Overview of Watson Institute
Watson Institute is a place where next generation entrepreneurs and leaders can find their community, discover their calling, and accelerate their careers.
Watson Institute powers Career and Venture Accelerator programs for partners including Ford, Western Union, Truist, Bank of the West/BNP Paribas, and several private foundations that are impacting over 1,800 entrepreneurial leaders this year. The Fellowship programs include award-winning training, seed funding, committed mentorship, and a vast network of resources.
97% of Watson Institute alums are employed (including by Amazon, Tesla, Microsoft, fortune 500 companies, and innovative startups), continuing their education, or building a venture. Even leading business schools are at 93% for the same metric.
Alumni of Watson Institute’s Venture Accelerators have raised over $175 million, created over 1, 500 part or full-time jobs, and impacted 5 million people around the world through initiatives they help lead. Watson Institute’s Alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship and six have been named to Forbes’ 30 under 30 lists. Alums continue their education at Harvard University, New York University, and Princeton University, among others.
Associate Director of Design – Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Associate Director of Design is to support the design of global programming to meet the needs of all partnerships and deliver high quality programming to meet the needs of our fellows and scale our global impact. The Associate Director of Design has a high level goal to design ‘bespoke’ programs that achieve the North-star Goals of each program and receive a 9.0/10 or above on the end of programs survey question: How valuable has the coursework been for you?
Some of the key elements of this role include: Design & Content Creation (25% of their time), Designing Bespoke Programs (25% of their time), Preceptor Support (20% of their time), Measurement & Evaluation (20% of their time), Facilitation (5% of their time), and Managing Design Partnership Projects (5% of their time).
Detailed Position Breakdown
Design & Content Creation (25%):
- Strives to set an intentional pedagogy by researching new methodologies and equipping our Program Implementation Teams in each location (including Preceptors) with these new findings and powerful and effective teaching methodologies.
- The Associate Director of Design will be responsible for developing consistent iteration ‘change-cycle’ systems to ensure consistency and continual commitment to improve our content based on new, available information, this includes all corporate and foundational partnerships, in addition to Watson Institute at Lynn University.
- Schedules quarterly design focused learning conversations to engage with peer organizations around best practices to strengthen Watson Institute’s curriculum.
- Stays consistently up to date with industry trends, ensures that there is no outdated or redundant content in the curriculum.
- The Associate Director of Design works closely with our Program Implementation Teams to codify, strengthen, and harmonize our programs instructional materials, such as: Preceptor Guides, Preceptor Kits, Syllabi, reading materials, Deliverables and Workshop Decks.
Designing Bespoke Programs (25%):
- Continuously re-imagining and improving the design, elements, and structure of each workshop to best serve our participants and corporate and foundational partners.
- The Associate Director of Design is responsible for creating a Fellowship Success Tracker at least 5-months prior to the Fellowship start date.
- Designs all new program formats by curating Watson Institute’s ‘greatest hits’ to ensure that all new programs include 85% of our existing programming and creating roughly 15% of new content to meet the requests of our corporate and foundational partners.
Preceptor Support (20%):
- The Associate Director of Design is responsible for coaching the team of Preceptors in each Fellowship alongside the VP of Programs.
- Responsible for preparing Preceptor Advisory Board materials (for Fellows and Preceptors).
- Hosting and scheduling All Preceptor Meetings (1x a month), as well as Fellowship specific meetings (1x a month).
- Creating Preceptor Advisor Groups: Each Preceptor is assigned to be a Preceptor Advisor to 2-12 Fellows; depending on the size of the Fellowship. In order to prepare each Programs Manager to lead a successful Fellowship, you will match each Preceptor with a Fellow (or group of Fellows) to ensure there is a strong mentorship match for the duration of the program.
Measurement & Evaluation (20%):
- Conduct survey data analysis on a rolling basis to inform the next iteration of programming.
- Develops and rolls out student feedback surveys, with the goal of achieving a 9.0/10 or above on each key metric in the scholar reviews, with a two-fold approach to include:
- Design a core survey for each program (org-wide) and when applicable, add specific questions to capture key metrics that are critical for each of our partners.
- Design a methodology that weighs our “target” participants feedback vs. giving equal weight to all participants (ex. if a participant only engages in 10% of programming over a 16 week period, their feedback should be evaluated differently from a participants who completed 100% of the program).
- Creates an annual survey schedule to include:
- Annual Alumni Survey to collect responses and analyze feedback in order to propose any changes in alumni engagement and program implementation.
