Programs Associate (Internship)  

Programs Associate (Internship) – San Francisco

Overview

Location: Swissnex in San Francisco Status: Full-time, 40 hours/week Start Date: July 1, 2024 Duration: 12 months Reports to: Senior Programs Manager

About Swissnex

Swissnex is the Swiss global network connecting the dots in education, research, and innovation. The Swissnex global network consists of six  locations and outposts established in the world’s most innovative hubs. We contribute to strengthening Switzerland’s profile as a world-leading innovation hotspot.  Located at Pier 17, Swissnex in San Francisco connects the dots between Switzerland and the West Coast of the USA in education, research, innovation, and the arts. We foster international collaboration and empower next generation innovators to create futures in which the planet and society thrives. In service of this goal, our dynamic and international team produces academic and corporate programs, startup bootcamps, events and much more. Our work space is shared with corporate innovators, researchers, artists, and entrepreneurs, and is connected to an event space and our digital community. We work collaboratively and in a complementary manner with our neighbors at Pier17, the Consulate General, the Swiss Business Hub USA and Switzerland Tourism.  A rare opportunity to join the team as Programs Associate is available for a people-oriented, open-minded, creative and self-motivated individual.

Position Summary

The Programs Associate is a flexible individual who is excited to be a part of our ever-transforming program offers, and able to adapt as needed to new and changing responsibilities. In that position, you will play a crucial role in supporting both in-person, digital and hybrid formats of our programs, which include the Startup Bootcamp, researchers’ sabbaticals, and other programs and mandates. With a focus on entrepreneurship, the Programs Associate will support the different program managers transversely, assisting with the design and delivery of ongoing programs, but also the creation of new mission-aligned initiatives and partnerships, performing research as well as creating content (e.g. trends, benchmarking and insight reports). Reporting to the Senior Program Manager, you will get the chance to shape how our current and new programs develop in the future – anticipating needs in the ever-changing global innovation ecosystem, and how Swissnex in San Francisco can diversify its streams of income and maximize its impact on the next generation of innovators. As a Programs Associate, you should be a self-starter, willing to roll up your sleeves and take on new and challenging responsibilities. This internship offers unique exposure to international experts and thought leaders from a variety of fields, and the possibility to learn hands-on about program design and management, event planning and execution, fundraising and more. As part of a small team with a bottom-up, informal culture, you can shape projects and outcomes, and learn with and from colleagues, partners and stakeholders, and build your own professional network within Silicon Valley’s innovation ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities Program Building & Implementation (80%):

Work with program managers in ideating, building, coordinating and implementing ongoing programs such as for Swiss startups or researchers; contribute ideas to improving and expanding existing offerings; there is the opportunity to take the lead and create mission-aligned activities within these programs

Operational support, special projects, and other duties (20%):

To be determined according to organizational needs and, where possible, the candidate’s interests and abilities