Program Director - Accelerator Programs

About the role

Plug and Play Tech Center, an innovation platform connecting startups with large corporations, is looking for a Program Director to drive the strategic development, quality and continuous improvement of its accelerator programs and the wider ecosystem. The role optimizes program standards, mentors team members, secures high-value external relationships (mentors and VCs) and acts as an external advocate for the brand.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and run an evaluation method to assess program strengths and areas for improvement, and train new Program Managers to standardize processes and best practices.
• Ensure consistent quality of program materials (orientation packets, event documents, startup tracking) and manage startup success tracking, case studies and reports for stakeholders.
• Manage scheduling for major program milestones and monthly team meetings.
• Grow the ecosystem of Mentors and VCs, maintain strategic contacts with startups in the vertical, introduce startups to corporate partners and organize networking events such as dinners and meetups.
• Work with Mentors on pitch-polishing sessions and represent the program externally at conferences and speaking events.
• Collaborate with Marketing on social media, news posts and a monthly network newsletter, and partner on co-marketing with event organizers.
• Oversee bi-weekly startup sync calls, document preparation and brand compliance for milestones such as Selection Day, EXPO and Orientation Day.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance or a related field; MBA or equivalent strongly preferred.
• 7+ years of relevant experience, including at least 2 years in formal leadership roles overseeing budgets and teams.
• Proven track record in P&L management, business development and scaling operations in technology or innovation.
• Experience in process engineering, program QA, and designing onboarding and training materials.
• Strong ecosystem mapping, stakeholder recruitment (VCs and mentors) and pipeline management.
• Team mentorship, coaching and change management experience.
• Executive communication and public speaking, and full professional fluency in English (additional languages a plus).