- Schedule 2 surveys for each program (middle and end). This may vary depending on the length of the program. The Associate Director of Design would work with the VP of Programs on this schedule to inform each Programs Manager.
- Develops and rolls out consistent Preceptor feedback and evaluation systems. Based on this data, develop recommendations for Preceptor candidates profiles based on the content created to inform the VP of Programs.
Facilitation (5%):
- The Associate Director of Design will support in facilitating programmatic workshops on an as needed basis.
- While programs are being delivered, support the Program Implementation team in day-to-day tasks and special ad hoc projects on an as needed basis.
Managing Design Partnership Projects (5%):
- On an as needed basis, the Associate Director of Design will work with Preceptors (or subcontractors) as the project manager for any design partnership projects we may have.
- Managing Design Partnership Projects can fluctuate from 0% to 5%+ depending on the design partnership and the scope of the project.
*New responsibilities may develop as the Associate Director of Design position evolves.
Requirements
Cultural Add
In order to thrive as the Associate Director of Design of Watson Institute, a candidate must:
- Eager to join a team with high standards for quality and excellence.
- An exceptional eye for detail. You enjoy spending time with words, style, and formatting in order to make the most compelling product possible.
- Detail Oriented: You are meticulous and have excellent organizational skills. You are especially attuned to spotting mistakes or inconsistencies in writing and external communications. You take pride in completing your work accurately and on schedule. You have a knack for project management and a love for work plans and checklists. You cringe at missed steps and you are the first to identify a typo or formatting error.
- Intentional: Your working style is about creating order and planning ahead. You think systematically and excel at establishing elegant processes.
- Results-Driven: You bring an eagerness to grow and to roll up your sleeves and contribute. You have a go-getter attitude and a drive to solve all sorts of problems, no matter the size or shape. When something is your responsibility, you find a way to see it through to the end.
- High Integrity: You will be asked to make sensitive and critical judgment calls, and as such, you are known for your integrity and you take that reputation seriously. You always choose to make the right decision versus the easy decision. You know what information is sensitive, and you will protect it accordingly. You are comfortable escalating issues and holding your ground when you think it’s the right thing to do for the organization and mission.
- Systems-minded: Demonstrated experience in building and implementing systems. You are comfortable designing, testing, improving, and smoothly running systems and processes. This could be any system that involved inputs from or served multiple people and required consistent and accurate functioning.
- Communication Style: Based on a story from Watson Institute’s early days, ‘Come to the Window’ represents the principles of our communication including:
- Obligation to Dissent: If someone on our team disagrees with a decision or our direction as an organization, our team encourages disagreement and brings attention to challenges because true leaders believe dissent is an obligation.
- Disagree and Commit: To complement Obligation to Dissent, there are times when we need to Disagree and Commit. Once all concerns and criticisms are shared, the course of action must be committed to by all involved.
- No Drama: We prioritize purpose and don’t involve ourselves in the drama created by backroom chatter, hearsay, and unnecessary focus on issues that do not place impact first.
- Go to the Source: Our culture is defined by direct, honest, and frequent communication. We expect team members to ‘go to the source’ of concerns by speaking up, communicating frequently, and taking issues directly to the individuals involved.
Candidate Profile:
Top candidates should demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities in the following areas:
- Works well under pressure and is undaunted by switching between projects and disciplines on any given day.
- Committed to embodying and being a steward of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
- Excel in our full court press mentality. The Watson Institute culture is one where we show daily hustle and grit, and support one another’s roles despite it not being in our own arena.
- A natural inclination to work hard and go the extra mile (or 37 miles) – we’ll tell you more about this in-person.
- Leave your ego at the door; as a member of the Watson Institute team, we focus on the bigger picture, beyond job titles, and remain committed to the organization’s mission and values.
- Expert facilitation skills, with the ability to inspire and draw out the best in a room during each of the workshops and events being facilitated.
- Dedication to designing quality programming.
- Measurement & Evaluation experience is a plus.
- 1-3 years of designing or innovating curriculum and/or content for programs.
Benefits
Benefits
- Competitive base salary according to experience: $65,000.00-$75,000.00.
- Annual Happiness Fund that increases with time and seniority.
- Unlimited vacations (3 weeks required vacation time per year).
- Monthly health insurance stipend.
- Automatic 3% contribution to your retirement account.
The Vitals
- The Associate Director of Design is a full-time commitment and reports to the VP of Programs.
- The Associate Director of Design position can work remotely, but should be based in the Boulder/Denver, CO, South Florida, or Pennsylvania areas.
- The start date for this position is July 1, 2023.