Program Manager
Entrepreneurs Roundtable Accelerator (ERA), New York City
Full-time | In-Person
About ERA
ERA (eranyc.com) is an early-stage venture fund and tech accelerator based in NYC. Since 2011, we’ve invested in 400+ startups across nearly every major industry, supported by a network of 1,000+ mentors and alumni. We run two cohorts per year, 15 companies each.
About this role
You’ll own the accelerator program that has helped launch more than a generation of NYC startups. The Program Manager’s focus is the founder experience, ensuring every company in the cohort can take full advantage of what ERA offers. This is a high-ownership, execution-heavy role that runs with the energy and ethos of a startup.
You’ll sit at the center of one of the densest startup ecosystems in the country, gaining a unique perspective on how investor decisions get made, how mentorship works at scale, and what separates founders who succeed from those who don’t.
The day-to-day is genuinely varied: in a single day you might coordinate mentor meetings, interview a founder for the next cohort, and manage event setup. This role is both strategic and operational in equal measure.
You’ll work with a Program Associate, a part-time Operations Associate, and a rotating intern cohort. Over time, we’re looking for you to grow into this role and become exceptional at managing and scaling program operations.
The calendar rhythm
January – April: Winter cohort runs. Dense and fast-paced, but predictable once the rhythm locks in.
February – May: Summer cohort recruiting events run in parallel.
May – June: Founder interviews and cohort selection for Summer.
June – October: Summer cohort runs.
September – November: Winter cohort recruiting events.
November – December: Founder interviews and Winter cohort selection.
December: Planning and prep for Winter cohort.
What you’ll own
- Program design and operations. End-to-end ownership of scheduling, logistics, communications, and physical setup for workshops, mentor 1:1s, office hours, and Demo Day. You make programs run flawlessly.
- Founder experience. Shape the founder journey from onboarding through Demo Day. Build feedback loops that surface what’s working and what isn’t, and use them to make each cohort better than the last.
- Mentor strategy and matching. Decide which mentors get matched to which founders and why. Oversee coordination of mentor 1:1s across 15 companies and a 1,000+ mentor network.
- Intern cohort management. Recruit, onboard, and manage ERA’s intern cohort. Delegate effectively, provide clear direction, and integrate their work into program operations.
- Events. End-to-end ownership of Demo Day, recruiting events, and accelerator programming: venue, run-of-show, speakers, partners, setup, and post-event follow-up.
- Portfolio support. Field requests from ERA portfolio companies, track needs, close loops, and surface patterns to the team.
- Recruiting operations. Manage candidate communications, interview scheduling, and selection support. You’ll interview founders alongside the ERA team and have real input into cohort selection.
- Systems and process. Maintain and continuously improve internal SOPs.
Who you are
- A program-focused thinker who executes. You care about what founders actually get out of the program — not just whether it ran on schedule. You have opinions about curriculum and experience design, and you act on them.
- Unaffected by scope. You bring the same care to planning and setting up the room for an investor event as you do to a conversation with a founder. No task is beneath you.
- AI-native. You actively use AI to elevate every part of accelerator operations to automate the mundane and supercharge the human moments.
- Genuinely curious. You can hold a sharp conversation with a founder about their business, not because you’re a domain expert, but because you do the work to stay informed.
- High agency. You see what needs to be done and do it. You don’t need the problem fully scoped to start moving, and you don’t need to be closely managed to stay on track.
Experience
4–6 years of experience in program management, operations, or a related field preferred. You can lead independently and communicate confidently across founders, mentors, and investors. Startup exposure is a plus, not a requirement.
Tools you’ll use:
Google Workspace, Airtable, Notion, Zapier, Slack, Zoom, simple CRMs (e.g., Streak), Claude Cowork, and event platforms like Luma.
What we offer
- Compensation: $100K to $110K, depending on experience and background.
- Benefits: Full-time role with health insurance, dental insurance, and 15 days paid vacation.
This is an in-person role based in New York, NY.
How to apply:
Email [email protected] with:
- Resume
- LinkedIn + any relevant links (website, portfolio)
This role is primarily an execution and operations role — roughly 80% hands-on logistics and program management. In 150–200 words, tell us why it appeals to you specifically, and what’s an example of a system or process you built or improved that you’re proud of?
(Optional but encouraged) 3–5 bullet “wins” that show how you improved a program or process.