Embedded and remote working arrangements
Embedded event lead authority agreement
An embedded event lead joins your team, and within a week someone asks who actually has the right to say yes.
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The short answer
An authority agreement is a one-page record of three things: decisions the embedded lead takes alone, decisions they recommend and your named approver confirms, and decisions that stay with you.
It prevents the two common failures, a lead who waits for permission on everything and a lead who commits the organisation to something nobody approved.
The three tiers of authority
Sort each recurring decision into one of three tiers. Write the tier against a named role, not a person, so the agreement survives staff changes.
| Tier | Typical decisions | Who confirms |
|---|---|---|
| Lead decides alone | Task order, meeting agendas, supplier chasing, drafting documents, updating the decision log. | Nobody, but the lead reports it weekly. |
| Lead recommends, approver confirms | Shortlisting suppliers, programme changes, speaker substitutions, registration wording. | Named approver replies within an agreed working-day window. |
| Stays with the organisation | Signing contracts, approving budget changes, press statements, anything affecting members' rights or data. | Committee, finance or the authorised signatory. |
Money and signing
Authority over money is set by your own finance rules, not by the lead or by an outside provider. Ask finance in writing what a temporary lead may request, approve or sign, and put the answer in the agreement.
If the answer is nothing beyond recommending, say so plainly. A lead can still prepare comparison tables and purchase requests that the signatory approves.
Speaking for the organisation
- List which suppliers, speakers and partners the lead may contact directly and which are contacted by an office-bearer first.
- State how the lead introduces themselves, for example as project lead for the event on behalf of the secretariat.
- Say who handles members' complaints and any request from media or regulators.
What happens when authority is unclear
- The lead states the decision, the options and a recommended answer in one message.
- The named approver replies by the agreed time, or the item moves to the next scheduled review.
- The outcome is recorded in a decision log so the same question is not reopened.
- If the same item is escalated more than twice, the agreement itself is reviewed.
Questions to send to HR, legal or finance
Whether the lead is treated as an employee, a contractor or a supplier's staff member is an employment and contract question. Ask HR or your legal adviser, and do not infer it from the authority agreement.
This page does not give a conclusion on that. It gives you the questions: who engages the lead, who supervises day-to-day, which policies the lead must follow, and what insurance or confidentiality terms apply.
Worked example · Fictional example
A two-day logistics forum
Fictional organisation and figures, to show the level of detail that is useful.
Persatuan Fiktif Pengurus Logistik runs a two-day forum for about 400 delegates and brings in an embedded lead for four months. Its council agrees the lead may reorder tasks and chase suppliers alone.
Shortlisting an AV supplier is a recommendation that the honorary treasurer confirms. Signing the venue contract stays with the president and treasurer. The lead's weekly note lists every Tier 2 item and its outcome.
Use this yourself
One-page authority agreement
Copy into a document, complete each line with a role and a date, and have the sponsor and the lead initial it.
- Engagement purpose and end date:
- Sponsor (the role that holds final accountability):
- Named approver and deputy for Tier 2 decisions:
- Tier 1 list: decisions the lead takes alone:
- Tier 2 list: lead recommends, approver confirms, and the reply window in working days:
- Tier 3 list: decisions that stay with the organisation:
- Spending and signing position confirmed by finance (date and name):
- Suppliers and people the lead may contact directly:
- Escalation route and review date for this agreement:
- Questions referred to HR or legal, with owner and date:
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- One office-bearer has time to answer Tier 2 items within the agreed window.
- Your finance rules are already written and easy to quote.
- The lead is a colleague who knows the organisation.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Several committees expect to approve the same item.
- Nobody can say who may sign or commit funds.
- A new embedded lead needs a draft agreement and an escalation route before starting.
Need the authority lines drafted before the lead starts?
An embedded event project manager works inside the limits you set. A project lead can help you draft the tiers, test them against last year's decisions and keep the log, while your committee keeps every approval. Share your current approval chain, even if it is informal.
Questions organisers ask
Is an authority agreement a contract?
No. It is an operating document that sits beside whatever engagement terms apply. Whether those terms are an employment, contractor or supplier arrangement is for your HR or legal adviser to decide.
Can the lead sign supplier contracts?
Only if your own governance and finance rules allow it and the authorised signatory has agreed in writing. Many organisations keep signing with an office-bearer and let the lead prepare the paperwork.
How often should the agreement be reviewed?
At the end of the first month and at each major milestone, such as programme lock or registration opening. Change a tier when the same decision keeps being escalated.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.