Associate Search Manager

Watson Institute • Full-time • Remote (Boulder, CO, US) • $60k - $65k / year • 1w ago

The Vitals

Experience working with WeChat is required.
Experience working with Little Red Note is required.
Position requires full professional proficiency in English and Mandarin (spoken and written).
The Associate Search Manager is a full-time commitment and reports to the Associate Director of Search. The Associate Search Manager will also collaborate closely with the Senior Programs Manager.
The Associate Search Manager position can work remotely, but should be based in CO, PA, GA, FL, ME, AZ, DC, OK, SC, or MD.
The start date for this position is flexible, anticipated for October–November 2025.
We accept applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Travel Required: This role involves making two trips each year to Boulder, CO (and other possible locations in the US) for hands-on, immersive experiences with our teams and Fellows. You’ll also need to be comfortable traveling to China from time to time to engage with Fellows.
We use E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all new hires.

Overview of Watson Institute

Watson Institute powers transformative Fellowships in partnership with leading corporations and foundations to support highly promising, historically disenfranchised rising entrepreneurs and leaders. The Fellowships provide proven entrepreneurship and leadership skills training, committed mentorship, community development stipends, long-term Alumni support, and access to a global community of peers, mentors, and opportunities.

In partnership with JPMorganChase, Walmart.org, Ford Philanthropy, Comcast, Google, Western Union Foundation, Truist Foundation, BMO, and several private foundations, Watson Institute’s programs will reach over 2,400 rising leaders this year.

Alumni of Watson Institute’s Fellowships have raised over $190 million, created over 2,300 paid jobs, and impacted over 11 million people around the world through initiatives they have helped lead. 93% of Watson Institute alums are employed, continuing their education, or building a venture. 85% of Watson Institute Alumni use a skill they learned while in a Watson Institute-powered program up to 12 years later. Watson Institute’s Alumni have been selected to Y Combinator, the Echoing Green Fellowship, and 11 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 Search Manager - Mission Statement

The primary mission of the Associate Search Manager is to support the recruitment and admissions efforts for rising entrepreneurs and leaders for Watson Institute’s Fellowships. The Associate Search Manager will leverage partnerships with nominators, thought leaders, community influencers, and alumni, as well as robust digital marketing tactics, to search for future Fellows. In addition, the Associate Search Manager will lead programming at two immersives each year to welcome the Fellows and support their transition to Watson Institute.

Associate Search Manager – Role

Recruitment & Marketing (50% of the time)

Nominator & Organizational Partnerships: Watson Institute’s network of over 350 nominators are the primary way in which strong prospective applicants find out about the Watson Institute. This individual will lead the process of strengthening and building relationships with new and existing nominators. The Associate Search Manager will also be responsible for supporting our CRM platform as it relates to Search and Admissions. The elements of the nominator process include:

Identifying strong prospective nominators: Through research and recommendations from current nominators, the Associate Search Manager identifies strong prospective nominators. This individual should expect to reach out to 10-15 new prospective nominators each month during active recruitment periods.
Building new nominator partnerships: Once strong prospects are identified, the Associate Search Manager leads the process of setting up calls and meetings to bring on board new nominators. This individual should plan to meet with at least 4 new nominators each month. Meetings with nominators are usually done over the phone or video conference unless they are local.
Strengthening existing nominator partnerships: Through research and learning conversations, the Associate Search Manager identifies and implements a strategy to better engage and build a community for our existing nominators.
Travel & Recruitment Trips: As budget and capacity allows, the Associate Search Manager can plan and execute trips to relevant geographies to support recruitment efforts.
Connecting with Prospective Applicants & Entrepreneurs: The Associate Search Manager schedules discovery calls with prospective applicants and leads for current and future programs. This individual should expect to reach out to new prospective applicants on a weekly basis.

Marketing: The Watson Institute Search & Admissions team deploys paid social media ads (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), paid Opportunity Sites (Opportunity Desk, ProFellow), and other forms of digital marketing (Webinars, Newsletters, etc.) to increase the reach of our programs, attract applicants, and build our cohorts. The responsibilities of this will include:

Create Monthly Content: For social media channels, will create compelling monthly content based on programs happening.
Building & Running Ads: In conjunction with colleagues, the Associate Search Manager will implement digital ads including the content creation and approval, targeting, and analytics.
Oversee Opportunity Sites: The Associate Search Manager will keep an ongoing list of Opportunity Sites and decide which ones are most relevant for the outreach that is being done.
Identify & Implement New Strategies: As budget and capacity allows, the Associate Search Manager will research and recommend ways in which we can elevate our marketing efforts to increase reach, leads, and enrollment for our programs.

Fellow Admissions & Selection (20% of time)

Selection & Admission: The Associate Search Manager will support the selection process for the Fellowships. The Associate Search Manager will ensure the proper admissions processes are being followed and utilized. This includes:

Written Application Review: Reviewing and scoring written applications.
Conducting Interviews: Interviewing and scoring each finalist.
Acceptance & Onboarding: Communicating admissions decisions and working alongside the programs team.

Data Management & Analysis (10% of time)

The Associate Search Manager will be responsible for creating, updating, and managing reports via Salesforce. This will include:

Per cycle recruitment analytics across outreach channels.
Recruitment market data management and analysis.
Paid Marketing Reach, Leads & Inquiries, Applications, Yield, Enrollment, Melt analysis.

Lead Immersives (20% of time)

The Associate Search Manager will be responsible for making two trips each year to Boulder, CO (and other possible locations in the US) for hands-on, immersive experiences with our teams and Fellows. This will include:

Supporting Fellows with travel and visa logistics.
Facilitating sessions for the Fellows.
Work alongside the Events Team, who will be supporting Program Operations in-person, to ensure all logistics are in place for the immersive experience.

New responsibilities may develop as the Associate Search Manager position evolves.

Requirements

Culture Add

In order to thrive as the Associate Search Manager at 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 you disagree with a decision or direction as an organization, you are expected to bring attention to this challenge 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:

A deep-seated passion for building community and Watson Institute’s mission to develop innovators, leaders, and entrepreneurs to solve the toughest challenges facing the world.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
A systems-oriented and highly organized approach to their work.
Experience with Salesforce (or other CRM platforms) is a plus.
Mandatory skills: Excel mastery, email wizardry, rapid follow-up, and data analysis.
Facilitation skills, with the ability to inspire and draw out the best in a room during each of the workshops and events being facilitated.
1-2 years of experience working in recruitment in the space of higher education, accelerators, fellowships, or other programs supporting entrepreneurs - preferably in Asian markets.
A natural inclination to build relationships and partnerships in recruitment communities in order to strengthen Watson Institute’s presence. This includes hosting weekly webinars via online conferences and WeChat.
Experience working with WeChat is required.
Experience working with Little Red Note is required.
Position requires full professional proficiency in English and Mandarin (spoken and written).

Benefits

Competitive base salary according to experience: $60,000.00-$65,000.00.
Annual Happiness Fund that increases with time and seniority.
Unlimited vacations (3 weeks required vacation time per year).
Healthcare benefit via Thatch (ICHRA provider) where employees have the option to apply this amount towards their choice of medical plans, with the option to add vision and dental plans.
Automatic 3% contribution to your retirement account.