Senior Program Associate (Events & Program Operations)

Title: Senior Program Associate (Events & Program Operations)

Salary: $85,000-$110,000+ (incl. healthcare and retirement contributions)

Location: In-person, Washington, DC; visa sponsorship available

Job Type: Full-time

Application Deadline: May 22nd, 2025

The Horizon Institute for Public Service is seeking a full-time Senior Program Associate (Events & Program Operations) to help grow our events portfolio and the Horizon Fellowship, and to support internal operations to maximize team productivity and impact. This role will help us grow some of our most proven programs to new levels by managing and improving systems that can scale, supporting hundreds of people per year transition into high-impact work in emerging technology policy. You will also support the organizational expansion of Horizon by playing a key role in managing internal operations, including our office and staff onboarding and development.

Competitive applicants will likely have completed at least a bachelor's degree and have some relevant experience with organizing in-person and virtual events, implementing complex programs, and organizational operations. If you think the role is a great fit for your skills and interests, we encourage you to apply even if you don't have previous experience in this exact field. Our hiring process is designed to test for aptitudes and skills, not specific resume markers or past experience. Previous experience in US policy or emerging technology is helpful, but not required.

Our mission

The Horizon Institute for Public Service is a non-profit that supports the next generation of public servants with expertise in emerging technologies.

Emerging technologies, like biotechnology and artificial intelligence, are rapidly reshaping our world. The US government plays an essential role in developing and governing new technologies, crafting policies to take advantage of their benefits and avert the risks they pose. But policymakers' ability to stay ahead of the curve depends on access to the requisite expertise. And right now, that expertise is sorely lacking.

Since our launch two years ago, we've helped hundreds of experts launch critically needed careers in public service. For example, through our fellowship program, we’ve helped 75+ subject-matter experts fill vital roles at top think tanks, congressional offices, and federal agencies. Our online emergingtechpolicy.org career resource has reached 70,000+ users. We’ve also helped more than 1,000 individuals through our online seminar series and 1-1 advising calls, and participated in the first-ever government AI hiring fair. You can read more about our work here.

About the role

As the Senior Program Associate (Events & Program Operations) at Horizon, you will be a key member of a tight-knit, high-performing team at a fast-paced, growing organization. You'll be managed by Director of Programs and Events, Mikaela Saccaccio, and work closely with our Director of Fellowships, Katarina Wantey, and Director of Operations, Anna Ringvold. This role offers a significant opportunity for impact and personal growth; it combines project management and systems design with event and community organizing and relationship management to supercharge our ability to help talented individuals transition into impactful careers in policy fields such as AI and bio. It's an excellent platform for advancing to project and program management, chief of staff roles, or senior operations positions at other high-impact nonprofits, think tanks, in government, or in industry.

Responsibilities

• Fellowship Operations (40%)

  • The Horizon Fellowship is one of our cornerstone programs, training and financially supporting dozens of emerging technology experts to transition to work in policy in DC each year across three different types of host organizations (congressional offices, federal agencies, and think tanks). The SPA’s work on the fellowship will be done in close collaboration with the Director of Fellowships.

  • Execute and track stipends, contracts, and grant agreements for ~50 active fellows, enabling their placement in high-impact roles

  • Co-lead the implementation of fellowship training (10 weeks of mainly virtual part-time training), including maintaining onboarding resources, attending training sessions, tracking relevant deadlines, running feedback surveys, coordinating external guest speakers, and planning an in-person DC graduation weekend

  • Maintain MOUs, contracts, and points of contact with dozens of host organizations, and otherwise ensure that hosting fellows is a smooth experience 

  • Collect and analyze quarterly impact assessments and surveys from fellows and host organizations, to help measure the impact of the Horizon Fellowship and inform fellowship renewal decisions

  • Track contracts with support service providers and approve professional development expenses to support fellows’ professional growth 

  • Ensure accuracy of fellowship-related information on internal systems and public website; maintain fellowship operations tracker and documentation in Notion to track fellows’ operational status and meet their needs

• Events Management (40%)

  • Our events team runs virtual and in-person events, including workshops and online seminar series, and collaborates with other programs, including the fellowship, to run happy hours and retreats. These experiences play a key role in facilitating career transitions for emerging tech experts and accelerating their policy impact. The SPA’s work on events will be done in close collaboration with the Director of Programs and Events.

  • Manage logistics, vendors, venues, accommodations, and catering for in-person events to ensure a positive participant experience

  • Coordinate communication with event attendees, speakers, and guests 

  • Lead the execution of staff retreats and fellowship retreats to build camaraderie and facilitate learning

  • Provide on-site or virtual event support, setup, and cleanup; develop SOPs to improve event quality and reduce staff workload

  • Support post-event evaluations, including impact tracking surveys, so that our events reach their full potential

• Internal Operations & Office Management (20%)

  • Manage smooth day-to-day internal operations that empower our growing team to focus on high-impact work; identify and implement process improvements that save team members time 

  • Ensure monthly financial compliance, approving expenses, and working with our Director of Operations to close our books each month

  • Horizon staff work out of the office daily; oversee office design to foster productivity and community, including managing office equipment, supplies, and groceries to help make Horizon a desirable place to work

  • Serve as the main point of contact for building management and vendors, and hire and oversee new vendors and contractors 

You may be a good fit if you:

• Excel at project management and are able to handle multiple complex projects with interdependent deadlines

• Enjoy building and improving systems and processes, including for logistics-heavy projects such as multi-day events

• Take pride in creating welcoming workspaces and events that build community and foster ambition 

• Are able to communicate professionally in writing with diverse stakeholders, including teammates, program participants, vendors, and external partners 

• Are comfortable managing budgets and doing basic financial planning

• Are entrepreneurial and a team player, adapting to new responsibilities as our growing organization’s needs may change over time

• Are motivated by Horizon’s mission and excited to join a public service-oriented, tight-knit, and collaborative team that’s always learning

• Can work in person in Washington, DC 

• Have a demonstrated interest in emerging technology policy (prior experience not required as long as you are excited to learn on the job)

Salary and benefits

The Senior Program Associate (Events & Program Operations) will receive a salary of $85,000-$110,000+ based on experience and seniority. As a small non-profit, Horizon does not yet provide a traditional benefits package, such as health insurance or a retirement plan. Instead, we offer a competitive salary (as a W-2 employee), inclusive of a benefits-equivalent stipend, to empower our employees to tailor their benefits according to their individual needs.

Horizon additionally offers:

• Unlimited vacation

• 12 weeks of paid parental leave

• Up to $3,000 per year in professional development funding

• Flexible working hours

• A productive, collaborative office

We can provide visa sponsorship for qualified candidates.

As an additional benefit, employees with subject-matter expertise in emerging technology have the unique opportunity to utilize Horizon’s placement expertise to do a public interest rotation for up to 12 months after working at Horizon for 2 years. At least 6 months’ notice must be given to redeem this benefit. 

Application process

Interested candidates should express initial interest by filling out an application (<10 minutes) by May 22nd, 2025. The application process will involve a paid short work test, a paid longer work test, a structured interview, reference checks, and a paid in-person work trial. We will acknowledge receipt of all applications and aim to get back to candidates within 10 days of the application deadline. Our ideal start date is July/August 2025, though flexibility is offered for exceptional candidates.

We welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. Strong candidates may not always fulfill all our required or desired criteria. Studies show that individuals from underrepresented groups may underestimate their qualifications. Therefore, we urge you not to self-disqualify prematurely. If you are excited about this work, we strongly encourage you to apply.