The Program Manager serves as the primary systems and participant engagement professional within the IVMF Entrepreneurship (ENT) Shared Services team. Reporting to the Associate Director, Shared Services, this position acts as the central liaison between the Entrepreneurship Program team, the Marketing & Communications (MarComms) team, and the Salesforce/CRM team to ensure seamless coordination of recruitment, engagement, and operational processes across all ENT programs and events. The Program Manager translates program goals into actionable systems workflows, manages the full lifecycle of application and registration processes, and develops data-driven recruitment and engagement strategies in partnership with program managers.
This position may be filled on a fully remote basis if the identified candidate is not currently located in Syracuse, NY (within 50 miles). Not all geographical areas within the United States are eligible. Employment offers at Syracuse University are based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, the job responsibilities; the candidate's education, training, work experience and key competencies; the university's strategic priorities; internal peer equity; applicable federal, state, local laws, grant funding and contractual requisites; and external market analyses.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in business administration, Communications, Public Administration, or a related field; or equivalent experience.
- Minimum 3 years of experience in project management, program operations, or a related coordination role.
- Demonstrated experience with CRM platforms, particularly Salesforce; experience building workflows, managing records, or producing reports.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent coursework.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills; experience coordinating across multiple teams or departments.
- Experience managing multiple concurrent projects with competing deadlines while maintaining high standards for communication, accuracy, and participant experience.
- Preference given to candidates with experience serving veteran, military-connected, university, nonprofit, or mission-driven communities; military service connection or familiarity with the military-connected ecosystem is a plus.
Skills and Knowledge
- Familiarity with FormTitan, or similar form/marketing automation tools.
- Experience designing participant engagement journeys or email communication sequences.
- Familiarity with IVMF entrepreneurship programs or the broader veteran entrepreneurship landscape.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, spreadsheets, registration tools, and shared planning/project management platforms such as Monday.com.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment, maintain composure in high-pressure event environments, and proactively solve problems in real time.
Responsibilities
Cross-Team Liaison & Collaboration
- Serve as the primary point of contact and systems bridge between the Entrepreneurship Program team, MarComms team, and Salesforce/CRM team, ensuring consistent communication, shared priorities, and aligned timelines.
- Facilitate regular coordination meetings between ENT program managers, MarComms, and the CRM team to align on upcoming program cycles, recruitment campaigns, and application/registration needs.
- Translate program and operational requirements into actionable requests for the MarComms and CRM teams, tracking deliverables and ensuring on-time completion.
- Proactively identify gaps or breakdowns in cross-team workflows and recommend process improvements to the Associate Director, Shared Services.
- Collaborate with and support the Associate Director in a program-wide communications strategy (status updates, executive briefings, stakeholder newsletters) spanning multiple workstreams rather than a single project.
- Collaborate with and support the other entrepreneurship verticals in a program-wide participant engagement strategy spanning the full lifecycle - pre-program onboarding, in-program experience, and post-program entrepreneurship team engagements - across the entire portfolio.
- Supports the AD in budget tracking and team communication as the information congregator and template updater.
Recruitment Strategy Development, Application & Registration Management
- Partner with ENT program managers to build and execute tailored recruitment strategies for all programs and events, including audience targeting, outreach timelines, and channel planning.
- Coordinate with the MarComms team on the development and scheduling of recruitment communications, digital campaigns, and promotional materials aligned to program timelines.
- Monitor recruitment pipelines and application volumes, providing regular updates and data-informed recommendations to program managers and the Associate Director.
- Maintain and continuously improve recruitment playbooks for each program, capturing lessons learned and standardizing best practices across the ENT portfolio.
- Cultivate and manage relationships with referral partners - military installations, veteran service organizations, corporate sponsors, alumni networks - to drive consistent applicant flow across the program portfolio.
- Maintain and optimize backend application and registration forms across all ENT programs using Salesforce, FormTitan, or other approved platforms, in coordination with the IT/Systems Team.
- Manage the full application lifecycle: intake, eligibility screening coordination, status updates, incomplete application follow-up, and final disposition tracking.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date applicant and participant records in Salesforce (or designated CRM), ensuring data integrity across all program touchpoints.
- Coordinate with the CRM team on system enhancements, automation builds, and field updates required to support evolving program needs.
- Work with AD Shared Services to set and track recruitment targets/KPIs (application volume, conversion, diversity of participant pool) across multiple cohorts and program offerings, reporting outcomes to leadership
Project & Timeline Management
- Manage multiple concurrent project workstreams across ENT's full program portfolio, maintaining organized project trackers, timelines, and status documentation.
- Monitor and communicate deadlines to MarComms, CRM, and program teams, escalating risks proactively to the Associate Director, Shared Services.
- Maintain a master ENT program (IVMF Intranet) and event calendar that integrates key milestones for recruitment, application windows, engagement communications, and post-program activities.
- Prepare summary reports, project updates, and briefing materials for the Associate Director and ENT leadership as requested.
Participant Engagement - Before, During, & After Programs
- Build and maintain repeatable systems, templates, SOPs, trackers, and hospitality planning tools that improve consistency and quality across the entrepreneurship portfolio.
- Collaborate with Shared Services and program staff to create standardized workflows for venue selection, registration coordination, lodging logistics, catering approvals, shipping and supply management, onsite staffing, post-event follow-up, and shared documentation practices.
- Maintain organized, accessible files in team systems such as Monday.com and contribute to continuous improvement across entrepreneurship operations.
Physical Requirements
Not Applicable
Tools/Equipment
Not Applicable
Application Instructions
In addition to completing an online application, please attach a resume and cover letter.