Join Our Staff - Anthro New England

STAFF OPENINGS.

Thank you for taking an interest in being a part of our wonderful Anthro New England con staff! Our team is committed to giving our attendees the best experience possible. As such, we hold our staff to a very high standard.

ANE staff roles are volunteer positions, but there are rewards for being staff – read on to see what staffing a con entails as well as what benefits come along with the positions.

Please review the below information in full before submitting an application – it’s important you understand the full extent of what your role entails!

STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES.

Anthro New England staffers are held to a standard of behavior above our attendees. You must have a good attitude, be willing to work as part of a team, and be able to communicate!
Anthro New England staffers are expected to work for a significant part of each day at the convention. Generally a minimum of eight hours per day is typical. Exceptions include those roles that put in similar hours before the convention.
Prospective staff members should have a general idea of what position they feel they would fit in, even if that position is “general support person.”
Prospective staff members should be prepared to attend online meetings ahead of the convention; we do not require that you attend every meeting, and meetings are not very frequent, but these are helpful to keep all staffers informed.

Being a staffer is a commitment and is not for everyone! Volunteer positions are always available if you still want to pitch in but would prefer a lower-commitment role. If you are interested, however, please peruse our open positions below!

HOW DO I JOIN?

As our convention grows, we are constantly in need of more hands to run the show!
Please read our open staff positions, listed here.

There are two tiers of staff: seasonal and core.

Core roles are either specialized roles that need a specific set of skills (eg. Safety, A/V) or roles that require a degree of leadership. In these roles you are expected to put in 21+ hours over the course of the year, whether at-con or leading up in preparation. As a thank-you for your work, you will be provided a space in a compensated staff hotel room or early access to the hotel room block if you would like a private room, free registration, a free staff t-shirt, staff break-room with snacks, early access to the dealer’s den and main events, priority access for the Westin elevators, and a staff pin.
Seasonal roles are great for those who want to give back to Anthro New England, but still want to enjoy the majority of the convention! In these roles you are expected to put in 12-20 hours over the course of the convention (and in limited cases, leading up in preparation.) As a thank you for your work, you will be provided early access to the hotel room block, free registration, a staff t-shirt, staff break-room with snacks, priority access for the Westin elevators, and a staff pin.

VIDEO TEAM STAFF. [SEASONAL]

Our Video Team Staff play a crucial role in capturing and preserving the memorable moments of Anthro New England. You will work closely with the Video Team Lead and operate professional video equipment to record key convention events, and help us capture fantastic footage to be posted on the convention YouTube after the event has concluded.
Qualifications:

Proven experience in video production, including camera operation and basic editing techniques.
Experience operating video cameras on tri-pods
Proficiency in framing and panning cameras after a target
Proficiency in using Sony PXW-70 or similar camcorder devices.
Strong technical skills and ability to troubleshoot equipment issues.
Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
Creative and detail-oriented mindset.
Passion for storytelling and capturing memorable moments.

REGISTRATION STAFF. [Seasonal]

We’re looking for detail oriented individuals with customer service experience for seasonal Registration Staff for ANE 2025. Staffers will be expected to work between 10-15 hours during the convention with additional perks past 15 hours! Staffers will be trained on the ANE Registration software and will help check-in attendees and administer badges as well as answer any general knowledge questions during check-in.

PANELS DEPARTMENT STAFF. [SEASONAL]

The Panels department staff is responsible for the coordination of panelists as well as attendees. Some of the responsibilities of the department staff might include helping set up a room with the panelist, helping with resetting the room after a panel has concluded, answering questions, checking badges and possibly helping with getting people in and out of panel rooms safely. This is considered a seasonal position.

VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENT STAFF. [SEASONAL]

Volunteer Department staff responsibilities cover communication and coordination of at-con volunteers. This involves reviewing volunteer requests, creating a schedule, and then adapting to changes in the volunteer schedule at con. Good communication skills, customer service skills, and the ability to adapt to a shifting situation are important for this position, and familiarity with excel or google sheets is a plus!

