Associate, Program Delivery & Operations

Schmidt Futures; New York (NY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Schmidt Futures is seeking an Associate, Program Delivery & Operations to provide operational, logistical, and administrative support across the Rise program. You will strengthen systems, support surge Fellow operations, and help plan community events.

This full-time role will collaborate with the Rise team, Schmidt entities, and The Rhodes Trust, across global partners. The position focuses on maintaining data, dashboards, and reporting, coordinating events such as the 2027 Rise Global

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution.
• Two to four years of progressively responsible experience supporting program delivery, operations, project management, event coordination, higher education services, or similar functions.
• Experience administering project management, survey, email marketing, database, website, or workflow automation platforms is preferred.
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and outside normal working hours to support Rise's globally distributed team.

Responsibilities

• Support the development, coordination, and execution of operational priorities and cross-functional initiatives.
• Design, improve, and maintain systems, workflows, databases, dashboards, surveys, and documentation to strengthen program delivery.
• Implement process improvements, automation, and AI-enabled workflows to boost productivity.
• Serve as day-to-day administrator for Rise's systems and productivity tools; maintain program data, dashboards, and reporting.
• Coordinate operational communications, including newsletters, surveys, calendars, and shared mailboxes.
• Support administration of contracts, consultants, invoices, budgets, and financial reporting in partnership with Finance teams.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Project management

Attention to detail

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Communication skills

Operational reporting

Workflow optimization

AI tools familiarity

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

Higher education experience

Tools

Airtable

Asana

Alchemer

Mailchimp

Google Workspace

Websites

Job description

Rise is a program that supports promising young people and provides them with opportunities that allow them to work together to serve others over their lifetimes. The program starts at ages 15–17 and offers benefits including secondary education opportunities, a technology package, a Rise Residential Summit, college advising, higher education scholarships, additional convenings, funding, and more.

The Role

Reporting to the Executive Director, Rise, the Associate, Program Delivery & Operations will provide operational, logistical, and administrative support across the Rise program. The role supports the delivery of Rise initiatives and services by strengthening systems and processes, providing surge Rise Fellow support, and helping plan and deliver community events.

The Associate will work closely with the Manager, Learning & Impact; the Director, Support Services and Support Services Advisors; colleagues across the Schmidt entities and The Rhodes Trust; and external consultants, contractors, and service providers. The Associate will also serve as the Rise team's day-to-day administrator for operational systems and productivity tools, helping colleagues effectively use technology to strengthen collaboration, communication, reporting, and program delivery. This will be a full-time fixed-term position through December 2027.

Key responsibilities for this role include the following:

Program Delivery

• Support the development, coordination, and execution of operational priorities, project plans, playbooks, and cross-functional initiatives that advance Rise's mission and goals.
• Collaborate with Rise team members to design, improve, and maintain systems, workflows, databases, dashboards, surveys, templates, and documentation that strengthen program delivery, operational effectiveness, and impact measurement.
• Implement approved process improvements, automation, technology enhancements, and AI-enabled workflows that strengthen team productivity and program delivery.
• Serve as the day-to-day administrator for Rise's systems and productivity tools, including Airtable, Asana, Alchemer, Mailchimp, Google Workspace, websites, and related technologies; maintain program data, dashboards, and reporting systems that support decision-making, organizational learning, and impact measurement.
• Coordinate Rise's operational communications, including newsletters, websites, surveys, communication calendars, the Rise Fellows LinkedIn Community, and shared mailboxes; respond to or route inquiries and maintain accurate operational records.
• Support administration of contracts, consultants, service providers, invoices, approvals, budgets, and financial reporting in partnership with Rise, Schmidt entities, and The Rhodes Trust Finance teams.
• Other duties as assigned.

Community Events

• Support the planning and delivery of the 2027 Rise Global Convening, Regional Meetups, and other virtual and in-person events.
• Coordinate participant travel, visas, accommodations, registrations, communications, and event logistics in partnership with partners, consultants, and service providers.
• Manage registration systems, participant data, event websites, surveys, and evaluation processes that support continuous improvement.
• Provide on-site operational support, including registration, transportation, meals, meeting spaces, materials, and vendor coordination.
• Support vendor management, procurement, contracts, budget tracking, staffing schedules, run-of-show documents, and operational playbooks.

Support Services

• Provide surge support to the Support Services team during peak periods by responding to Fellow inquiries, supporting higher education workflows, reviewing funding requests, and delivering timely communications.
• Perform due diligence checks and coordinate with the Rise and The Rhodes Trust Finance teams to support timely disbursement of Fellow funding.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong organizational and project management skills, with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.
• Excellent written, verbal, interpersonal, and relationship-building skills, with experience collaborating effectively across global cultures and diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to administer, maintain, and improve business systems and productivity platforms, including Airtable, Asana, Alchemer, Mailchimp, Google Workspace, websites, and AI tools such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
• Ability to use data and technology to improve workflows, monitor program performance, and support continuous improvement.
• Experience supporting operational reporting, budgets, contracts, databases, and process improvement initiatives.
• Values-based, collaborative working style with a demonstrated commitment to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and confidentiality.
• Commitment to adhering to Rise safeguarding, privacy, and data protection standards.
• Drive to work in high-impact philanthropic ventures.

Suggested Background

• Bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited institution.
• Two to four years of progressively responsible experience supporting program delivery, operations, project management, event coordination, higher education services, or similar functions.
• Experience administering project management, survey, email marketing, database, website, or workflow automation platforms is preferred.
• Willingness to work occasional evenings and outside normal working hours to support Rise's globally distributed team, partners, and community of Fellows.
• Ability to work extended hours during Regional Meetups, the 2027 Rise Global Convening, and other events, including limited international travel.
• Position is based in the Schmidt New York office five days per week.