Associate, New Sites

Braven • Chicago, IL

1d • $54,000 - $67,300 • Hybrid

About The Position

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after graduation through a career-accelerating program delivered with higher education and employer partners. The Associate, New Sites will help Braven cultivate and project manage new higher education partnerships as the organization works toward serving 80,000–100,000 Fellows over the next decade. The role is part of the Higher Education Partnership team and reports directly to the Head, New Site Development.

The Associate will manage new site launches during cultivation and negotiation, research prospective partnerships, and help build strategies and systems that improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the team’s work. The position is hybrid, with three days in the office and two remote days each week, and requires residence within commuting distance of Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, or Newark. The role includes travel approximately 1–3 times per quarter and meetings outside regular local working hours about 2–3 times per month.

Requirements

• BA or equivalent degree.
• 1–3 years of full-time experience in project management or sales.
• 1–3 years of data analysis and data visualization experience.
• Authorized to work in the U.S.; Braven does not offer employment visa sponsorship.
• Ability to work in person in Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, or Newark three days per week.
• Access to the internet.
• Ability to travel about 1–3 times per quarter for team meetings, conferences, and external events.
• Ability to attend meetings outside regular working hours for the local time zone about 2–3 times per month.

Nice To Haves

• Engaging, clear, and succinct verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to adapt to different audiences.
• Ability to create and execute cross-functional project plans through effective planning, prioritization, project management, and follow-through.
• Ability to prioritize important work while navigating competing priorities.
• Ability to proactively communicate needed support and develop contingency plans.
• Motivated, self-directed, results-oriented, data-driven, and curious approach to work.
• Entrepreneurial approach and ability to excel in a fast-paced, team-oriented startup environment.
• Commitment to collaboration and learning from people with complementary experiences.
• Experience gathering relevant data and using it to communicate with external audiences, make decisions, and solve problems, particularly in ambiguous and fast-paced settings.
• Strong technological savvy or ability to learn quickly, including familiarity with project management tools such as Asana, deck design tools such as Canva and Google Slides, spreadsheet tools, Salesforce, or Jira; Google Suite experience is a plus.
• Interest in systems and big-picture thinking, alongside the ability to track details and use both to build strategy.
• Demonstrated commitment to building strong, welcoming cultures that help develop others.
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed a belief in Braven’s mission and prepared the candidate to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population.

Responsibilities

• Project manage a portfolio of new site launches in current and new regions, including creating and maintaining launch templates and tracking partnership tasks and deliverables.
• Manage regular planning meetings with partner schools and internal teams by preparing agendas, sending communications, creating collateral, coordinating schedules, and tracking internal launch tasks.
• Participate in look-ahead and look-back meetings with the New Site Development team to support preparation and follow-up.
• Review and provide thought partnership on Letters of Intent and Memorandums of Understanding with the General Counsel and Head of New Site Development.
• Support new site events by coordinating speakers, preparing talking points, and creating or reviewing invitation lists.
• Update Salesforce, Braven’s customer relationship management tool.
• Analyze national higher education data to inform strategy for prospective schools and regions.
• Compile briefs and SWOT analyses for prospective higher education partners through institutional, regional, and individual research.
• Prepare first drafts of board memos and presentations about prospective partnerships and manage cross-functional contributions to those materials.
• Request and analyze data with support from the data team to answer prospective partner questions, update materials, and communicate key points.
• Work with the communications team to design and create communication materials, including emails, decks, talking points, and student stories.
• Develop and enhance systems and tools for project managing new sites, communicating updates and status across workstreams, and tracking prospective partnerships and the partnership pipeline.
• Contribute analysis and thought partnership to strategies for achieving New Site-related goals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Benefits

• Discretionary time off, in addition to organization-wide holidays and two week-long shutdowns in July and December, with a minimum of 20 days per year.
• $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health.
• 401(k) contribution match up to 5% of base annual salary, starting the first full month.
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premiums for the employee and dependents.
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave.
• One-month paid sabbatical after four years on staff.
• Monthly $75 reimbursement for cell phone or internet.
• Access to funding for continued career development.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level