Associate Director, Program Operations

Job Title : Associate Director, Program Operations - Post-Accelerator Team : Product Location : Hybrid in Chicago (IL), Newark (NJ), or New York City (NYC) Employment Type : Full-time FLSA Classification : Exempt Start Date : ASAP About Braven Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program. We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation. Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream. To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Jobs . About the Role In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000–100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring an Associate Director, Program Operations – Post Accelerator, to lead the design, documentation, and execution of high-quality operational systems that enable Fellows to successfully secure strong first opportunities after graduation. As a member of the Program Enablement team on the Product team, you will own and continuously improve the operational systems that enable high-quality programming after students complete the Accelerator, our credit-bearing course. You will lead the planning, execution, and iteration of Post-Accelerator workstreams, ensuring programs and products are delivered consistently, efficiently, and at scale. In close partnership with regional and central teams, you will clarify tools, processes, roles, and timelines so that stakeholders are well-equipped to deliver strong outcomes for Fellows across a wide range of Post-Accelerator experiences. This role blends strategic ownership with hands-on execution, serving as a connective tissue across Product, Systems, and Regional teams to ensure Post-Accelerator operations are clear, timely, scalable, and effective. This role is on the Program Enablement team and reports directly to the Senior Director of Post-Accelerator Enablement. What You’ll Do Lead central operations for programming outside of the Accelerator (40%) • Lead planning and execution of national programs, including one or more of the following programs: • Designing and leading operational processes for our Professional Mentor program, including student recruitment, communications, attendance tracking and survey administration. • Designing and leading onboarding processes for Fellows to join Braven’s Career Communities, an initiative that provides industry-specific support to Fellows • Designing and project managing in-person and virtual event operations for Braven’s Career Communities, Ready to Launch Bootcamps, and other Post-Accelerator events • Leading operations for Braven’s Job Opportunity and Talent Referral initiatives • Implement new Post-Accelerator strategies nationwide, collaborating with regions to secure strong first opportunities for Fellows. • Laterally coordinate and provide accountability for regional and national team members who support program execution outside of the Accelerator • Manage and improve how we track and display program metrics so that cross-functional and cross-regional teams can track progress-to-goals • Analyze weekly Post-Accelerator data to identify program strengths and improvement opportunities Serve as a critical contributor to Braven projects (30%) • Serve as a project contributor and consultant on Braven’s relevant cross-functional project teams, building out new operational systems to support scale and delivering on business-as-usual work, including: • Developing and improving key standard operating procedures and systems, including, but not limited to, case management, mentor/mentee matching, attendance management, and event management • Designing and sending targeted communications in alignment with the Post-Accelerator communications strategies • Other deliverables to support smooth program launch and execution, as assigned Support Post-Accelerator onboarding, training, and knowledge management (10%) • Onboard new teammates with significant Post-Accelerator touchpoints (including regional program managers and central staff) to Post-Accelerator strategies and initiatives • Design and deliver internal training sessions to support smooth Post-Accelerator execution • Update and maintain program operations documentation and resources • Create and iterate on central resources to make Post-Accelerator execution easier • Update and maintain the Post-Accelerator portion of Braven’s internal wiki Manage 1-2 part-time student interns (15%) • Onboard and set clear expectations for intern work streams • Provide support and feedback for successful integration into the team and completion of work Other duties as assigned (5%) • Ad hoc team projects • Supporting regions as needed Minimum Requirements • Education: Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience • Experience: 4+ years in program, project, or operations management—ideally in education, nonprofit, or similar mission-driven environments • Demonstrated experience designing and implementing scalable operational systems • Excellent organization, prioritization, and project management skills • Strong collaboration and communication abilities, with comfort working cross-functionally Preferred Qualifications • Experience building and leading complex operational or programmatic initiatives across multiple sites or stakeholder groups • Experience designing and delivering training across distributed teams that supports operational excellence • Proven ability to analyze, optimize, and scale systems while maintaining program fidelity and quality • Background in one or more of the following domains: stakeholder management, academic operations, or event logistics • Familiarity with CRM, project management, or workflow systems (e.g., Salesforce, Jira, Airtable, or similar platforms) • Demonstrated commitment to