AlphaLab & Portfolio Operations Manager - Innovation Works, Inc.

Innovation Works, Inc.; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Innovation Works, Inc. seeks a Platform Operations Manager to enhance the AlphaLab accelerator and seed portfolio experience. You will oversee company-facing resources, onboarding, and community programs, ensuring consistent, scalable operations across multiple programs.

You will collaborate with Managing Directors, program managers, and the investment team to optimize systems, content, and mentor/partner connections while leveraging AI and modern tools to streamline workflows.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in program management, operations, customer success, startup support, community management, or a related role.
• Experience working with startups, accelerators, venture capital, or entrepreneurial ecosystems strongly preferred.
• Strong project-management and operational execution skills, including ability to manage multiple priorities, create repeatable processes, and improve existing systems.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with founders.
• Customer-oriented mindset and interest in continually improving the founder experience.
• Ability to work independently, make sound operational decisions, and adapt quickly in a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary operational point of contact for companies, helping founders navigate Innovation Works programs, resources, systems, and services.
• Lead onboarding for accelerator companies and newly funded portfolio companies, creating a consistent and engaging introduction to Innovation Works.
• Manage company-facing help requests and route founders efficiently to the appropriate team member or resource.
• Maintain strong engagement with founders throughout their experience and create opportunities for companies to connect with peers.
• Work with Directors and Program Managers to identify recurring needs and improve programs and services.
• Coordinate program calendars and logistics for workshops, events, and meetings.
• Support application, evaluation, selection, and onboarding processes.
• Maintain operational playbooks, processes, templates, and documentation for consistent execution.
• Manage content and resources on company-facing platforms and partner networks.

Skills

Program management

Operations

Customer success

Startup support

Community management

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Salesforce

Slack

Google Workspace

Calendly

Circle

Claude

ChatGPT

Job description

AlphaLab & Portfolio Operations Manager

Innovation Works, Inc.

About the Role

The Platform Operations Manager plays a central role in delivering an excellent experience for founders and companies across Innovation Works' AlphaLab accelerator program and broader seed portfolio. This role reports to the Director of Accelerator Programs.

This role combines operational leadership of our company programs with responsibility for the company-facing systems, resources, and community experiences that support companies as they grow. The Platform Operations Manager ensures founders can easily access the right resources, programming, connections, and information.

The successful candidate will be highly execution-oriented while also thinking systematically about how Innovation Works can deliver value to companies in scalable, repeatable ways. They will work closely with Managing Directors, Program Managers, Investment Team members, and other internal teams to create a consistent, high-quality founder experience across sectors and stages.

Primary Responsibilities

Founder and Portfolio Company Experience

• Serve as a primary operational point of contact for companies, helping founders navigate Innovation Works programs, resources, systems, and services.
• Lead onboarding for accelerator companies and newly funded portfolio companies, creating a consistent and engaging introduction to Innovation Works.
• Manage company-facing help requests and route founders efficiently to the appropriate team member or resource.
• Maintain strong engagement with founders throughout their experience with Innovation Works and create opportunities for companies to connect with and learn from one another.
• Work with Managing Directors and Program Managers to identify recurring company needs and improve the programs and services available to founders.

Program Operations

• Manage the operational execution of company programming across AlphaLab and the broader Innovation Works portfolio.
• Coordinate program calendars and logistics associated with workshops, speakers, company meetings, events, and other activities.
• Support application, evaluation, selection, and onboarding processes.
• Work closely with Managing Directors and Program Managers to ensure consistent execution while supporting the distinct needs of each program.
• Maintain operational playbooks, processes, templates, and documentation to support consistent execution.

Portfolio Programs and Resources

• Manage and continuously improve company-facing platform programs and resources that benefit companies across Innovation Works sectors and stages.
• Manage the day-to-day company experience within community and resource platforms such as Circle, including user support, issue triage, and content organization.
• Curate and maintain company-facing content, resources, job opportunities, and other scalable services in partnership with internal subject-matter owners.
• Support access to company resources and benefits while coordinating with the team members who own the underlying partner, mentor, or service-provider relationships.
• Identify and implement AI-native approaches, automation, and new tools that make company services and internal workflows more scalable, efficient, and accessible.

Feedback, Metrics, and Continuous Improvement

• Manage NPS and other founder-feedback processes across company programs and portfolio services.
• Develop mechanisms to understand company needs, satisfaction, engagement, and gaps in the founder experience.
• Track engagement and usage of key programs, services, and resources using Salesforce and other internal systems.
• Use feedback and operating data to recommend and implement improvements to company programs and services.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Managing Directors, Program Managers, the Investment Team, CRM & Business Systems, Marketing, and other Innovation Works teams to deliver a cohesive company experience.
• Partner closely with the Partner Engagement Manager to connect companies with mentors, service providers, perks, and other external resources
• Establish clear processes and handoffs between company-facing operations and partner-facing relationship management.
• Support major Innovation Works initiatives and events involving companies.
• Contribute to team and organizational goals related to company engagement, program quality, operational excellence, and founder satisfaction.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate combines strong program-management and operational skills with a genuine interest in working directly with founders. They enjoy making complex programs run well while also improving the systems and processes behind them.

Strong candidates will have many of the following qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in program management, operations, customer success, startup support, community management, or a related role.
• Experience working with startups, entrepreneurs, accelerators, venture capital, economic development, or another entrepreneurial ecosystem strongly preferred.
• Strong project-management and operational execution skills, including demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, create repeatable processes, and improve existing systems.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to build trusted relationships with founders.
• A customer-oriented mindset and interest in continually improving the founder experience.
• Ability to work independently, make sound operational decisions, and adapt quickly in a fast-moving environment.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and comfort working across teams with different priorities and areas of expertise.
• Experience using AI and technology to improve workflows and solve problems, including tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, Salesforce, Slack, Google Workspace, Calendly, Circle, and other productivity or program-management systems.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential company information with discretion.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Innovation Works, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a respectful and welcoming workplace. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.