Associate Search Manager

Overview of Watson Institute

Watson Institute powers transformative Fellowships in partnership with leading corporations and foundations to support highly promising entrepreneurs and leaders from underserved backgrounds. 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 Google, JPMorganChase Foundation, Walmart.org, Wells Fargo, Ford Philanthropy, SAP, Truist Foundation, BMO, Comcast, Western Union, 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 selection 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 in-person programming at immersives each year to welcome the Fellows and support their transition to Watson Institute. 

Associate Search Manager – Role

Geographic Recruitment & Partnerships (50% of time)

As the Associate Search Manager, you will build a strong recruitment ecosystem in your assigned geography by cultivating relationships, identifying strategic partners, and directly engaging promising entrepreneurs. You will serve as Watson Institute’s on-the-ground connector, designing outreach strategies, hosting events, and ensuring high-quality applicants are consistently entering the pipeline.

• Local Ecosystem Building: Conduct thorough research and mapping to identify key organizations, universities, incubators, community groups, and influencers in the assigned geography who can connect you to promising entrepreneurs.
• Partnership Development: Build relationships with local nominators and organizations that can refer qualified candidates; attend their events, offer to present, and co-host info sessions (virtual or in-person).
• Virtual & In-Person Event Hosting: Organize and lead virtual info sessions and recruitment events for the assigned geography; co-host events with local partners; present at community gatherings.
• Direct Headhunting: Proactively identify and reach out to highly promising entrepreneurs through LinkedIn, network referrals, and personalized engagement.
• In-Person Presence: Attend community events, pitch the Fellowship, and represent Watson Institute in your region.

Fellow Review (15% of time)

The Associate Search Manager will support the selection process for the assigned region. From application review to candidate interviews, ensuring that each prospective Fellow is evaluated with care, consistency, and alignment with Watson Institute’s mission. The Associate Search Manager will maintain an organized and responsive pipeline while guiding applicants through each stage.

• Review and screen applications from the assigned geography.
• Conduct preliminary interviews with prospective Fellows.
• Manage the candidate pipeline in Salesforce for the assigned geography.
• Maintain communication with applicants.

Data Management & Analysis (10% of time)

Strong recruitment depends on accurate, timely data. The Associate Search Manager will maintain organized records, monitor progress against benchmarks, and report on performance. These insights will help refine outreach strategies and guide weekly decision-making.

• Report weekly on progress, challenges, and leads. 
• Track recruitment metrics for the assigned geography.

Lead Immersives (10% of time)

The Associate Search Manager will be responsible for making 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 to ensure all logistics are in place for the immersive experience. 

Program Support (15% of time) 

• Attend and facilitate workshops to support the community and Fellows throughout the duration of the program. In addition they will need to plan Community Building sessions.
• Responsible for holding 1-on-1’s with Fellows and connecting them to  Watson Institute’s Impact Ecosystem when particular expertise is observed to be helpful to the Fellow’s growth. 
• Support the Events Team with the successful execution of Basecamps and Summit. 

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

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. 
• 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. 
• The position requires full professional proficiency in English and Mandarin (spoken and written).

• 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.

The Vitals

• 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 March 16th, 2026. 
• 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.