CON STORE STAFF. [SEASONAL]

Our Con Store is looking for staffers to help us sell convention merchandise! This team also helps our Con Store lead decide on what merchandise we provide at the convention. This position has daytime hours during the convention that align with our Dealers Den. Experience in retail preferred, but not required – must be comfortable handling money and providing excellent customer service. This position requires an at-con commitment of 16-20 hours, and is considered a seasonal position.

EVENT SUPPORT STAFF. [SEASONAL]

As an event support staffer, you are expected to assist up to two major events in various roles, including assisting fursuiters with prep for dance events, assisting with moving various gear, getting water to performers or participants, etc. A major element is being a runner for various tasks needed throughout the event. This role is seasonal.

GAME ROOM STAFF. [SEASONAL]

Help us run a comfortable gaming space for board games. As Games Room staff, you will be responsible to help set up and take down equipment and signage, monitor the room for attendee compliance to room guidelines, and facilitate lending of games through recording items lent to the convention, and checking in and out borrowed items. Knowledge of board games is a plus, but not strictly required. This position will require an at-con commitment of 16-20 hours, and is considered a Seasonal Staff position.

LOGISTICS DEPARTMENT STAFF. [SEASONAL OR CORE]

The Logistics Team is responsible for the efficient setup and breakdown of ANE. This involves transporting, loading, and unloading equipment to and from various locations. The role requires early mornings, physical labor, and the ability to adapt to changing plans. Strong organizational skills and a positive attitude are essential. There are two levels of commitment available for this position, one involves work only at-con which is Seasonal, and the other involves planning and pre-con work that is considered a Core position.

LINE CONTROL SQUAD. [Seasonal or Core]

As a member of the line control team – you will be working with a team responsible for crowd management and line control of various locations throughout the convention. You will be managing the front, middle, end or breaks in the line – you will need to be able to manage a priority line, accessibility line and general attendee line, as well as run and hold elevators as necessary. The ability to stop and mitigate attendees from skipping lines is required. Crowd Manager certification in Massachusetts is a requirement for this position, this course is free to complete. Depending on commitment, this position is considered Seasonal or Core.

GRAPHIC DESIGNER [SEASONAL OR CORE]

The Media Department is the face of everything Anthro New England. This assistant graphic designer position focuses on producing our smaller projects including small signage, posters, and content for social media. An ideal candidate is someone who is consistent, has strong branding skills, able to meet deadlines, and full of new ideas! Staff are expected to familiarize themselves with Anthro New England’s branding, core message, and safety & practices. This position will start out as seasonal, with the opportunity to become core, dependent on current and future projects.

Qualifications:

Portfolio demonstrating strong design skills
Knowledge of printing versus digital design requirements
Proficiency in Adobe Suite Programs (Photoshop and Illustrator)

Nice to have:

Proficiency in InDesign
Knowledge of After Effects
Strong artistic skills

Candidates do not have to meet all requirements, we are willing to train the right person! This is a good opportunity for those who are looking to get into a more professional design space or strengthen their portfolio!

CON-OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT STAFF. [SEASONAL OR CORE]

Operations is responsible for making sure every other department has what they need to make ANE successful. Our staff are generalists who understand how all the pieces of a convention fit together, and problem solvers whose first reaction to any issue is to ask, “how can I help?”. Depending upon experience and desired commitment, you may be called upon to:

Staff the Operations Desk, where we maintain a presence to respond to requests and distribute supplies to other staff
Assist the specific areas within the Operations portfolio (e.g. Logistics needs another set of hands to move things in, or the volunteer coordinator needs a break)
In a pinch, assist anywhere else in the convention
Create procedures to help everything run smoothly, take note of what works and what doesn’t work, listen to feedback from staff and attendees, and think about how to make ANE even better!

If you are looking to join in the planning work before the convention, this is a Core position. If you’d rather stick to at-con duties, this is Seasonal. A commitment of about 20 hours during the convention is expected from both, depending on what’s needed.

