Associate Director, Startup Ecosystem & Programs

Vanderbilt University; Nashville, Northern (TN, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management seeks an Associate Director within the Center for Entrepreneurship to advance a vibrant startup ecosystem for Vanderbilt founders. You will use research, marketing, and operations to grow demand for services and to design intake processes into the C4E ecosystem.

You will lead workshops, mentor founders, and develop mentorship and Venture Scout programs while coordinating grant competitions and related programmatic activities, reporting

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience inside venture-backed startups or portfolio operations of a venture capital fund.
• Demonstrated history of taking initiative and working autonomously to solve problems with a proven ability to deliver against organizational KPIs.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Knowledge of the startup landscape and resources available for entrepreneurs.
• Familiarity with the Vanderbilt University environment and culture.
• Relationships with noteworthy entrepreneurial figures and/or entities who can provide meaningful resources to Vanderbilt founders.
• Passion for entrepreneurship and supporting student innovation.

Responsibilities

• Engage and Support Vanderbilt Founders by growing demand for services and designing intake workflows for founders into the C4E ecosystem.
• Lead C4E workshops and speaker series, redesigning content and tools to meet founder needs and coordinating attendance.
• Provide 1:1 mentoring to startup founders as appropriate.
• Grow the Alumni Mentor Program by attracting, onboarding, and matching mentors via the Center’s CRM.
• Develop the Vanderbilt Venture Scout Program with scalable marketing, intake, and investment memo development to support founders with potential funding.
• Execute grant competitions by shaping marketing strategies to drive student startup applications and overseeing programmatic aspects for winners.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Autonomous / self-starter

Startup ecosystem knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Job description

Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management seeks an Associate Director within the Center for Entrepreneurship to advance a vibrant startup ecosystem for Vanderbilt founders. You will use research, marketing, and operations to grow demand for services and to design intake processes into the C4E ecosystem.

You will lead workshops, mentor founders, and develop mentorship and Venture Scout programs while coordinating grant competitions and related programmatic activities, reporting