Programs Manager

Overview of Watson Institute

Watson Institute is a place where next generation entrepreneurs and leaders can find their community, discover their calling, and accelerate their careers. We provide the tools, network, mindset, and courage for the next generation to solve the toughest challenges facing the world, launch successful careers, and lead impactful lives.

Watson Institute powers Career and Venture Accelerator programs for partners including Ford Motor Company, Western Union Foundation, Truist, Bank of the West/BNP Paribas, and several private foundations that are impacting over 1,200 entrepreneurial leaders this year. The Fellowship programs include award-winning training, seed funding, committed mentorship, and a vast network of resources.

97% of Watson Institute alums are employed (including by Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft, fortune 500 companies, and innovative startups), continuing their education, or building a venture. Even leading business schools are at 93% for the same metric.

Alumni of Watson Institute’s Venture Accelerators have raised over $100 million, created over 1,000 part or full-time jobs, and impacted 5 million people around the world through initiatives they help lead. Watson alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship and six have been named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 lists. Alums continue their education at Harvard University, New York University, and Princeton University, among others.

Programs Manager – Mission Statement

The primary mission of the Programs Manager is to manage and lead all elements of Watson Institute’s Fellowship programs. The goal is for each Fellowship to receive a 9.0/10 or above on the Fellow reviews. For this specific Fellowship, the program will be conducted in-person at Pitt Bradford University, in Bradford Pennsylvania. The Halloran Fellowship will welcome 10 entrepreneurs who are creating impact in Bradford. The Halloran Fellowship will run from mid-March to July, 2023 with two in-person Basecamps (one in the Spring of 2023 and another in the Fall of 2023) and the Summit will be held in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

The Programs Manager will lead the implementation of Watson Institute’s Fellowships with a singular focus on delivering a high-quality program for our Fellows and partners. Some of the key elements of this role include: Search & Admissions (25% leading up to the start of the program), Delivering all Programmatic Components of the Fellowship (25%), Curriculum Oversight (20%), Leading all Communications (20%), Leading Community Outreach and Engagement Initiatives (10%).

This role also requires the Program Manager to lead outreach and recruitment initiatives, with the support of the Watson Institute Admissions team, and enroll 10-12 Fellows that are aligned with the program. The Program Manager will leverage existing partnerships with nominators, local universities, current students, and alumni to build this cohort. In addition, they will leverage their efforts in building community connections for programmatic purposes to identify new nominators and secure Fellows.

Detailed Position Breakdown

Search & Admissions (25% leading up to the start of the program)

• Leverage Pitt-Bradford Partnership: Utilize our existing partnership with the University, as well as our Basecamp alumni, to identify strong applicants and Fellows. This could include school visits, in-person presentations, phone calls, and email outreach. A large portion of this could be done post-Basecamp in October. Success Metric: Nominations Received, Applications Received.
• Identifying Strong Nominators & Partners: Through research and community outreach, the Manager identifies prospective nominators and nurtures that relationship (emails, calls, meetups) with the outcome of securing applicants and Fellows for the program. This can be done in conjunction with community building efforts for the Program itself. Success Metric: Nominations Received, Applications Received.
• Lead Admissions Process: With the support of the Watson Institute Admissions team and the Salesforce platform, the Program Manager will oversee applications, conduct interviews, and move Fellows through the Admissions process based on selection criteria. Success Metric: Yield and Enrollment.
• Oversees Onboarding: Work with committed Fellows in keeping them engaged and excited to prevent Melt and maintain enrollment goals. Success Metric: Melt and Enrollment.

Delivering all Programmatic Components of the Fellowship (25%): The Fellowship consists of 4 major programmatic elements:

• Leading all Fellowship communications to both the Fellows, community and team.
• Delivering high quality weekly programming for the Fellows, both virtually and in person (when applicable).
• Delivering and overseeing all external events as the main project lead to ensure all events are held at the highest level of quality possible from the pre-planning, communication and implementation phase.
• Delivering and tracking all of our surveys to ensure we are conducting ongoing measurement and evaluation of each program.
• Each Programs Manager will work closely with Preceptors to offer high quality 1-on-1s to ensure each Fellow has a system of support dedicated to network support, pitch coaching, venture consultation calls and Basecamp consultations (when applicable).

Curriculum Oversight (20%): The Programs Manager will be responsible for auditing each course to ensure the facilitators are consistently delivering quality content in each session and reporting high level feedback to the Director of Design.

Leading all Communications (20%): The Programs Manager will be responsible for all Fellow communications beginning as soon as the Fellows have been admitted to the program. They will be responsible for hosting consultation calls, conducting on-going communications leading up to the official start of the Fellowship and being the main point of contact throughout the Fellowship until the Fellows have officially graduated, received their certificate and completed their Basecamps (if applicable).

Leading Community Outreach and Engagement Initiatives (10%): This specific role will be focused on recruiting, nurturing and designing a entrepreneurial community that supports the Halloran Fellows, specifically in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

*New responsibilities may develop as the Programs Manager position evolves.

Cultural Add

In order to thrive as the Programs Manager at Watson Institute, a candidate must:

• Have a perfectionist nature, but not lose momentum because of it.
• Be undaunted by switching between projects and disciplines on any given day.
• Be equally able to work alongside a partner or team as you are able to take full ownership of a project from start to finish.
• Believe that when work is done with excellence, the magic is in the details.
• Excel in our full court press mentality. The Watson Institute culture is one where we show daily hustle and grit, and support one another’s roles despite it not being in our own arena.
• Form small, nimble, and insanely efficient teams where our team structure, communication, and drive to achieve increasing levels of efficiency leads to the best possible experience for both the organization and the Fellows.
• Share our belief in the power of banter. While small things like starting team meetings with banter and never taking ourselves too seriously may sound indeed small, it is these very small things that keep us happy and rolling right through the good times and the bad.
• A natural inclination to work hard and go the extra mile (or 37 miles) – we’ll tell you more about this in-person.
• Go to the Source: Our culture is defined by direct, honest, and frequent communication. We expect team members to ‘go to the source’ of concerns by speaking up, communicating frequently, and taking issues directly to the individuals involved.
• No Drama: Drama takes us away from our purpose and impact. We have little tolerance for the drama created by backroom chatter and unnecessary focus on issues that do not place impact first.

Candidate Profile

Top candidates should demonstrate:

• A deep-seated passion for building community and Watson Institute’s mission to reshape higher education and develop innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs to solve the toughest challenges facing the world.
• A natural inclination to build relationships and partnerships in the local community in order to strengthen Watson Institute’s presence.
• Facilitation skills, with the ability to inspire and draw out the best in a room during each of the workshops and events being facilitated.
• Experience as an entrepreneurial leader throughout their lives. The Programs Manager work will be in close tandem with the Watson Institute Fellows, each of whom are entrepreneurs, therefore they need to understand the Fellows trajectories and challenges.
• 2-4 years of program delivery related experience.
• Dedication to leading quality programming.

The Vitals

• The Programs Manager is a full-time commitment and reports to the VP of Programs and VP of Search.
• Be located in (or near)/ or willing to relocate to Bradford, Pennsylvania for this role.
• Application Deadline: November 1, 2022.
• Tentative Start Date: January 2, 2023.

• Competitive base salary according to experience: $55,000.00–$62,500.00.
• Annual Happiness Fund that increases with time and seniority.
• Unlimited vacations (3 weeks required vacation time per year).
• Monthly health insurance stipend.
• Automatic 3% contribution to your retirement account.