Program Operations Director Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Senior Director of Program Operations - Post-Accelerator

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.

Requirements

• BA/BS Degree
• 8+ years of professional experience, with at least 5+ years in a people management or team leadership role.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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 — such as 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, being able to translate program needs and workflow challenges into clear problem statements, engage in productive cross-functional dialogue, and contribute meaningfully to conversations about systems design and prioritization without requiring deep technical expertise.
• 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.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• 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

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Braven doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Final Interview
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking.

Starting salary within the range is determined by role scope and qualifications, with new hires starting at the lower end to allow for growth with performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges, by geographic market, for this role are set forth $105,500-$131,800 in Atlanta, $111,300-$139,100 in Chicago, and $122,500-$153,100 in New York City and Newark. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits-eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include:

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $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

Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe our total rewards package aligns with what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply.

Location

We gather in the office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday) and work remotely 2 days a week (Monday and Friday). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of Atlanta, Chicago, New York, or Newark. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.