Job Description: Program Content Manager
Full-time position. Reporting to the VP of Programs.
About ABI
The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. ABI programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, HP, Microsoft Corporation, Cisco, IBM, Intel, Lockheed Martin, NetApp, NSF, SAP, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, Thomson Reuters, Amazon, CA, Intuit, and Genentech. For more information, visit http://www.anitaborg.org/
Program Team Philosophy
The Program Team is focused on 3 things:
- Creating quality programs that meet the needs of its customers.
- Assuring Programs help the Institute reach its mission.
- Working together, as a core group, to create a model that is functional; not only sustainable, but scalable. By working together, we can achieve much more than working separately.
The team is made up of members that carry different roles in the team, but all must maintain:
A sense of ownership. We are all responsible for all programs. No one can say this is not my area. If you see something not working, offer a solution. If you can’t offer a solution, you are responsible to bring the issue up to the core team and find a solution together. If a solution can’t be found, we ask for help.
A vision of the future. We all should be clear about the path programs is on and work towards exceeding the goals. It should also be clear to each team member how they fit in these goals and how their professional goals add value to the success of the Programs. There is no success without both individual and team goals being met.
Support for each other. Although we all have our own responsibilities, we must be available for each other when we need help. We are all responsible and can all take credit when our programs are successful. Because programs are tied to time, there is no room to slip – people are going to show up! Remember that we are all human. We will make mistakes. We will not know all of the answers. The point is to try our best and not make them again! If you sign on to the core program team, you are expected to deliver – a lot! We all must pull our pieces or we will never make it. We are counting on one another. At the same time, you will be supported – and valued.
The Program Team will meet regularly to assure that we are all moving forward and to address any concerns we might have. It’s also an opportunity to explore strategy and develop ways in which we can improve as a team, and as individuals.
Role of the Program Content Manager
The Program Content Manager is responsible for all aspects of the Programs. It is their responsibility to intimately know the detail of what it takes to make a program a success. Specifically, creating the types of content that will enforce the program themes and advancing the messages of ABI’s mission. This has multiple facets: understanding the history of the event, its customers, how it helps the Institute meet its goals, its competitors, its potential allies and affiliates.
The Program Content Manager must work with the Program Logistics Manager and other members of the Program Team to build a sustainable infrastructure that over time is repeated with increasing ease. This will allow the Program Content Manger to implement new aspects to their Program based on the goals set by the organization. The Program Content Manager, since they know their space well, must work with the VP of Programs on strategy of not only their program, but how its goals span across all programs, leading to the mission of the institute.
Here are examples of some of our programs and how the Program Content Manager works within the Program Team developing quality programs in line with ABI’s overall mission.
Women of Vision
Create and maintain the Program timeline in regards to awards, keynotes and guest speakers, review the timeline regularly with the Program Logistics Manager, providing information and working closely with Marketing, Business Development, Event Planning and Operations regularly to assure the tasks required for a successful program are being met in a timely manner and offer assistance where needed.
The Program Content Manager is responsible for presenting the status of program content to the Staff. Initiate strategic conversations about keynote speakers, the emcee and other aspects of the event. Tracking milestones is crucial to understanding how the Program compares to previous years and allows the team to set new goals, improve process, and new strategies for the Program.
An important part of the role is working with the Program Logistics Manager on the contracts with the event planner, venue, volunteers and other vendors. Also helping create and maintain the budget, making sure the Institute meets its goals for Women of Vision on impact, reach and sustainability.
The Program Content Manager drives the awards process to assure the quality of the nominations, the timeline is met, and the qualities of the winners are expressed during the event in multiple ways: print, their acceptance speech, video and website. The Program Content Manager takes the lead in this vision and how the winners exemplify the mission of the Institute.
The Grace Hopper Celebration
The largest gathering of women in computing in the world. Over 1450 women from 23 countries had attended the conference in Keystone, Colorado in October 2008. The Program Content Manager helps recruit and support the various volunteer program committees developing content, working with the strategy team in finding invited technical speakers and keynotes, and developing content for the website, program and proceedings of the program content. The Program Content Manager drives all the awards including the Anita Borg Awards, Denice Denton Award and Change Agent Awards from launch to acceptance speeches by the winners. This requires working closely with marketing to assure key messages and creative content maximizes impact.
The most important aspect of this role is to bring together volunteers, partners, speakers and award winners to deliver messages in line with our mission while working within the Program Team to create support of one another in achieving a successful implementation.
Other
Being a small organization, we are often called upon to work in other areas as needed. It is important that you focus on your role as Program Content Manager, but you may be asked time to time to cover for others as needed. It is important to maintain flexibility and offer help when it is possible and the team will support you when you are asked to do so.
Skill levels for this position
- Experience in large scale project management with multiple players both internal and external.
- Experience directing and coordinating the work of many participants, volunteers, team members and partners in day to day operations from interns to executives.
- A belief in our mission
- Experience working in industry or academia as a technical person preferred.
- Experience in gender issues and/or non-profits preferred.
- College degree preferred.
Salary DOE.
If you are interested in this position, please send a cover letter explaining why you are the perfect person for this role, your resume and salary requirements to Deanna Kosaraju at deannak@anitaborg.org
The deadline to apply is July 25, 2009.