Program Officer, I&E Education & Curriculum Design

About The Role:

Are you experienced in developing and managing immersive learning experiences in the fields of STEM Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E)? Are you passionate about enhancing inclusive innovation ecosystems with institutions of higher education, industry and government? Do you want to join a dynamic and growing Higher Education Innovation Ecosystems department? If so, VentureWell has an exciting opportunity for you.

The Program Officer (PO) is responsible for designing and managing immersive learning experiences to support the organization’s growth in higher education ecosystem development. By facilitating learning models for higher education administrators, faculty, industry professionals, and I&E researchers, this role will be critical in enhancing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of ecosystem leaders to advance Research & Development translation and STEM entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialization in regions across the country. The candidate will have demonstrated experience and passion for broadening STEM Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Commercialization pathways. 

This position will join the Higher Education Innovation Ecosystems Team, which is responsible for collaborating and interfacing with ecosystem leaders (universities, innovation practitioners, workforce developers, investors, and federal agencies) to drive equitable and inclusive innovative ecosystems. 

At VentureWell, we strive to advance the impact of regional partnership networks by supporting higher education institutions as catalysts for innovation ecosystems  and innovative training strategies are key to addressing these goals. Candidates should have a proven track record in STEM Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Commercialization professional development, including delivering and overseeing the execution of customized training models, conducting needs assessments and designing STEM Innovation & Entrepreneurship focused curricula and learning materials to address audience needs. We value staff members who are curious, and have experience working with Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs).

The Program Officer reports directly to the Director, Higher Education Ecosystems, and is expected to travel about 25% of the time.

Responsibilities:

Program Administration (50% of time) 

Serves as an internal subject matter expert in the field of instructional design; designs, develops, and delivers, a wide range of STEM Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Commercialization, Ecosystem Development curricula and training programs to create customized learning  solutions that are aligned with VentureWell’s strategy

Leads the development and management of immersive experiences such as STEM Innovation & Entrepreneurship Communities of Practice, customized trainings/workshops and convenings 

Manages the logistics successful program implementation of activities and programs

Attend conferences and meetings to serve on panels and/or present insights, strategies, and best practices to various audiences 

Leverages experiences and knowledge to coordinate, develop and implement new and existing delivery methods and synthesize lessons learned to improve learning outcomes

Incorporate social learning principles into programs to support the diffusion of ideas and best practices

Defines competency models and skills frameworks for various audiences in higher education, industry and government by translating Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship content into easy-to-understand learning objectives and materials

Provides recommendations to support continuous improvement and organizational learning 

Implements defined program objectives, using domain experience to deliver programming – including group conversation facilitation, presenting and teaching directly in a “front of classroom” role, and one-on-one engagements with participants (e.g. students, faculty, professionals, etc.)

Collaboration & Project Management (40% of time) 

Actively participates in internal (and external) collaboration and communication to ensure program success through use of project management tools and practices including project kick-off and ongoing management

Contributes in collaboration and partnerships with external subject matter experts, consultants and vendors

Designs, plans and facilitates effective meetings

Prepares and syntheses written material and reports to funders

Departmental Collaboration and Relationship Management (10% of time) 

Gathers and synthesizes critical information and builds strategies for project expansion and/or new project development

Contributes to program design, evolution and renewals through provision of content for and authorship of reports to funders

Relationship Management (5% of time)  

Identifies new strategies to engage IHEs into programming with a focus on assessing the unique training needs of these audiences 

Maintains relationships with university leadership and faculty to understand institutional goals, priorities, and challenges with supporting STEM Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Commercialization 

Conducts Virtual and In-Person site visits, as needed

Support VentureWell membership activities 

What You Bring:

At least 5 years related experience in higher education including instructional design and training administration, with domain experience in fields related to VentureWell program areas such as science and technology innovation, entrepreneurship, commercialization, tech-based economic development, etc.

At least 5 years experience in programming and curricular development in higher education, implementation, and assessment; grant administration and development; program design and administration; stakeholder management, as well as, direct experience working with university stakeholders: faculty, staff, administrators, etc.

The ideal candidate for this role has experience designing STEM I&E training programs for various stakeholders: institutions of higher-education, industry and government  

Knowledge and fluency working with various needs assessment 

Ability to succeed and thrive in an environment with competing and changing priorities and tight deadlines

BS/BA required

Across the Board, VentureWell Staff:

Are able to succeed and thrive in an environment with competing and changing priorities and tight deadlines

Have track records of and ability to build solid collaborative working relationships, and are proven team players who enjoy a “customer service” orientation to collaboration

Are committed to embedding equity for all in our internal practices and culture and in our programs in order to live and achieve our mission

Bring openness and engagement to personal, professional, and organization-wide learning

Are curious and committed to issues of institutional sustainability

Are self-starters with excellent attention to detail and a commitment to delivering high-quality work 

Are active learners who independently learn new tools and work processes quickly

Have excellent written and oral communication skills

Our Benefits*:

An attractive and equitable compensation package, including: 

Salary range of $70,000-$85,000 commensurate with experience and internal equity

403(b) plan with 200% match up to a maximum contribution from VentureWell of 10% when the employee puts in 5% (eligible after one year of service for the match)

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

$1,000 home office stipend upon hire

A true focus on work-life balance with work weeks that reflect that

It’s our aim for our employees in this position to not work more than a 40-hour workweek 

20 paid vacation days

12 paid holidays 

12 paid wellness days 

*Benefits are reviewed each fiscal year and may be subject to change.

What We Offer:

A culture where people work intentionally and collaboratively in pursuit of our mission  

Values we believe in

About VentureWell:  

VentureWell supports the cultivation of science and technology inventors and the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems critical to their success. Since its founding in 1995, VentureWell has funded or trained over 20,500 early-stage science and technology inventors and innovators, resulting in the emergence of more than 6,700+ ventures with groundbreaking technological advancements in fields like biomedicine and healthcare, sustainable energy and materials, and solutions for low-resource settings. The ventures it has supported have raised subsequent funds totaling more than $9.0 billion and are reaching millions of people globally.

Visit venturewell.org to learn more.