Senior Director, Program Operations

Braven • Atlanta, GA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Braven is seeking a Senior Director of Program Operations to lead the operational excellence and strategic growth of all programming supporting Post-Accelerator Fellows (PAFs). This role is crucial for ensuring PAFs remain engaged and secure strong first opportunities post-graduation. The Director will manage a team to operationalize various programs, including the Professional Mentor Program, Career Communities, and the Ready to Launch Bootcamp, while also building the necessary operational systems and strategic vision for scalability. A key aspect of this role involves establishing and maintaining the operational infrastructure that supports consistent and excellent program execution by both central and regional colleagues. This position is part of the Product team and reports to the Head of Program Operations.

Requirements

• BA/BS Degree
• 8+ years of professional experience
• At least 5+ years in a people management or team leadership role.
• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Ability to work in-person in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), New York (NY), or Newark (NJ) 3 days per week
• Ability to travel approximately 6 times per year to other Braven locations
• Ability to travel to in-person Braven events, including some evening and weekend events as needed

Nice To Haves

• Demonstrated success leading operational functions at scale, ideally in a nonprofit, education, or EdTech context.
• Experience managing multi-program portfolios and leading teams of diverse functions and skill sets.
• Adaptable problem-solver, comfortable with ambiguity, and able to translate complexity into clear solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to independently configure, troubleshoot, and optimize operational tools (Tableau or equivalent, Salesforce or equivalent, Airtable, and Jira Service Management or equivalent platforms) to streamline and scale program processes without requiring ongoing Systems or Tech team support.
• Demonstrated ability to serve as an effective operational thought partner with technical teams.
• Strong ability to prioritize, delegate, collaborate cross-functionally, and drive results.
• Demonstrated commitment to building strong and welcoming cultures that help to develop others.
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and has prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population.

Responsibilities

• Own the operational strategy, quality, and continuous improvement of Braven's post-accelerator programs (Professional Mentor Program, Career Communities events, Ready to Launch Bootcamp).
• Oversee the design and delivery of asynchronous programming (Case Management, Referral Systems, Job Boards, opportunity newsletters) to ensure high quality, timeliness, and effectiveness in keeping PAFs engaged.
• Set clear operational standards and accountability structures across programs, providing necessary tools, clarity, and support to Associate Directors and the Project Manager.
• Monitor program performance through data, identify trends and opportunities, and use insights to drive continuous improvement.
• Directly manage a team of 4+ staff, including Associate Directors and a Project Manager.
• Develop and coach direct reports, fostering a culture of high performance, learning, collaboration, and equity.
• Lead team goal-setting, workload management, and professional development.
• Serve as the primary operational partner to the Post-Accelerator Design and Execution team, building and sustaining infrastructure tools, workflows, documentation, and training.
• Partner with Systems, Volunteer, and other Product sub-teams to drive alignment and collaborative problem-solving.
• Represent post-accelerator operations in organizational planning conversations.
• Develop and champion a multi-year operational vision for post-accelerator programming that anticipates growth and builds toward scale.
• Identify opportunities to streamline, systematize, and innovate across programs.
• Proactively identify gaps in current systems, tools, processes, and automations that constrain scalability and communicate these to the Systems Team.
• Leverage proficiency in operational tools (Tableau, Salesforce, Airtable, Jira Service Management or equivalents) to build, optimize, and automate program operations infrastructure.
• Lead or contribute to cross-functional strategic projects that advance Braven's ability to serve PAFs at scale.
• Stay current on trends in career development, alumni engagement, and nonprofit program operations.
• Partner with the Head of Program Operations and the Head of Post-Accelerator Execution on organizational and product strategy.

Benefits

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (minimum of 19 days per year)
• $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

What This Job Offers

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