Program Director for the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship
About The Position
The Program Director provides leadership and operational oversight for programs, events, competitions, and student engagement initiatives within the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). The Program Director provides leadership and operational oversight for programs, events, competitions, and student engagement initiatives within the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE). Reporting directly to the Executive Director, this position is responsible for managing the daily operations of the center, coordinating entrepreneurship programming, supervising staff and student workers, supporting strategic initiatives, working with donors, and fostering relationships with students, mentors, alumni, faculty, and community partners. The Program Director serves as a central operational leader for the CIE and plays a key role in ensuring the successful execution of entrepreneurship programs, competitions, workshops, mentorship activities, and experiential learning opportunities. The position works collaboratively with CIE Marketing Specialists to support program promotion, outreach, and participant engagement. The role requires strong organizational, leadership, communication, and relationship-management skills, along with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, student-focused environment.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution.
- Experience in program management, event coordination, student engagement, higher education administration, or related fields.
- Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines simultaneously.
- Ability to work collaboratively with students, faculty, staff, and external stakeholders.
- Bachelor's (Required)
- Relevant experience | 6 Years | Required
Nice To Haves
- Master's degree in business, higher education administration, entrepreneurship, or related field.
- Experience working in higher education, entrepreneurship programs, innovation centers, or student development environments.
- Experience managing events, competitions, or experiential learning programs.
- Experience supervising student employees or part-time staff.
- Familiarity with university operational procedures and event coordination systems.
Responsibilities
- Oversee day-to-day operations of the CIE and ensure efficient coordination of programs and activities, including managing CIE Marketing Specialists and student workers.
- Lead planning, implementation, and continuous improvement of entrepreneurship programs and student engagement initiatives.
- Develop operational processes and systems to support program effectiveness and participant experience.
- Maintain organized records, program data, reports, and operational documentation.
- Coordinate center schedules, shared spaces, and program calendars.
- Assist the Executive Director with strategic initiatives and operational planning.
- Lead planning and execution of entrepreneurship competitions, workshops, networking events, speaker series, mentor sessions, and special initiatives.
- Manage event logistics including: venue coordination, catering, registration, parking, and participant communication.
- Develop event timelines, operational checklists, and planning systems.
- Coordinate onsite event management and troubleshoot operational issues as needed.
- Support post-event assessment and reporting, including data analysis from attendees and participants.
- Support student participation in entrepreneurship programming and experiential learning opportunities.
- Coordinate mentor engagement activities, mentor scheduling, and communication.
- Assist with student advising and program participation support as appropriate.
- Foster a welcoming, professional, and student-centered environment within the CIE.
- Support relationship-building with alumni, entrepreneurs, judges, donors, and community partners.
- Recruit, train, supervise, and evaluate student workers assigned to the CIE.
- Coordinate staffing schedules and assign operational and event-related responsibilities.
- Monitor professionalism, performance, and accountability of student assistants.
- Assist with timesheet approval and student employment processes in accordance with university policies.
- Support Work collaboratively with University Leadership including the Chancellor’s office, Provost’s office, University Marketing, Dean’s Office and School of Business Staff to support promotion of programs, competitions, and events.
- Manage and work collaboratively with the CIE Marketing Specialists to support promotion of programs, competitions, and events.
- Assist with participant communications, registration systems, and engagement tracking.
- Support development of presentations, reports, internal communications, and program materials.
- Coordinate collection and organization of participation data and operational metrics.
- Will lead the job search committee and manage an administrative assistant.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
