Position SummaryThe
Senior Program Specialist - Scientific & Conference Content Development provides strategic leadership and operational coordination for the development and implementation of educational and scientific programming for NMAC's national conferences, including the
U.S. Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA) and the
Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit (BHPS).
Working closely with the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Programs Officer, and Director of Conferences, the Senior Program Specialist leads the development of high-quality, evidence-based conference content reflecting advances in HIV prevention, treatment, public health, health equity, implementation science, policy, and community-based programming.
The position serves as a primary staff liaison to multiple conference planning committees and works across internal teams, subject matter experts, presenters, community leaders, vendors, and continuing education partners. The role ensures that educational programming reflects conference goals, community priorities, adult learning principles, continuing education requirements, and NMAC's strategic priorities.
Key ResponsibilitiesConference Program Development- Collaborate with the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Programs Officer, and Director of Conferences to establish the educational vision and scientific content strategy for USCHA and BHPS.
- Research emerging trends in HIV prevention, treatment, implementation science, public health, policy, and health equity.
- Monitor federal initiatives, clinical guidelines, research publications, and community-based innovations to identify emerging priorities.
- Support development of annual conference themes, educational tracks, learning objectives, and programming priorities.
- Coordinate the development of keynote sessions, plenaries, workshops, institutes, panels, poster sessions, and special educational events.
- Ensure conference programming incorporates diverse perspectives from researchers, clinicians, public health professionals, community-based organizations, advocates, and people with lived experience.
- Integrate health equity, implementation science, community engagement, and culturally responsive approaches throughout conference content.
Conference Committee Coordination- Serve as the primary staff liaison for approximately 6-10 conference planning committees during each conference planning cycle.
- Schedule, coordinate, and facilitate committee meetings.
- Develop agendas, presentations, briefing materials, meeting summaries, and action-item trackers.
- Support recruitment, onboarding, and engagement of committee members.
- Track committee recommendations and ensure timely implementation of approved planning decisions.
- Maintain regular communication with committee chairs, faculty, presenters, and subject matter experts.
- Ensure committee activities remain aligned with established conference timelines and deliverables.
Scientific and Community Content Review- Conduct literature reviews and environmental scans related to emerging HIV science, public health innovations, and community-based practices.
- Review conference proposals for scientific quality, innovation, relevance, and alignment with conference priorities.
- Collaborate with scientific reviewers and conference leadership throughout the abstract review process.
- Assist in identifying nationally recognized speakers, subject matter experts, emerging researchers, and community leaders.
- Recommend innovative educational formats and learning experiences based on participant needs, adult learning principles, and emerging trends.
Educational Program Management and Continuing Education- Manage the full lifecycle of educational programming, from concept development through post-conference evaluation.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive project plans, timelines, tracking systems, and workflow processes for educational content activities.
- Coordinate speaker recruitment, abstract management, session development, learning objectives, faculty communications, program guide content, mobile application content, and onsite program implementation.
- Manage multiple concurrent projects, anticipate risks, resolve issues proactively, and communicate project status to leadership and stakeholders.
- Collaborate with internal departments, vendors, planning committees, and subject matter experts to ensure seamless delivery of educational programming.
- Coordinate collection and review of faculty biographies, disclosures, presentation materials, learning objectives, and supporting documentation.
- Work with continuing education partners to ensure programming meets accreditation standards, federal requirements, and applicable continuing education guidelines.
- Monitor continuing education deliverables before, during, and after each conference.
- Support post-conference reporting, participant evaluations, accreditation documentation, and educational outcome summaries.
- Identify and implement process improvements that strengthen project management, educational quality, and the participant learning experience.
Data Analysis, Evaluation, and Continuous Improvement- Analyze conference evaluation data to identify participant needs, educational trends, satisfaction levels, and opportunities for improvement.
- Prepare reports summarizing conference outcomes, participant demographics, satisfaction measures, and educational impact.
- Develop executive summaries, dashboards, and data visualizations for leadership, sponsors, federal partners, and planning committees.
- Use historical conference data and performance indicators to inform future programming decisions.
- Translate quantitative and qualitative findings into actionable recommendations.
