Are you an experienced project manager motivated by the opportunity to make an impact on democratic participation in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps? We are looking for a skillful professional to lead the Participation Forum 2027. This role offers an opportunity to shape an important European event, bringing together decisionmakers and stakeholders from across education and youth sectors, while maintaining a flexible working structure that can integrate with your other professional commitments.
Context
This call is organised by SALTO Participation & Information (SALTO PI), a European Resource Centre hosted by the Estonian Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps Agency, operating within the Education and Youth Board of Estonia (HARNO).
Participation Forum 2027, second edition after 2024, is our flagship cross-sectoral event, scheduled to take place in October or November 2027 in Tallinn, Estonia. Bringing together 150–200 international participants, the event is designed to demonstrate the role of the participation priority in the eight-year program period results, inform the future implementation of democratic participation, and inspire commitment to the priority across future European initiatives. The Forum brings together representatives from adult education, higher education, vocational education and training, school education, youth and sports sectors. The forum will be co-designed with a steering group, set up and facilitated by the selected project manager. The SALTO PI team will also be a permanent partner supporting the content creation and organisational aspects of the event.
Responsibilities
As the central driver of the Participation Forum, your day-to-day work will span governance, program design and operations:
Phase 1: preparatory planning
- Map out critical steps & the timeline, including setting the inclusive and sustainable event management standards, and define all necessary stakeholders and event team members.
- Draft the preliminary budget and outline upcoming procurements.
- Establish a risk matrix and contingency plan early on to proactively track and mitigate potential bottlenecks such as budget shifts, participant dropouts, or venue constraints.
- Set up the call for steering group members, establish workflows, and define the timeline for key decision-making milestones.
Phase 2: agreements for basis
- Browse options, pre-book the venue in Tallinn to send out a “Save the Date” to key stakeholders.
- Engage the steering group into development of the concept and collect expert input for future decisionmaking.
- Launch the call for the external event management company, setting their tasks, responsibilities, and timeline.
- Issue the call for facilitators, coordinate their selection, and arrange contracts and initial collaboration.
Phase 3: co-creation of programme
- Collaborate with the facilitators and steering group to finalise the event programme and build the content team including keynote speakers, workshop holders, and rapporteurs.
- Transition session design and collaboration responsibilities over to the facilitators’ team once the core concept is drafted.
Phase 4: central coordination of participant care and operations
- Prepare the event invitation technicalities, arrange the texts and designs to be made, and open registration for the event.
- Act as the central coordinator, keeping all moving parts, deadlines, and team members aligned leading up to the event.
- Partner with the event organising company to ensure a high-quality and fully inclusive space that accommodates participants’ needs.
- Coordinate all pre-event participant communications once registration and selection procedure closes.
Phase 5: Live event
- Coordinate the live event on-site, acting as the main producer before, during, and after to ensure participants, speakers, and staff are engaged, fed, and informed.
Phase 6: Wrap up of the organising
- Oversee the collection of feedback managed by the facilitators and ensure all session content and materials are shared via an online workspace.
- Ensure the creation of the final synthesis report compiled by rapporteurs, facilitators, or a combined effort.
- Handle the final financial reconciliation of the project budget with SALTO PI and approve final invoices for vendors, the event agency, and all contractors.
Work conditions
Contract
- Fixed-term service agreement.
- Scheduled from November 2026 – December 2027 (final end date depends on the confirmed event dates).
- €25 per hour, paid monthly based on actual tracked hours up to an estimated total volume of 1,200 hours.
- Travel to/from Tallinn, as well as accommodation during required on-site periods, are covered by SALTO PI.
Workload
- Averages approximately 0.5 FTE over the project lifecycle, following a ramp-up structure: hours are lighter and highly flexible during early planning stages—enabling parallel professional commitments—before scaling up significantly in the 2–3 months directly preceding the event.
- Pre- and post-event preparation phases are conducted remotely.
- In-person presence in Tallinn is required for venue selection and confirmation, initial event setup (one week prior to the event), and during the event itself in autumn 2027.
Operations
- English is the primary working language. Working-level Estonian is strongly recommended for operational coordination with local vendors in Tallinn.
- Synchronous online meetings with the SALTO PI team take place during standard office hours (9:00–17:30 EEST/EET). Regular updates will be maintained via online calls, written reports, and shared collaboration channels (Microsoft Teams and SharePoint).
- Project manager is expected to operate using their personal equipment and email address. SALTO PI remains open to discuss and cover subscriptions for essential digital tools and software required.
Requirements for the profile
We are looking for a professional who matches the following criteria:
- At least 3 large-scale event leadership experiences
A proven track record in managing large-scale international conferences, seminars, or major cross-sectoral public events for 150+ participants. Having experience organising events for the European educational or youth sectors is a benefit.
- Proven experience with budget management and procurement procedures
Direct experience in agency procurement, including selecting, briefing, and managing external event production companies and venue teams.
- Understanding democratic participation priority and participatory methods
A strong understanding of democratic participation frameworks, as well as the structures of the Erasmus+ and ESC programs and their stakeholder ecosystems. The project manager is expected to manage the steering group in a participatory manner.
- Familiarity with inclusive event hosting qualities and the sustainability priority
Demonstrated experience of designing path to the event and event spaces that are accessible for participants with different special needs. Suitable candidate will demonstrate understanding of sustainable event organising.
- Stakeholder communication
Exceptional communication skills and the ability to bridge differing priorities across diverse institutions and sectors. To be combined with the participation principles for successful coordination of the steering group. It will beneficial to have prior experience working with one or more stakeholders like National Agencies, European Commission, SALTO centers, Erasmus+ and/or ESC beneficiaries.
- Familiarity with formal and non-formal education fields
- English language proficiency
Full professional fluency in English (spoken and written). Working-level Estonian is an advantage to ensure smooth local stakeholder and vendor coordination in Tallinn.
- Personal characteristics
Strong applicant will be personally aligned with SALTO PI’s mission and brings interest and a solid understanding of democratic participation, civic engagement, and participatory approaches. Can work both autonomously and collaboratively while engaging confidently with diverse actors. Strong self-management skills—such as strategic planning, prioritising, meeting deadlines, and seeking support when needed—are essential, alongside comfort in working within strategic frameworks, procedures, and budgets. The role benefits from flexible attitude and a solution-oriented mindset.
Application procedure
We kindly request interested candidates to share their reflections about their experience and vision for the event. To ensure all responses are compiled seamlessly for our evaluation panel, please submit your application via our online application form . Application deadline is 1 November 2026, 23:59 CET.
Applications will be evaluated on a 100-point scale:
- Relevant experiences (up to 60 points)
- Vision for the event (up to 40 points)
We reserve the right to contact shortlisted applicants for further negotiations.
For any questions regarding the call or the application procedure, please contact regina.rahn@harno.ee.