Coordinator, Program Operations

Braven; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 47,000 - 59,000; Full time

Job summary

Braven seeks a Coordinator for Program Operations in Chicago to support its Leadership & Career Accelerator course. This role involves managing logistics for events and communicating with participants, essential for ensuring smooth program operations. Ideal candidates will exhibit strong organizational and communication skills, contributing to Braven's mission of empowering students.

Benefits

Unlimited vacation time

401K matching up to 5%

85% health insurance premium coverage

12 weeks of paid parental leave

One-month paid sabbatical after 4 years

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree is mandatory.
• 1-3 years of administrative experience preferred.
• Experience using Microsoft Suite and G-Suite applications.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate logistics for the Accelerator program.
• Support virtual and in-person Fellow recruitment events.
• Assist with ad-hoc program-related projects.

Skills

Organizational skills

Customer service

Critical thinking

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Tools

Microsoft Suite

G-Suite

Salesforce

Job description

Job Title: Coordinator, Program Operations - Chicago

Team: Chicago Regional Team

Location: Hybrid in Chicago (IL)

Employment Type: Full-time

Start Date: July 22, 2025

About Braven

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.

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Coordinator, Program Operations who will support the Chicago regional team in successfully running Braven’s Leadership & Career Accelerator course (the Accelerator). In this role, you will be part of the engine behind our work with Northern Illinois University (NIU) and National Louis University (NLU). This role will help ensure smooth program logistics and provide other administrative support as assigned.

This role is on the Chicago regional team and reports directly to the Managing Director, NIU & NLU.

What You’ll Do

Coordinate Logistics for the Accelerator (50%)

• Prepare for and help execute event logistics
• Manage weekly Fellow and Leadership Coach (LC) communications
• Manage LC absence management, including serving as an LC substitute as needed
• Assist with the Flagged Student Tracker
• Support the grade auditing process
• Track and reconcile Learning Lab attendance
• Manage the Program operations calendar
• Provide support for Learning Lab observation
• Support the Centralized phone banking process
• Attend program execution-related meetings and trainings

Support Fellow Events (25%)

• Provide planning, execution and on-site support for virtual and in-person Fellow recruitment events including but not limited to information sessions, tabling, and relationship-building with recruitment partners

Support Regional Team Activities (25%)

• Execute and/or assist with ad-hoc program-related projects and tasks
• Provide planning, execution and on-site support for partner engagements (ex: HBCU Fellow Capstone, summer engagements with partners, etc.)
• Other duties as assigned

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree

Preferred Qualifications

• 1-3 years of administrative experience
• Extraordinary organization skills and attention to detail
• Strong customer service ethic with ability to proactively anticipate questions and concerns
• Strong critical thinking, written, and interpersonal communication skills necessary
• Ability to manage multiple projects concurrently and independently
• Proficiency in Microsoft Suite applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint), G-Suite (Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Forms, Google Sheets and Gmail)
• Experience in Salesforce, Canva,Jira, Zoom, Expensify
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and have 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 Chicago (IL) at least 3 days per week
• Ability to travel locally in Chicago as needed (~1x month) and nationally as needed (~ 2 year)
• Ability to work up to three evenings per week Tuesday-Thursday from 6-8PM CST (September-April)
• Occasional lifting and carrying of office supplies and light packages. The ideal candidate should be capable of comfortably handling items of moderate weight during day-to-day operations, including food deliveries and supply management.

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
• Performance Task & Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position, which depends on prior work experience and our assessment of your demonstrated fit for the role, will likely be between $47,000-$58,700 in Chicago. This is based on a 50-hour work week at an hourly rate. This is a full-time regular, non-exempt, and benefits eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity. 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. You will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the application process.

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 three team-wide, week-long shutdowns in Spring, Summer, and Winter (this is a minimum of 24 days per year)
• 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

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 Chicago. 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.