Program Manager, Samvid Scholars, Samvid Ventures   

New York, NY  

SAMVID VENTURES  

Samvid Ventures is committed to improving lives and advancing society through innovation in education, economic mobility, and wellness. It has staff and board presence in Detroit, New York, and Miami, and a national footprint in its programming.  

SAMVID SCHOLARS: GRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM  

Samvid Ventures launched Samvid Scholars to empower mission-driven graduate students to drive transformative change for society through leadership development, community, and financial support. Our programming is designed to deepen each Scholar’s understanding of who they are, what matters to them, and their unique path to impact – and, ultimately, to develop the knowledge and skills required to drive and lead change. Once Scholars have completed the two-year program, they remain in our community as Alumni. We envision our alumni network to be an engine of the cross-disciplinary collaboration, insight, and support required to address the greatest challenges facing society. 

PROGRAM MANAGER ROLE  

The Program Manager will lead the delivery of the Samvid Scholars program, ensuring a best-in-class experience for all applicants, Scholars, alumni, and partners. In this role, they will own program management and operations, selection management, conference and event management, communications, marketing, and data analysis. Reporting to the Program Director, the Program Manager plays a critical role in building a strong Samvid Scholars network and implementing strategies to continuously improve our program and brand. 

The Program Manager will be responsible for driving:  

Program management and operations: Oversee all program management and operations for Samvid Scholars to deliver an impactful program to Scholars and alumni and achieve program outcomes, including in-person and virtual programming. 

• Manage annual program calendar including leading the communications plan for Scholars and alumni and coordinating virtual sessions and events for Scholars and alumni. 

• Launch effective community-building initiatives including events and virtual engagement platforms. 

• Implement technology and/or tools to improve program operations and Scholar and partner CRM. 

• Assist Program Director with research and design of learning sessions. 

Selection management: Manage annual scholarship application and selection process from end to end to select an exceptional cohort and deliver a seamless experience for all stakeholders including applicants, partners, reviewers, external selection committee, and Samvid Ventures Board. 

• Lead selection process, including building timeline for each review phase, operating application management system, overseeing review committees, reading applications, and organizing finalist review. 

• Conduct data analyses to manage the selection model and move applications through each review phase to select final cohort. Synthesize data in reports to leadership and the Samvid Board to inform decision making. 

• Facilitate annual selection post-mortem to recommend revisions to selection model and strategy for next cycle. 

Conference planning and event management: Lead logistics planning for major events, including our flagship  summer conference for all current Scholars, ~5 university on-campus visits and alumni engagement. 

• Deliver on event objectives through excellent execution, introduction of new ideas, and a commitment to continuous improvement  

• Supervise current and new delivery partners (event planner, facilitators) and collaborate to deliver high quality events on time and on budget. 

• Research and secure venues to host events such as restaurants, meeting spaces, and lodging. 

• Elevate participant experience through strong customer service, branding/swag, and community building activities. 

Communications: Develop and lead communications plans for all Samvid Scholars stakeholders including Scholars, alumni, university partners, peer programs, delivery partners, and volunteers/past volunteers.  

• Establish a comprehensive communications strategy for the Samvid Scholars program to enhance and professionalize its brand. 

• Design impactful copy and branding for marketing campaign for selection. 

• Write monthly communications for Scholars to share program updates and highlight Scholar achievements. Manage quarterly alumni newsletter and bi-annual “Friends of Samvid Scholars” newsletter. 

• Manage shared inbox and respond to contacts in a timely and professional manner. 

Marketing and university partner management: Design and lead strategic marketing campaign, including partnership management, to recruit highest quality candidates for Samvid Scholars and continue to build Samvid Scholars brand.  

• Develop annual marketing strategy, including setting recruitment goals and innovating new strategies to expand partnerships and increase competitive applicant pool. 

• Create engaging and relevant marketing collateral, including updates to website.  

• Manage existing and new partnerships with universities, fellowships, and peer programs, including facilitating meetings, to encourage collaboration and strengthen Samvid Scholars brand. 

Data analysis and management: Develop evaluation and learning plan to measure program impact, track Scholar and alumni engagement, and guide continuous improvement.  

• Design event surveys and annual assessments aligned with program scorecard for all Scholars and alumni. 

• Build systems and processes to collect, analyze and store all program data.  

• Create reports to communicate program outcomes to leadership and Samvid Board and inform continuous improvement efforts. 

QUALIFICATIONS  

• Minimum of 6-8 years of work experience 

• Strong program management and project management skills; Excels at and is passionate about leading multiple projects at once to deliver on program outcomes 

• Experience improving operations through use of tools and systems  

• Exceptional oral and written communication skills, including ability to craft strategic communications for variety of stakeholders and comfort managing relationships with external partners 

• Passion for delivering high-quality experiences for others (customer service) 

• Experience building and leading communities online and/or in person 

• Experience using data to drive outcomes and inform decision making for senior leaders 

• Strong attention to detail and highly organized 

• Owns outcomes for their scope of work and manages progress independently 

• Demonstrated interest in supporting graduate students (students 20-30 years of age) 

• Facilitation and/or event management experience preferred 

• Bachelor’s degree required, Master’s degree preferred   

Compensation: The salary range for this position is $90,000-$100,000 and will depend on prior work experience and our assessment of your demonstrated fit for the role.  

This job is located in NYC and required three days a week in office (Mon, Tues, Thurs) and two remote days optional (Wed, Fri)

TO APPLY  

Please email your resume and share your salary requirement in your cover note to: pam@samvid.ventures If you have questions before submitting your application, feel free to be in touch.