Our Mission: Spread ideas, foster community and create impact

TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community. TED is owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation. Our aim is to help create a future worth pursuing for all.

This is a short-term, temporary contract role for in-person, onsite support at the TEDWomen 2023 conference in Atlanta, GA. You may be asked to work some or all of the dates between October 4 and October 13, 2023. The successful applicant will be responsible for any travel, accommodation and meal costs.

As a Catering Assistant, you’ll support the Experience Production team across various Food + Beverage programs at the conference. The key to success in this position is being highly adaptable, comfortable in a wide variety of settings and ready to jump in whenever needed. You might find yourself assisting with conference catering, overseeing attendee and crew meals, managing food and beverage exhibitors, or supporting TED’s popular snack program. Additionally, this role includes supervising staff, managing program schedules and setting up and tearing down exhibitor booths and activations. You’ll be communicating regularly with partners to support them operationally and ensure that all health and safety regulations are adhered to at all times.

The Food + Beverage Program Assistant must be an energetic and detail-oriented fast learner. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills are required, while prior food and beverage, catering or client relations experience is strongly recommended.

This is a labour-intensive position. You must be able-bodied and willing to lift and move at least 50 lbs. This position involves standing and walking for long periods and using pallet jacks and handheld dollies to transport products throughout the conference spaces. 

Responsibilities 

• Works to support logistics across all F+B programmatic elements 
• Supervises food + beverage programs and supports the F+B manager by making on-the-fly decisions, escalating issues, and supporting any program within F+B that requires extra support
• Take part in regular meetings with the TED team to check in on workload, discuss potential challenges and escalate concerns.
• Help anticipate and troubleshoot challenges.
• Communicates needs to catering contacts and ensures all tasks are completed and followed through to the end
• Supervises setup of food and beverage signage, exhibits, snack stations, fridges and water stations
• Supports maintenance of snack program, including merchandising, restocking, inventory and delegation of tasks as needed
• Supports oversight of catering, food truck service and invite-only lunches, dinners and parties, as needed
• Ensure that health and safety regulations are adhered to at all times and that the F+B team is operating with H+S guidelines
• Manage time effectively, working with your team to prioritize and complete tasks, delegating where appropriate 
• Confidently and successfully jump in to support any aspect of the food + beverage program when needed 
• Work with the Experience Production team and external partners and stakeholders to ensure the success of their programs
• Use Airtable and other online documents such as Google Docs or Sheets to assist in staff scheduling, onsite catering, inventory management or other aspects of the food and beverage program when necessary.

Qualifications

• Previous experience in a food and beverage or catering role 
• Experience leading a food and beverage program is an asset 
• Able to work well under little supervision, with excellent time management skills 
• Proactive and resourceful
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills 
• Comfortable with technology and able to learn our online database system Airtable.
• Fluent in English 
• Able to stand for long periods, participate in physical work, and lift up to 50 lbs.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.