- Support development and implementation of performance measurement systems and organizational dashboards.
- Promote the use of evaluation findings in program planning, decision-making, and continuous quality improvement.
Core Competencies- Strategic Thinking: Ability to connect educational programming, evaluation, and performance measurement to organizational strategy, funding priorities, community needs, and long-term impact.
- Data Analysis and Interpretation: Ability to analyze complex quantitative and qualitative information and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
- Project Management: Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities while maintaining quality and meeting deadlines.
- Communication and Influence: Ability to communicate scientific, technical, and programmatic information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Collaboration and Relationship Building: Ability to establish and maintain productive relationships with internal teams, planning committees, researchers, clinicians, community organizations, advocates, funders, and other external stakeholders.
- Equity and Cultural Responsiveness: Demonstrated commitment to health equity, inclusion, community engagement, and culturally responsive approaches to program development and evaluation.
- Continuous Improvement: Ability to identify opportunities for innovation, organizational learning, process improvement, and operational excellence.
- Accountability and Results Orientation: Commitment to measurable outcomes, high-quality work, timely execution, ethical practice, and organizational accountability.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)Success in this position will be evaluated based on:
- Delivery of high-quality, evidence-based conference programming.
- Successful coordination and engagement of multiple conference planning committees.
- Timely completion of conference planning milestones and educational deliverables.
- Strong participant satisfaction with educational content.
- Successful engagement of nationally recognized subject matter experts and community leaders.
- Continuous improvement based on conference evaluation findings.
- Effective collaboration with the Chief Medical Officer, Chief Programs Officer, Director of Conferences, and conference leadership.
- Development of innovative educational experiences advancing HIV prevention, treatment, policy, health equity, and community engagement.
- Accurate, reliable, and auditable program performance data.
- Reduction in reporting errors and data discrepancies.
- Increased availability and use of actionable outcome data.
- Successful tracking and reporting of grant deliverables and performance outcomes.
- Compliance with applicable federal, foundation, accreditation, and organizational reporting requirements.
- Increased use of evaluation findings in program planning and organizational decision-making.
- Positive feedback from leadership, program teams, funders, partners, and other stakeholders.
Required QualificationsEducation- Master's degree in Public Health (MPH), Public Administration (MPA), Public Policy, Research, Science, Adult Education, or a related field.
- A bachelor's degree combined with significant directly related professional experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
Experience- Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in program evaluation, performance measurement, public health, research, data analytics, grant-funded programs, conference programming, or a related field.
- Demonstrated experience developing public health conference programming.
- Experience designing evaluation frameworks, performance indicators, and outcome measurement systems.
- Experience analyzing complex quantitative and qualitative datasets and preparing reports for diverse audiences.
- Experience presenting findings and recommendations to senior leadership, funders, partners, and external stakeholders.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience in HIV prevention, HIV care, health equity, public health research, or community-based organizations.
- Experience supporting programs funded by CDC, HRSA, NIH, SAMHSA, HHS, or other federal agencies.
- Knowledge of current HIV research, public health programming, and innovative community-based practices.
- Experience developing scientific or public health conference programming.
- Familiarity with Microsoft Office, Tableau, Power BI, SurveyMonkey, conference registration platforms, or similar data and program management tools.
Working Conditions- Hybrid work environment with regular virtual collaboration and periodic in-person meetings.
- Washington, DC is the preferred location; remote work may be considered.
- Occasional domestic travel is required for conferences, trainings, meetings, and other organizational activities.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
- Occasional evening and weekend work may be required to support conferences, organizational events, or critical reporting deadlines.
Physical Requirements- Prolonged periods of sitting and computer use.
- Ability to communicate effectively in virtual and in-person environments.
- Ability to travel domestically as required.
Grant Funding StatementThis position is funded in whole or in part by external grant funding. Employment in this role may be modified or discontinued if grant funding is reduced, exhausted, or otherwise unavailable.
Job Description DisclaimerThis job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications associated with the position. NMAC reserves the right to assign, modify, or remove duties and responsibilities at any time, with or without notice, to meet organizational needs.
