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Grade Level: 5 - FLSA Exempt
Reports to: Director, External Communications

About NED
The National Endowment for Democracy supports freedom around the world.

At NED, we deliver on the belief that freedom is a universal aspiration. Headquartered in Washington, DC, NED is a private, nonprofit foundation, mandated by Congress, dedicated to strengthening democratic institutions worldwide.

NED reflects an enduring American commitment to stand with those striving for dignity, justice, and opportunity. In 2025, NED made 1,552 grants totaling $271 million to support the work of nongovernmental organizations advancing democratic goals in more than 90 countries, including some of the world’s most challenging and repressive environments.

We seek talented, entrepreneurial professionals motivated by purpose and committed to excellence. At NED, you will join a dynamic team of experts who bring their skills, curiosity, and judgment to a consequential mission at a critical moment for democracy around the world. Our work is guided by our shared values: excellence, respect, empathy, accountability, and adaptability.

Position Summary
The Public Engagement Officer plays a central role in advancing the National Endowment for Democracy’s mission by managing the strategy, planning, and execution of institutional events and external engagements. This role supports NED’s public positioning by using events and convenings as a core tool to engage key stakeholders—including policymakers, partners, donors, and the broader democracy community.

Working in close coordination with programs, communications, the front office, and government relations teams, the Officer ensures that engagements are aligned with institutional priorities, reinforce NED’s brand, and contribute to relationship-building, donor stewardship, and resource development efforts. The role translates strategic objectives into well-executed engagements, including creating high-quality experiences for current and prospective donors, while maintaining a consistent standard of professionalism and operational excellence.

This is a hands-on, execution-focused position for a skilled professional who combines strong judgment, clear communication, and a collaborative working style with the ability to manage complex logistics in a fast-paced environment. The Public Engagement Officer is responsible for end-to-end event delivery, including planning timelines, coordinating speakers, and managing on-site execution. The role also supports donor engagement by coordinating event-based stewardship touchpoints and helping to create meaningful opportunities for donor interaction with NED’s leadership, partners, and programs.

The portfolio focuses on events hosted at NED, including public and private events, book launches, briefings with policymakers, award ceremonies, and events with NED’s grantees from around the world. The Officer would also support events that take place on Capitol Hill and in partnership with other organizations. The Officer also supports the development of new engagement opportunities by working across teams to identify individuals and stories that elevate the impact and relevance of NED’s work and strengthen relationships with priority stakeholders.

The ideal candidate is a confident, solutions-oriented communicator who can work independently, build trust across teams, and ensure events run smoothly, professionally, and with appropriate sensitivity to context and audience. The role will coordinate across programs and departments to help identify, develop, and elevate new engagement opportunities that highlight the impact and strategic importance of NED’s mission.

This is a Hybrid position based in Washington, DC., and is part of the bargaining unit.

Primary Responsibilities

Event Execution
• Manage all aspects of NED’s events and convenings, setting strategy, standards, and priorities for NED-hosted events in close coordination with programs and senior leadership.
• Exercise judgment in determining event formats, set-up, audiences, sequencing, and tone, particularly in high-visibility or sensitive contexts.
• Bring strong communication skills and sound interpersonal judgment to all aspects of event planning, including engagement with speakers, partners, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
• Manage relationships with external participants in a professional, positive, and diplomatic manner—balancing competing interests and expectations with clarity and tact.
• Ensure events are accessible, well-produced, and aligned with NED’s brand, tone, and mission.
• Serve as a point of contact for specialized event-related initiatives as appropriate.
• Provide expertise on best practices for convenings in policy, international, and civil society settings, helping establish and reinforce institutional norms.

Congressional Engagement and Donor Stewardship
• Support the development and execution of NED’s congressional engagement and donor stewardship efforts through strategic events, briefings, and other high-value institutional engagements.
• Coordinate event-based engagement with congressional staff and donors, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and messaging.
• Facilitate thoughtful donor and congressional experiences by managing logistics, guest lists, seating, and engagement flow to maximize impact.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of donor and congressional engagement activity, including touchpoints, preferences, and outcomes.
• Maintain and regularly update a database of key stakeholders—including Members of Congress, staff, donors, VIPs, and partners—to support strategic outreach and invitations.

Project Management and Institutional Support
• Maintain a calendar of all events for broad institutional awareness and proactively manage event timelines and deliverables.
• Manage and continuously update contact database for event invitees.
• Own and continuously improve NED’s event planning processes, templates, timelines, and standards.
• Coordinate closely with Communications, Programs, President’s Office, COO’s Office, and Leadership to ensure shared accountability and seamless execution.
• Manage event budgets, contracts, and cost controls with an emphasis on efficiency.
• Coach and mentor staff involved in events, modeling best practices and supporting professional development.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Required
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• More than 5 years of experience in event management, external engagement, communications, or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise managing complex, high-level events involving senior executives and sensitive political or international issues.
• Strong project management skills, with the ability to independently drive timelines, coordinate stakeholders, and manage vendors.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a collaborative, diplomatic, and solutions-oriented approach.
• Proven ability to work independently with minimal direction, exercising sound judgment and discretion.
• Exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to resolve complex problems effectively.
• Relevant experience in planning, coordinating, and executing complex, high-level engagements with officials of the diplomatic corps, Members of Congress, heads of states, and other senior level officials to ensure seamless operations under tight timelines.

Preferred
• Experience in government, international organizations, NGOs, think tanks, or policy institutions.
• Familiarity with security protocols involving at-risk speakers or sensitive topics.
• Experience in media operations, logistics, as well as scheduling and advance
• Familiarity with policy-focused audiences and Washington, D.C.–based convenings.
• Formal training or certification in event or project management.

Talent in Action
Consistent with NED’s talent statement, and grounded in our values, the successful individual in this role will demonstrate the following competencies in the delivery of their work while supporting NED’s efforts to advance democratic change:

• Purpose-Driven
• Reliable
• Expertise
• Respectful Collaboration
• Curiosity
• Results-Oriented
• An Optimistic Mindset

NED Total Compensation
The anticipated compensation range for this position is $64,500 to $116,000.

The salary for this position is determined based on a wide variety of factors, including but not limited to an individual’s professional experience, qualifications, education, and other business needs along with internal equity considerations. Employees are not typically hired at the top of the range for their role, and compensation decisions are based on the aforementioned circumstances.

NED also offers a generous benefits package that demonstrates its commitment to employee health and well-being.