Program Lead (Contractor Role)

Overview of Watson Institute

Watson Institute powers transformative Fellowships in partnership with leading corporations and foundations to support highly promising, historically disenfranchised rising entrepreneurs and leaders. The Fellowships provide proven entrepreneurship and leadership skills training, committed mentorship, community development stipends, long-term Alumni support, and access to a global community of peers, mentors, and opportunities.

In partnership with JPMorganChase, Walmart.org, Ford Philanthropy, Comcast, Google, Western Union Foundation, Truist Foundation, BMO, and several private foundations, Watson Institute’s programs will reach over 2,400 rising leaders this year.

Alumni of Watson Institute’s Fellowships have raised over $185 million, created over 1,900 paid jobs, and impacted 10 million people around the world through initiatives they help lead. 90% of Watson Institute alums are employed, continuing their education, or building a venture. This is on par with leading business schools, yet all of the Fellowships Watson Institute powers are free. 99% of Watson Institute Alumni use a skill they learned while in a Watson Institute powered program up to 10 years later. Watson Institute’s Alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship and ten have been named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 lists. Alums continue their education at Harvard University, New York University, and Princeton University, among others. 

Program Lead (Contractor Role) - Mission Statement:

The primary mission of the Program Lead 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, meet the key milestones, and overall north star goals of each Fellowship. 

Detailed Position Breakdown:
Planning & Implementing all Programmatic Components of the Fellowship (50% of time):

Program Pre-Planning: 

• All Program Leads are responsible for the pre-planning, implementation, and leading of the 16-week Fellowship. 
• They will build out a Fellowship Success Tracker provided to them by the Design Team as a guide for the structure of each Fellowship. 
• They are responsible for leading a multi-day Immersive experience, either in person or virtually, depending on the Fellowship, with the support of the Programs Events Team. 
• During the planning months, Program Leads are responsible for scheduling the core programmatic elements of each Fellowship in a way that directly corresponds to the “theme” of that Fellowship and the profiles of the Fellows admitted.
• The Programs Leads will work with the Programs Coordinator to ensure the Success Tracker of each Fellowship is reflected on the calendar for Fellows, partners, and the team to engage with. 
• Program Leads are responsible for a successful Fellow Onboarding experience. This means they will need to engage with the Search Manager/Lead the month prior to the start of the program to coordinate an engaging onboarding experience for Fellows (Meet the Cohort, Intake Form, Getting to know the Fellows).

Program Implementation:

• As the gatekeeper of the community, the Program Lead should lead each Fellowship with empathy, perception, and remain committed to the growth of each Fellow by  leading 1- on-1’s with the Fellows throughout the duration of the program. In addition, they will need to plan Community Building sessions.
• Program Leads are responsible for connecting Fellows to additional Mentors in the Watson Institute Mentor network when particular expertise is observed to be helpful to the Fellow’s growth. 
• They are accountable for the successful execution of the Program Operations, Basecamps, Curriculum and Summit. 

Leading All Fellowship related Communications (20% of time): The Program Lead 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 completed the program, received their certificate, and completed their Basecamps (if applicable). 

Leading Community Outreach and Engagement Initiatives (20% of time): The Program Lead role is responsible for engaging the local community (when applicable) and engaging our global community in order to meet the Programmatic theme and needs of the partner / Fellow. This includes:

• Developing and sustaining a trusting relationship with entrepreneurial leaders and community stakeholders, specifically with location-based Fellowships. 
• Ensuring Fellows are connected to Watson Institute’s Mentor network, when applicable and if appropriate, to meet the venture-specific needs of each Fellow.
• Invite community members involved in each Fellowship to Summit, Watson Institute’s culminating event. 

Curriculum Oversight (10% of time): The Program Lead will be asked to audit courses to ensure the facilitators are consistently delivering quality content in each session and reporting high level feedback to the Design Team. They will also be asked to support Preceptors (if needed) with technology, prep and the facilitation of the course. This request will be made in advance. 

*New responsibilities may develop as the Program Lead position evolves.

Culture Add

In order to thrive as the Program Lead at Watson Institute, a candidate must:

• An exceptional eye for detail. You enjoy spending time with words, style, and formatting in order to make the most compelling product possible. 
• Detail Oriented: You are meticulous and have excellent organizational skills. You are especially attuned to spotting mistakes or inconsistencies in writing and external communications. You take pride in completing your work accurately and on schedule. You have a knack for project management and a love for work plans and checklists. 
• Results-Driven: A proactive problem-solver who takes ownership of tasks and ensures they are completed to a high standard.
• High Integrity: Demonstrates integrity in decision-making and effectively handles sensitive information.
• Systems-minded: Demonstrated experience in building and implementing systems. You are comfortable designing, testing, improving, and smoothly running systems and processes. 
• Communication Style: Maintains direct, honest, and solution-focused communication to address issues and ensure project success.

Candidate Profile

Top candidates should demonstrate:

• A deep-seated passion for Watson Institute’s mission to develop innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs to solve the toughest challenges facing the world. 
• 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 Program Lead’s 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. 
• A systems-oriented and highly organized approach to their work.
• Mandatory skills: Airtable proficiency (willingness to learn quickly if new to platform), email management excellence, rapid follow-up, and data analysis. Tech-forward mindset with ability to onboard swiftly to new digital tools.

The Vitals

• Competitive contractor compensation according to experience: $14,625.00. 
• The Program Lead is a contractor role and reports to the Senior Programs Manager.  
• Preferred locations: CO, PA, GA, FL, ME, AZ, DC, OK, SC, or MD.
• Estimated time commitment of 25 hours per week. Must be available Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between 8:30-10:30am MT and Tuesdays between 12-1pm MT. 
• The start date for this position is  September 22, 2025. 
• The end date for this position is December 19, 2025, with the possibility of extension based on organizational needs and performance. 
• We accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.