Operations Program Associate Jobs in Chicago, IL

Team: Product

Location: Hybrid in Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), New York (NY), Newark (NJ)

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Start Date: ASAP

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 Report.

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Senior Director of Program Operations to own the operational excellence and strategic growth of all programming that supports our Post-Accelerator Fellows (PAFs) after they complete our Accelerator course.

Unlike the Accelerator, which is credit-bearing and embedded in a student's coursework, post-accelerator programming is entirely voluntary. That makes operational quality mission-critical: the way we design, deliver, and continuously improve our programming directly determines whether PAFs show up, stay engaged, and ultimately secure strong first opportunities within six months of graduation Braven's north star outcome.

This leader will manage a team of Associate Directors and a Project Manager to operationalize a diverse portfolio of programs, the Professional Mentor Program, Career Communities, the Ready to Launch Bootcamp, other programming, and Post-Accelerator Fellow engagement through Braven's social media presence. They will be responsible not only for the excellent day-to-day execution of these programs but also for building the operational systems, team capabilities, and strategic vision that will enable Braven's post-accelerator work to scale. A critical dimension of this role is building and maintaining the operational infrastructure that enables both central and regional colleagues to execute post-accelerator programming with consistency and excellence.

This role is on the Product team and reports directly to the Head of Program Operations.

Post-Accelerator Program Operations Leadership (50%)

• Own the operational strategy, quality, and continuous improvement of Braven's full suite of post-accelerator programs, including the Professional Mentor Program, Career Communities events, and the Ready to Launch Bootcamp.
• Oversee the design and delivery of asynchronous programming including Case Management, Referral Systems, Job Boards, and opportunity newsletters ensuring these touchpoints are high-quality, timely, and effective at keeping PAFs engaged.
• Set clear operational standards and accountability structures across programs, ensuring Associate Directors and the Project Manager have the tools, clarity, and support they need to execute excellently.
• Monitor program performance through data; identify trends, gaps, and opportunities to strengthen outcomes and use insights to drive continuous improvement.

Team Management & Cross-Functional Leadership (30%)

• Directly manage a team of 4+ staff, including Associate Directors of Post-Accelerator Operations and Fellow Engagement & Communications, and a Project Manager of Post-Accelerator Operations.
• Develop and coach direct reports, fostering a culture of high performance, learning, collaboration, and equity within the team.
• Lead team goal-setting, workload management, and professional development, ensuring each team member is set up to thrive and grow.
• Serve as the primary operational partner to the Post-Accelerator Design and Execution team, building and sustaining the infrastructure tools, workflows, documentation, and training that enable both central and regional staff to execute post-accelerator programming; and partner closely with Systems, Volunteer, and other Product sub-teams to drive alignment and collaborative problem-solving on initiatives that impact PAFs.
• Represent post-accelerator operations in organizational planning conversations, advocating for the resources, systems, and visibility this work requires to succeed.

Innovation & Strategic Scaling (20%)

• 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 by designing smarter workflows, strengthening knowledge management infrastructure, and improving onboarding and training for the team.
• Proactively identify gaps in current systems, tools, processes, and automations that constrain the program's scalability, and bring those gaps to the Systems Team with sufficient operational context and prioritization rationale to enable effective scoping and solutioning.
• Leverage proficiency in operational tools such as Tableau or equivalent Data Visualization tools, Salesforce or equivalent CRMs, Airtable, and Jira Service Management or equivalent ticketing and workflow platforms to build, optimize, and automate program operations infrastructure without heavy reliance on the Systems or Technology team.
• 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 to bring fresh thinking and best practices to Braven's work.
• Partner with the Head of Program Operations and the Head of Post-Accelerator Execution on organizational and product strategy, contributing a post-accelerator operational lens to broader programmatic decisions and ensuring operations and program execution remain tightly aligned.