Program Operations Specialist - Creative Destruction Lab

Job Description

PROGRAM OPERATIONS SPECIALIST - CREATIVE DESTRUCTION LAB

Req #: 237275 Department: FOSTER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Job Location Detail: Hybrid Eligible Posting Date: 07/29/2024 Closing Info: Closes On 08/05/2024 Salary: $7,000 - $7,400 per month Other Compensation: Shift: First Shift Benefits: As a UW employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please visit our website, click here. As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem-solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.
UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.
About Creative Destruction Lab:
Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is an objectives-based mentorship program for massively scalable, science- and technology-driven startups. The program's mission is to enhance the commercialization of science for the betterment of humankind. CDL’s sweet spot is working with founders at the pre-seed or pre-series A stage. The program takes no equity and charges no fees - it is funded through philanthropy and corporate partnerships.
The program consists of a series of five intensive, full-day objective-setting sessions, spaced at 8-week intervals. At these sessions, founders meet with a curated group of investors (angels and venture capitalists), successful tech entrepreneurs, and accomplished scientists to set short-term milestones and raise capital. CDL is complementary to other startup incubators and accelerators but provides a unique type of support focused on establishing lasting relationships between experienced deep-tech entrepreneurs and new startups to improve the prioritization of milestones in the early stages of a venture's development.
CDL is run as a partnership between CDL-Global and the business schools of a dozen leading universities. The universities act as a convener of talent, bringing together mentors, world-class scientists, and economists to accelerate and enable investment in promising new ventures.
CDL-Seattle launched at the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington in 2021. The program is run via “streams”, or cohorts of 20 ventures, that run from the fall through the spring each year, following the UW academic year.
The first CDL-Seattle stream, Computational Health, is going into its fourth year in 2024/25. This stream is for founders solving biological, medical, and healthcare problems using innovative applications of software, data science, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.
CDL-Seattle added a second stream in 2022, Advanced Manufacturing, now going into its third year in 2024/25. This stream is for founders using machine intelligence, IoT, cloud computing, robotics, 3D printing, new materials, and novel approaches to workforce augmentation to solve problems in manufacturing.
Every year, the CDL-Seattle team revisits and revises the stream areas of focus. Future areas of interest for potential new streams include next-generation computing, aging and longevity, climate technologies, quantum, space, and other areas of deep-tech and science innovation.
See CDL-Seattle Mentors: https://creativedestructionlab.com/mentors/?location=seattle
See CDL-Seattle Alumni Ventures: https://creativedestructionlab.com/companies/?location=seattlea>
As of July 2024, CDL-Seattle alumni ventures have raised over $110 million and created $500 million in net new equity value creation since 2022.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Recruitment, Evaluation, and Selection: 25%
• Lead recruitment and selection processes for seed-stage startups (aka ventures) for CDL-Seattle cohorts from research institutions/organizations in Washington State and beyond, as well as from incubators, accelerators, research universities, venture capital lists, Pitchbook, and Crunchbase.
• Build a prospect pipeline within Salesforce to monitor and convert leads to applications, leveraging LinkedIn and Pardot as well to execute outreach strategies.
• Conduct interviews with vetted program applicants and founders to select the best ventures for upcoming cohorts.
Venture Management: 50%
• Manage bi-monthly documentation workflow for ventures within the current cohort and regularly prepare venture summaries, venture updates, financial due diligence briefs, etc.
• Collect and analyze data on venture progress and program outcomes. Prepare reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders, highlighting key achievements and insights.
• Advise ventures through the program by learning about their businesses in-depth, coaching founders on communicating their value propositions, summarizing their technologies, and drafting short-term SMART objectives.
• Act as liaison between ventures, mentors (entrepreneurs and investors), scientists, and students throughout the program. Schedule and coordinate mentor meetings, track progress, and gather feedback to enhance mentor-venture interactions.
Program Operations: 25%
• Aid the operations team in planning and coordinating the Session Day events throughout the program year.
• Support Session Days for other CDL sites and CDL-Global as needed. This may include conferences and CDL’s annual Super Session. Both virtual and in-person opportunities are available, depending on if travel is of interest.
• Form and strengthen relationships with innovation centers to improve the CDL presence in the local startup and venture capital ecosystems. This could include creating social media content, organizing outreach events, or other special projects.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
• Bachelor’s Degree in business, engineering, science, or a related field.
• Minimum 3-years experience with start-ups, technology companies, or venture capital is a plus.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
• Proven track record in high-performing teams and managing multiple stakeholders.
• Project management experience with the ability to oversee events, including other staff and volunteers.
• Strong analytical and financial modeling abilities; proficient in market analysis and strategic planning.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Exceptional organizational and multitasking skills; able to prioritize and manage multiple projects.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for startups and venture capital.
• Highly motivated, autonomous, and forward-thinking.
• Team-oriented with a strong work ethic.
• Adaptable, calm under pressure, and committed to maintaining high standards of quality.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS
• Master's Degree
WORKING CONDITIONS
Evenings, national and occasional international travel.
Application Process: The application process may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process. These assessments may include Work Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others. Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment, you will be prompted to do so the next time you log into your “My Jobs” page. If you choose to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.

Committed to attracting and retaining a diverse staff, the University of Washington will honor your experiences, perspectives and unique identity. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable and welcoming.

The University of Washington is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

To request disability accommodation in the application process, contact the Disability Services Office at 206-543-6450 or [email protected] .

Applicants considered for this position will be required to disclose if they are the subject of any substantiated findings or current investigations related to sexual misconduct at their current employment and past employment. Disclosure is required under Washington state law .

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