Program Manager - Techstars Washington D.C. Powered by JP Morgan

Location: Washington D.C.

Program Manager - Techstars Washington D.C. Powered by JP Morgan

The Program Manager (PM) is the operational backbone of the Accelerator program team. The PM’s focus is program operations and execution of the Techstars playbook to deliver the best possible program experience for founders, mentors, partners, investors and other stakeholders. 

PMs are responsible for ensuring the operational success of the full accelerator cycle from company sourcing through Demo Day. This includes event management, utilizing tools/developing processes to manage program data, building and scheduling the 3-month programming calendar, execution of Demo Day, and recruiting, hiring, training, and management of the seasonally hired Associate team. The Program Manager is also responsible for collaborating closely with San Diego State University, our corporate partner, to support their goals within the accelerator. You will also work closely with the Techstars Anywhere accelerator team to share best practices, systems, and support each other's programs.

Experience with operations and event planning is required and is a major part of this role. Familiarity with the early stage venture-backed company ecosystem is preferred, but not required. Throughout the year PMs have the opportunity to work across the Techstars network, support cross-collaborative projects, focus on professional development and career growth, and work with colleagues from all around the world. 

You will be both internally focused working in support of founders in-program and externally focused on behalf of our founders to the broader community of alumni, investors, and mentors. You will provide oversight of the Techstars application process and the management of the program. You’ll maintain strong bonds with the startups you bring into the program, acting as a resource and looking out for relevant opportunities to support their success.

What You Will Do:

• Work with the team to develop the program plan and own the overall responsibility for the successful execution of the Techstars Washington D.C. powered by JP Morgan accelerator program, including end of program celebrations and Demo Day 
• Ensure the program is following best practices and executing upon outlined content and curriculum of the Techstars playbook
• Deliver the best possible accelerator experience to founders, mentors, partners, investors and other stakeholders as measured by NPS and company performance
• Manage the logistics for the program calendar, mentor schedules, investor meetups, demo day and ensure the founders, mentors, speakers, partners, and investors are fully informed about all program facing activities
• Manage the logistics of the application, screening, and onboarding process in partnership with the program Investment Associate
• Implement network events/programs to support founders and alumni both during program and outside of program
• Support relationship management with the program team and partner
• Recruit, hire and manage the seasonal Associate team
• Develop relationships with entrepreneurial support organizations
• Share new best practices with the Techstars’ team globally as you identify areas for innovation and improvement
• Help in planning occasional staff retreats with the program team
• Represent Techstars in the local community and ecosystem
• Support the development of a strong pipeline of startups with diverse and underrepresented founders
• Travel for this role is light and will primarily be for occasional staff retreats and Techstars corporate events.

What you bring to the role:

• A genuine passion for technology and startups, an entrepreneurial mindset, and an insatiable desire to always be learning
• 5+ years of experience in fast-paced environments with a focus on event planning, business operations, and/or project management
• Good verbal and written communication skills in English
• Extraordinary ability for self-learning and learning by doing, with a demonstrated ability of learning from available documentation and quickly applying it with little direction
• Proven superpower in organization and attention to detail through prior work or life experience
• Comfortable working in ambiguity but with high expectations 
• Can anticipate the needs and requests of multiple stakeholders 
• Systems thinker with an eye for things that do not scale and the capability to design new processes and systems for implementation across programs
• Advanced skills with Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides is a plus
• Experience working with "No Code" and automation tools like Airtable, Notion, Hubspot, Zapier, etc., is a plus
• Experience