Senior Program Manager

About us

At Founders Pledge, our mission is to empower entrepreneurs to do immense good. Since launching in 2015, we’ve raised over $10 billion for the most impactful social causes. We offer the simplest path to impact for successful entrepreneurs, providing end-to-end giving infrastructure, pioneering research, and access to a worldwide network of experts.

In other words, we help tech leaders become strategic philanthropists. Our 2100+ members include the people behind industry-leading companies such as Airbnb, UiPath, Dropbox, Skype, Spotify, and Uber.

About the role

We’re looking for a San Francisco-based Senior Program Manager to join our Events Team to lead and support the delivery of our global events calendar.

The Events team is responsible for delivering an exciting annual calendar of 25+ global events, which engage and inspire our members. Our programming aims to bring our community together, educate our members on important, timely topics, and inspire them such that they leave feeling differently about the world.

Managed by our Head of Events, you’ll be a key member of a four person team, responsible for delivering a range of events (from lunches, dinners, panels, retreats) from start to finish, considering programming (identifying and securing high-profile speakers and curating compelling discussions).

You'll be responsible for:

Strategic Design & Leadership

• Providing input into the design and evolution of FP’s global events strategy, aligning programming with organizational goals, audience needs, and geo.
• Contributing significant input to overall annual planning, vision-setting, and thematic prioritization for the global events calendar in partnership with the Head of Events.
• Leveraging ad-hoc programmatic opportunities and integrates them into the broader strategy and workplan, ensuring alignment with FP priorities.

Program Curation & Content Development

• Leading end-to-end curation of small- to mid-sized event turning complex cause area content into engaging and informative programming tailored to different audiences.
• Staying fluent in FP research and philanthropic trends across cause areas, identifying timely and impactful themes.
• Sourcing, vetting, and securing high-calibre, mission-aligned speakers, introducing fresh angles and creative formats that increase programme quality and member engagement.
• Developing speaker briefs, drafts compelling session descriptions, and creates detailed internal briefings, host notes, and crib sheets to ensure consistency in messaging and member experience.
• Designing and considering overall narrative flow for each event (especially relevant for retreats) and calls to action - ensuring narrative cohesion and clear takeaways.

Event Delivery & Logistics

• Project management including maintaining relevant project plans, finding venues, scheduling internal kick off, pre-brief, debrief meetings and reconciling budgets
• Ensuring seamless onsite delivery, working with FP staff or external partners ahead of time to ensure everyone is well prepped.
• Acting as the primary liaison for speakers on logistics, travel, and hospitality, ensuring they feel informed, supported, and valued throughout the process.
• Supporting in shaping the communications strategy and visual identity for events (e.g. writing descriptions for websites, brochures, and invitations).
• Incorporating insights from past events and member feedback to refine comms cadence, tone, materials, and event program
• Working evenings and weekends as required for event delivery
• Travelling to events as required

Collaboration

• Collaborating closely with colleagues across Research, Community, Advisory, and Growth to align goals and deliver cross-functional experiences.
• Leading on collaboration with external partners when relevant to ensure partnership events maintain FP quality and brand.

About you

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, resourceful and conscientious events professional with a passion for social impact. You’ll be excited to produce inspiring, seamless event experiences, to generate your own ideas and work collaboratively across the organisation.

Ideally, we are looking for someone who has:

• A strong interest in Founder’s Pledge’s mission and commitment to social impact generally
• Interest in global affairs and understanding of who the top voices are within topics including health and development, climate, global risk etc.
• Experience delivering high-quality events and experiences for audiences
• Experience working with and building relationships with a variety of contractors and event suppliers
• A can-do attitude and the ability to think and problem solve on the spot
• A passion for in-person and remote collaboration
• Experience independently identifying and liaising with speakers across a variety of thematic areas.
• Experience preparing high-quality, detailed preparatory materials for events, including internal organisational briefings, speaker briefings, event itineraries and talking points.

LOCATION AND TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS:

This role is based in San Francisco, with a fair amount of travel required for events and member meetings.

All staff may also be required to attend team offsites once per year (or more), location TBC. Additionally, all staff may be required to attend a global offsite annually.

Why work with us?

You can find more about the benefits we offer here, but what makes us truly special is both our mission and our people. We’re a diverse team, from both charitable and commercial backgrounds, who believe that amazing things can happen when we tackle problems together. We offer a flat structure and an opportunity to help shape the future of philanthropy

We ask that applicants to this role are based within commutable distance of San Francisco, as we have a small office there and would love you to work in-person at least twice per week to collaborate with our member-facing teams. We are open to exceptional candidates based in New York City, provided you can commit to a regular cadence of in-person work and travel.

Otherwise, to work from home, all you’ll need is a great wifi connection and we’ll provide you with everything else you need to be successful in your role. We usually bring the global team together once per year, and individual teams will meet to work together at least once annually! There is no closing date for applications and we will interview on a rolling basis.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at Founders Pledge. We seek people with different strengths, experiences, and backgrounds who share our drive to understand and solve complex social challenges. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

Finding solutions to the world’s most pressing problems requires different perspectives and unique ways of thinking. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse workplace where everyone can do their best work.