Search Lead (Contractor)

Overview of Watson Institute

Watson Institute powers transformative Fellowships in partnership with leading corporations and foundations to support highly promising, 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 Google, JPMorganChase Foundation, Walmart.org, Wells Fargo, Ford Philanthropy, SAP, Truist Foundation, BMO, Comcast, Western Union Foundation, 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. 

Search Lead (Contractor Role) - Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Search Lead is to recruit and select highly promising, rising entrepreneurs and leaders for a Fellowship powered by Watson Institute. Working independently in your assigned geography, you will build a robust network of local nominators, partner organizations, and community influencers, conduct direct outreach to prospective Fellows, and host virtual and in-person recruitment events.

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. 

Search Lead (Contractor Role) - Mission Statement
The primary mission of the Search Lead is to recruit and select highly promising, primarily from historically disenfranchised, rising entrepreneurs and leaders for a Fellowship powered by Watson Institute. Working independently in your assigned geography, you will build a robust network of local nominators, partner organizations, and community influencers, conduct direct outreach to prospective Fellows, and host virtual and in-person recruitment events.

This is a performance-based role measured by consistent activity and demonstrated results: partnerships established, outreach conducted, events hosted, applications generated, interviews completed, and filling the Fellowship slots needed for the geography. The ideal candidate is a proactive relationship-builder who can design data-driven outreach approaches, manage candidate screening and preliminary interviews, and continuously optimize recruitment tactics to ensure a strong pipeline of Fellows aligned with Watson Institute's mission. Success requires the ability to work autonomously, meet weekly reporting expectations, and deliver recruitment outcomes in a fast-paced, goal-oriented environment.

Search Lead (Contractor Role) – Role

Geographic Recruitment & Partnerships (66% of the time - ⅔ of time)

As the Search Lead, 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 Search Lead will support the full admissions 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 Search lead 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 (7% of time)

Strong recruitment depends on accurate, timely data. The Search Lead 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.

Collaboration & Reporting Structure (12% of time)

The Search Lead will work independently day-to-day while staying closely aligned through structured communication pipelines and weekly touchpoints. These meetings ensure consistency across geographies and provide you with support, real-time feedback, and strategic guidance.

• Weekly Team Meeting (1 hour): Attend the Fellowship recruitment team meeting to share updates, coordinate across geographies, and align on strategy.
• Weekly 1:1 (30-60 minutes): Review the assigned geography's progress, troubleshoot challenges, and receive guidance on recruitment approach.
• Total internal meeting commitment: Approximately 2-3 hours per week.

Performance Benchmarks

• The Search Leads’ performance will be evaluated weekly and monthly, with the specific benchmarks outlined in the contract. These benchmarks will be based on the following: partnerships established, outreach conducted, events hosted, applications generated, and interviews completed. 

*New responsibilities may develop as the Search Lead position evolves.

Culture Add

In order to thrive as the Search Lead at Watson Institute, the contractor should possess:

• An exceptional eye for detail. You enjoy spending time with words, style, and formatting to create 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. 
• Results-Driven: A proactive problem-solver who takes ownership of tasks and ensures they are completed to a high standard.
• High Integrity: Demonstrates integrity in decision-making and effectively handles sensitive information.
• Systems-minded: Demonstrated experience in building and implementing systems. You are comfortable designing, testing, improving, and smoothly running systems and processes. 
• Communication Style: Maintains direct, honest, and solution-focused communication to address issues and ensure project success.

Candidate Profile

Must-Haves (non-negotiable)

• Network Builder: Natural ability to cold-reach into communities, build trust quickly, and establish partnerships from scratch. 
• Public Speaker: Comfortable presenting to groups (virtual and in-person), hosting events, and pitching compellingly on the spot. 
• Hunter Mentality: Proactive, doesn’t wait for applications to come in. Goes out and finds compelling candidates directly. 
• Self-Directed: Can work independently without hand-holding; figures things out, problem-solves, manages own time across 25 hours/week. 
• Mission-Aligned: Genuinely passionate about Watson Institute’s work and can authentically represent it in their community. 

Strongly Preferred: 

• Local Connections: Already embedded in the assigned geography OR has strong experience building networks in that region (especially for international sites).
• Entrepreneurial Experience: Has started something, worked at a startup, or maintains meaningful ties to entrepreneurship or innovation ecosystems.
• CRM Comfort: Familiar with Salesforce or similar (or able to learn quickly).
• Content & Outreach Experience: Experience with content creation, paid media, or digital marketing campaigns.
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in Excel, strong email communication, rapid follow-up, and comfort with data analysis.

The Vitals

• The time commitment is an estimated 25 hours per week with flexibility around the schedule.
• Competitive contractor compensation according to experience: $25,000.00. Compensation is paid monthly via Gusto. 
• The Search Lead is a contractor role and reports to the VP of Admissions & Programs and Associate Director of Search. 
• Location: We aim to work with the communities we serve; candidates from the following key geographies will be prioritized:
• Oklahoma, USA
• Texas, USA
• Georgia, USA
• Malaysia 
• Taiwan
• India
• The start date for this position is March 16, 2026. 
• The end date for this position is July 31, 2026, with the possibility of extension based on project needs and performance.