Conference Content & Programme Producer – Freelancer

About the role

Location: UK or Netherlands (remote-first, with some time in our Amsterdam office)
Contract: Initial three month assignment, averaging 2-3 days per week, with potential to extend to four months (Sep-Dec)

About Us
Top Employers Institute is the global authority on recognising excellence in people practices. Through independent Certification, benchmarking and insight, we help organisations improve employee experience, strengthen organisational performance and demonstrate the impact of HR on business outcomes. For more than 30 years, we’ve worked with many of the world’s leading employers, including Accenture, Deloitte, Heineken, Mondelēz International and VodafoneThree. Today we certify nearly 2,500 organisations across 131 countries and regions, positively impacting more than 14 million employees worldwide.

Purpose and contribution
We are looking for an experienced freelance Conference Content & Programme Director to lead the content strategy and programme development for the Top Employers Global Conference 2027. Taking place in Amsterdam in May 2027, the conference will bring together 1,000 to 1,200 senior HR decision-makers and C-level leaders.

This is a strategic and hands-on build role. You will turn the conference objectives, Top Employers research and client insight into a clear audience proposition, overarching theme, programme architecture, session formats and speaker strategy. You will then work closely with the events, marketing, content, research and client teams, together with our appointed agency, to ensure the programme is ambitious, coherent and practical to deliver.

The assignment will focus on building the foundations of the conference and securing the first wave of anchor speakers before handing ongoing programme management and event delivery to the internal events team and agency. The role reports to the Global Head of Events and will work closely with the CMO, Global Events Marketing Director, Global Events Manager, Client Experience Director and relevant Content and Research leaders.

Key Responsibilities & Scope
Conference proposition and programme strategy

• Lead the definition of the event proposition, audience promise and content principles, aligned to the conference’s strategic and commercial objectives.
• Develop the overarching theme, narrative, programme architecture, tracks, session formats and overall content mix.
• Turn Top Employers research, Certification insight, client best practice and external trends into compelling sessions for senior HR and C-level audiences.
• Develop the content concept and programme for the executive and senior HR leader VIP dinner taking place before the conference.
• Establish a clear programme development process, decision points, milestones and sign-off responsibilities.

Speaker strategy and early engagement

• Develop the speaker strategy and longlist across external keynotes, recognised experts, client speakers and internal leaders.
• Lead early outreach, briefing and engagement, with a focus on securing the first wave of anchor speakers.
• Create clear session briefs, editorial expectations and speaker guidance that protect programme quality and relevance.
• Set editorial and commercial guardrails for sponsored or partner-led content so the attendee experience remains credible.
• Build the speaker process, timeline, templates and status tracking needed for the internal team and agency to manage the journey through to the event.

Working with delivery teams and handover

• Work closely with the Global Head of Events, Global Events Marketing Director, Global Events Manager and appointed agency so the programme can be delivered within the available format, budget and timescales.
• Advise on the production implications of programme choices, including staging, formats and speaker requirements, without owning venue, AV, logistics or on-site delivery.
• Coordinate programme and speaker requirements with the creative and production teams during the build phase.
• Produce a clear handover pack covering programme architecture, speaker status, briefs, timelines, decisions, risks and next actions.
• Support a structured transition to the internal team and agency at the end of the assignment.

Event Production

• Agreed event proposition, content principles, overarching theme and programme architecture.
• A detailed conference programme, including tracks, formats, session concepts and the VIP dinner programme.
• A prioritised speaker longlist, with initial anchor speakers confirmed or in active discussion.
• Session briefs, speaker guidance and editorial and commercial guardrails.
• A documented programme governance, speaker-management and handover plan for the internal team and agency.

Experience & Background

• Strong experience originating and building thought-leadership conference programmes for senior B2B audiences, rather than solely coordinating established agendas.
• Experience of complex, multi-track events at a comparable level of scale and seniority; direct experience of a 1,000+ attendee event is useful but not essential.
• A track record of developing event propositions, themes, programme structures, session formats and speaker strategies from an early-stage brief.
• Experience identifying, engaging and briefing senior external speakers, industry experts, clients and C-level contributors.
• Experience working with internal content or research teams and creative or event-production agencies.
• Knowledge of HR, future of work, leadership or organisational transformation would be valuable, but strong relevant B2B conference experience is more important.
• Comfortable working as a freelancer or portfolio consultant in a time-bound, part-time assignment.

Skills & Qualities

• Strong strategic and editorial judgement, combined with the ability to turn ideas into a practical programme.
• Confident working with senior stakeholders and able to bring clarity when there are competing views or priorities.
• Excellent written English and the ability to develop concise, compelling session and speaker briefs.
• Commercially aware, with an understanding of how to balance audience value, thought leadership and sponsor requirements.
• Well organised and proactive, with the pace and discipline to move from concept to an agreed programme quickly.
• Collaborative and pragmatic when working across internal teams, speakers and agency partners.

Assignment Details

• Reporting line: Global Head of Events.
• Working pattern: An average of 2-3 days per week over an initial three-month period, with the potential for a fourth month.
• Location: Remote-first from the UK or Netherlands, with agreed time in Amsterdam for workshops and key meetings.
• Travel: Agreed travel expenses will be reimbursed separately and should not reduce the contracted delivery days.

Why Top Employers Institute

• The opportunity to shape the first Top Employers Global Conference and build its content foundations from the ground up.
• Access to proprietary research, nearly 2,500 Certified Top Employers and a strong international HR community.
• Direct collaboration with senior leaders in a growing, international organisation.
• A flexible, high-impact assignment with clear ownership and room to bring fresh ideas.

Top Employers Institute
Top Employers Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We respect and celebrate each other’s differences. We know that a diverse workforce enhances our success. We are conscious that having the freedom to be yourself is the basis of sustainable growth. To us, it doesn’t matter where you were born, what you believe in, how old you are, what you look like, or who you love. We actively promote and depend on the diversity of thought, skills, and capabilities in our project teams to serve our international consumer base in the best way possible. We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds actually lift Top Employers Institute to new heights and increase our way of thinking for a better world of work. Join us, as there is a place for you here!

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