Executive Relations Manager, Events & Live Journalism (Contract)

Who We Are

Semafor is a global news platform for an increasingly complex world in which consumers are overwhelmed by too many news sources and unsure what to trust. We are building Semafor to enable world-class journalists to deliver reporting and insights with rigor in journalistic forms that ensure a new level of transparency. Our editors and reporters distill the most important stories from all over in formats that uncover the forces shaping the stories, explain the interests behind polarizing narratives, and replenish the stock of shared facts.

As a global platform, Semafor recognizes that smart people can disagree and that informed readers need to understand alternative points of view from competing centers of power and culture in a multi-polar world. Want to join us? Read on.

About This Role

Semafor is seeking experienced professionals in strategic communications, corporate relations, journalism, protocol, or executive engagement to support our flagship live journalism events in a contract role, ranging from 20 hours/week to full-time. This role involves white-glove coordinating with VIP event participants (CEOs, C-Suite executives, government leaders and dignitaries), managing logistics, and providing editorial and programming support. You will work as an independent contributor while collaborating closely with our content, programming, and events teams.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, independently motivated, and exceptionally responsive — someone who anticipates needs before being asked, and remains calm and professional under pressure. While this is a remote role, there is an expectation of on-site staffing and participation at Semafor’s flagship events as needed. Preference to candidates based in Washington DC or New York.

Responsibilities

Serve as the dedicated point of contact for assigned high-touch speakers and participants, delivering a seamless end-to-end communication experience from confirmation through event completion Work directly with executives’ teams to recommend program engagement, speaker topics, and overall agenda alignment, proactively surfacing scheduling conflicts or editorial changes before they escalate Demonstrate sophisticated news judgment to support programming decisions, including communicating panelist pairings and session changes to executive teams accurately and diplomatically Coordinate and help to build each participant's onsite schedule and agenda Maintain accurate, up-to-date tracking for each executive across platforms, and create thorough briefings and materials as needed Work cross-functionally with editorial, content, events, and partner teams Serve as the on-site POC for executives at certain Semafor flagship events Maintain online Slack availability Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm; attend weekly team meetings and provide timely updates; respond to all inbound executive communications within one business day What Makes You Qualified 5+ years of experience in strategic communications, corporate relations, executive engagement, client management, or related fields Demonstrated track record of building high-level relationships with C-suite executives, ideally within Fortune 500 or global-scale organizations Exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to earn immediate trust with executive offices — handling sensitive schedules, correspondence, and VIP escalations with discretion and professionalism Outstanding verbal and written communication, including the ability to craft compelling invitations and executive briefs; calm and clear under pressure Strong independent work ethic and organizational skills; adept at managing complex executive portfolios, multi-stream deadlines, and multi-platform workflows without close supervision Editorial fluency and knowledge of major business trends, with the ability to communicate programming details to CEO teams accurately and diplomatically A passion for journalism and live events, with a commitment to delivering high-quality, white-