Learning & Training event calendar in collaboration with the Learning & Training Manager.

4. Event Systems, Communications, and Administrative Coordination

Support effective event administration by:

• Administering ACLCO event management systems and registration platforms.
• Maintaining participant databases and event records.
• Supporting registration workflows, including setup, monitoring, and troubleshooting.
• Drafting and coordinating logistics-related participant communications.
• Maintaining conference templates, checklists, timelines, and administrative resources.
• Supporting updates to internal platforms and communication tools in collaboration with ACLCO staff.
• Identifying opportunities to improve event coordination processes and administrative efficiency.

Qualifications

• Diploma or degree in event management, project management, administration, communications, public administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Experience coordinating conferences, events, professional development activities, or multi-stakeholder projects.
• Experience coordinating multiple projects or events simultaneously.
• Strong organizational and project coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Experience coordinating event logistics, registrations, scheduling, vendor relationships, and participant communications.
• Experience obtaining vendor quotations, comparing proposals, preparing cost summaries, or supporting procurement and budget administration.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience maintaining databases, registration systems, participant records, evaluation data, or other administrative tracking systems.
• Experience collecting, organizing, and summarizing evaluation or survey data, and preparing reports or administrative summaries.
• Ability to identify recurring themes from participant feedback and communicate observations to support planning and continuous improvement.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams.
• Experience using event management platforms, registration systems, customer relationship management systems, or similar technologies is considered an asset.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to delivering high-quality service.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Experience supporting committees, boards, volunteer groups, or collaborative networks is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of the community legal clinic system or non-profit sector is considered an asset.

Key Competencies

• Event coordination
• Organization and planning
• Administrative coordination
• Customer and participant service
• Budget Analysis and Cost Management
• Communication
• Relationship building
• Attention to detail
• Collaboration
• Problem solving
• Digital systems and event technology
• Adaptability

Working Conditions

• Occasional travel within Ontario and attendance at conferences, meetings, and learning events.
• Occasional evening or weekend work may be required during event-delivery periods.
• Ability to work in a hybrid environment and manage multiple concurrent projects and deadlines.
• Attendance at the ACLCO office in downtown Toronto approximately once a week.
• Workload will fluctuate throughout the year, with periods of increased activity during conference planning, delivery, and post-conference reporting.

Compensation and Hours

This is a part-time contract position averaging approximately 20 hours per week. Work hours may vary throughout the year based on program needs, with increased hours required during conference planning and delivery periods.

Compensation is $35.00 per hour (approximately $36,400 annually based on an average of 20 hours per week). This position includes a benefits package including extended health and dental benefits as well as employer RRSP contributions. Vacation entitlement for this position is 7.5 days per annum. Projected start date is September 2026 for a 12-month contract with the possibility of renewal or the possibility of the position becoming permanent (part-time).