The Association for association professionals in Chicagoland

POSITION:                Senior Director, Scientific Conference Programming                

FLSA STATUS:          Exempt

REPORTS TO:           Senior Vice President, Education                                                                                                     

Summary of Position

The Senior Director, Scientific Conference Programming provides strategic and operational leadership for AMIA’s live education portfolio, with accountability for the design, delivery, evaluation, and continuous improvement of major in-person educational programs. Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Education, this role serves as the primary Education lead for two flagship annual meetings and associated programmatic components, educational awards, and affiliated educational activities held in conjunction with AMIA conferences. 

The primary responsibility of this role is to provide leadership for high quality technical program development and peer review processes for AMIA conferences and the delivery of AMIA scientific program and its proceedings.

This position owns the full lifecycle of live education programming, from concept development and governance coordination through execution, post-event evaluation, and quality improvement. The Senior Director operates within a complex, multi-stakeholder environment, partnering closely with AMIA members, volunteer leaders, senior staff, and external vendors to deliver high quality, timely, and financially responsible programs that advance AMIA’s mission and strategic priorities.

The role requires strong operational discipline, sound judgment, and the ability to translate education strategy into executable plans across multiple workstreams. Regular engagement with executive leadership is expected to communicate progress, risks, outcomes, and opportunities for innovation, as well as to represent live education strategy in internal planning and governance discussions.

Based on the duties described below, this is a full-time, exempt, fully remote position. This position reports to the Senior Vice President, Education.

Dimensions

This position supervises one position: Sr. Manager, Education Operations.

This position has no budget authority.

Principle Accountabilities

• Lead the end-to-end technical program development and peer review processes for AMIA conferences, in partnership with Scientific Program Committee (SPC) leadership, volunteer committees, and internal stakeholders.
• Own the call for participation lifecycle (abstract/paper submissions) for two live meetings annually, including process design, timelines, communications, training, and coordination of reviewer recruitment and assignments.
• Manage scientific program decision workflows (review, scoring, acceptance/rejection, scheduling) and ensure quality, fairness, and alignment with AMIA policies and program objectives.
• Serve as primary administrator for the submission and program management system(s) (OpenWater), including configuration, data integrity, documentation, user support, and testing of all upgrades and revisions prior to release.
• Lead development and execution of opening and closing plenary sessions, including speaker coordination, run-of-show planning, onsite delivery alignment, and tracking invited speaker submission activities as needed.
• Manage key program components (e.g., Student Paper Competition, High School Scholars Program, FHIR App Competition) and oversee educational awards and recognition programs associated with each live event.
• Oversee production of conference proceedings and related scientific outputs, ensuring authors’ compliance with AMIA guidelines, copyright requirements, and in coordination with vendors and relevant publication organizations to support efficient end-to-end publication operations.
• Direct planning, approval, and communication of non-SPC-directed educational offerings delivered at live meetings, ensuring alignment with education strategy and operational readiness.
• Generate conference-related reports and analyses upon request; use program data, evaluations, and outcomes to inform future design, innovation, and continuous improvement, and communicate progress, risks, and outcomes to senior and executive leadership.
• Represent live education and scientific program operations in internal planning, governance, and cross-functional discussions; translate strategic priorities into executable workstreams and maintain alignment across stakeholders.
• Lead post-event evaluation and lessons-learned processes, driving continuous improvement across programming, peer review, publication workflows, systems, and operational practices.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading technical program development in complex, multi-day live education programs or conferences.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in educational programming, conference management, or related roles with strong technical operations and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Proven ability to work effectively with volunteer leaders, committees, and executive staff.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to use data and evaluation results to drive continuous improvement.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey complex information clearly and professionally both internally and externally.
• Familiarity with continuing education standards and best practices.

Travel Requirements

Must be able to travel to support major live events and related meetings as required.

Team and Company-Wide Responsibilities

• Works to resolve conflict directly, quickly, completely, and be able to give and take criticism constructively.
• Communicates clearly in one-on-one meetings and team meetings.
• Communicates clearly in writing by being clear, concise, well organized, and carefully proofread.
• Communicate deadlines with lead time for the team.
• Offer solutions or other options to improve current systems when identifying issues or presenting problems.
• Deliver a high level of customer service for internal as well as external customers.

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At AMIA we are committed to diversity and creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, marital status, religion, physical or mental disability, military/veteran status, or any other protected status.

EEO Employer/Vets/Disabled

Qualified candidates will be contacted for interviews. No telephone calls will be accepted.

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AMIA Benefits Snapshot

AMIA offers a strong, employer-paid benefits package designed to support long-term wellbeing, financial security, and work-life balance.

Work Schedule

• Full-time employees work a 35-hour work week, supporting flexibility and balance.

Health & Insurance Coverage

• Medical: AMIA pays 100% of employee medical premiums up to a high-quality Gold-level plan through DC Health Link. Employees pay only the difference if selecting a higher-cost option.
• Dental & Vision: Employee-only coverage is fully paid by AMIA. Dependent coverage is available at employee cost.
• Life & Disability Insurance: AMIA fully covers life insurance (1.5x salary, up to $200,000), plus short? and long-term disability insurance.
• Optional Coverage: Voluntary Aflac plans are available and fully employee-paid.

Retirement

• 401(k) with immediate 100% vesting
• 3% employer safe harbor contribution, regardless of employee deferral
• Up to 6% employer match when employees contribute
• Pre-tax and Roth contribution options available

Time Off

• Annual Leave: Accrues monthly (15 days per year for full?time staff)
• Sick Leave: 12 days per year, with rollover up to 24 days
• Personal Day: 1 paid day per year
• Paid Holidays: Includes all major federal holidays, Christmas Eve, and paid winter closure between Christmas and New Year’s Day

Additional Benefits

• Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
• Professional association membership provided (ASAE)

Benefits Eligibility

• Benefits begin the first day of the month following hire.

About American Medical Informatics Association

AMIA ® (American Medical Informatics Association ®) is a community committed to the vision of a world where informatics transforms people’s care. Over the last 35 years, the use of informatics has grown exponentially to improve health and to make better healthcare decisions. Today, informatics is the key to accelerating the current goals of healthcare reform. Every day millions of people benefit from informaticians' ability to accelerate healthcare’s transformation by collecting, analyzing and applying data directly to care decisions. Data produced throughout health and healthcare is the driving force of informatics and its ability to innovate critical advancements that directly benefit people. AMIA’s members are critical to discovering these insights, which is why AMIA is committed to being the professional home for the informaticians of today and the driver of informatics’ future.

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