SAFETY STAFF. [CORE]

Convention safety staff are one of the major faces of Anthro New England, and are primarily considered a customer service role. Safety staff will be expected to familiarize themselves with Anthro New England policies and procedures, venue layout, schedule, etc; and be expected to answer attendee questions as they arise. Additionally, safety staff will have responsibilities for crowd management such as badge checking, line management, elevator management, etc. Most safety staff will be on scheduled routine patrols throughout the convention function space, and will be expected to respond to various incidents as they arise, and either handle them, or escalate them to their shift lead as appropriate.

Safety staff will be expected to be able to take and log comprehensive incident reports digitally, manage sensitive information, manage the Anthro New England lost and found, etc.

Qualifications:

Developed problem solving skills
Relaxed and friendly attitude
Understanding of incident escalation
Basic understanding of google drive suite of products
Ability to act and prioritize incidents in stressful, high pressure situations
Ability to react to new issues on the fly
Ability to be forceful but polite with attendees and general public for crowd control

MEDICAL STAFF. [CORE]

Medical team staff are responsible for the physical health and wellbeing of all Anthro New England attendees and team members. Medical staff must have a professional background in, and/or training in the medical field. Primarily medical staff will be responsible for managing and maintaining the infirmary during convention hours under the guidance and direction of a medical technician, however may be expected to fill the role of general safety staff as well if necessary.

Qualifications:

Background and/or formal training in the medical field or emergency response (Lifeguard, Emergency Medical Responder, NREMT Certification, etc.)
Current CPR certification required.
Familiarity with crowd control preferred.
Relaxed and friendly attitude
Ability to act and prioritize incidents in stressful, high pressure situations
Understanding of attendee privacy
Ability to exhibit discretion around potentially sensitive medical issues
Comfortable interfacing with first responders (City of Boston EMS, Fire, Police, etc.)

EVENT COORDINATOR/STAGE MANAGER. [CORE]

As an event coordinator / stage manager, you are responsible for the operation, construction, and management of up to two major events (e.g. Animal Music, Dragons Dojo, Night Market, etc.) This position is expected to take up to 24+ hours at the convention, and up to but not limited to 40+ hours of pre-convention work. This role is considered a core staff position.

SOCIAL MEDIA COPYWRITER/ASSISTANT [CORE]

A Social Media Copywriter works underneath the Social Media Lead and drafts, brainstorms, and posts media to various social media platforms using Buffer as a tool. This involves the ability to adapt to the brand voice of our convention while conveying important information to our attendees. This position works closely with the Media team as they provide and proof all graphics that we put out!

Qualifications:

Creative writing and basic understanding of grammar
Is a self-starter with the ability to work as a team
Likes using emojis and being a general hype-person for the convention

GUEST OF HONOR LIAISON. [CORE]

A GoH Liaison acts as the primary point of contact between Guests of Honor at the convention. This relates to pre-convention planning such as travel and lodging arrangements, registering for the convention, and providing assets to the convention such as art for con badges and banners as well as Programming items such as panels or concerts.

Qualifications include:

At least 2-3 years convention staffing experience.
Experience as a prior Guest of Honor handler preferred.
Proficiency in using Telegram and Slack for communication, Gmail for email, and Google Docs for documentation purposes.

ASSISTANT HR COORDINATOR. [CORE]

An HR Coordinator supports the seamless integration and onboarding of new staff, manages departmental staff requirements and recruiting efforts, and oversees the convention organizational structure and systems. This role will involve utilizing Google Admin and other various tools to facilitate efficient onboarding, maintain staff records, and contribute to the organizational development of our growing convention.

Qualifications include:

Prior experience in HR coordination or administrative roles.
Proficiency in using Google Workspace, HRMS software, and other relevant HR software.
Strong organizational skills with acute attention to detail.
Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
Highly developed conflict resolution skills.

Staff photographs by Zashi, PoisonedShutter and Dash.