Senior Program Manager, Leap Venture Studio

Organization Overview

The Michelson Found Animals Foundation (MFA), founded in 2005, is an affiliated organization of Michelson Philanthropies with a mission of saving pets and enriching lives. With more than $100 million committed to animal welfare, MFA seeks to allow everyone the opportunity to experience the joy of having a companion animal as a family member. For 15 years, MFA has operated a range of social enterprises, impact investments, strategic partnerships, and thought leadership initiatives that share a common goal: Champion pets at every point they intersect with our society. We operate a range of initiatives including grants and partnerships that put resources in the hands of communities in need, research that promotes more pet-friendly housing policies, and scientific research to find a non-surgical sterilant for companion animals. 

Leap Venture Studio is the first pet care-specific startup accelerator. Companies accepted to the Leap Venture Studio receive investment from MFA and Mars Petcare. and participate in a 12-week seed-stage accelerator program. The Studio is also supported by R/GA Ventures, a world-class services platform that connects our startups with award-winning strategists, technologists, designers, and consultants. The program culminates in an online pitch event where Studio companies pitch to investors, industry leaders, and the startup community. In addition, Leap Venture Studio has more programs that you will be responsible for producing and managing from end to end including Leap Fellowship, pitch competitions, investor days, events in the community, and more.

The Michelson Found Animals Foundation is a cutting-edge non-profit organization managed by savvy business and science professionals focused on social entrepreneurship. We are a well-funded organization (read: stability) that takes pride in bringing together great minds from diverse backgrounds in our mission to reduce shelter euthanasia and support pet parents worldwide. Our culture and work environment sets us apart from traditional non-profits and inspires our talented team to create innovative ideas and solutions to complex programs and initiatives. Sounds pretty amazing? We think so. Keep reading to see if this position is the right fit for you.

Position Summary

This role reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer, collaborating closely with the leadership teams of MFA, Mars Petcare, R/GA, Michelson Impact Ventures, and other partners. As a Senior Program Manager, you will engage the global innovation ecosystem to source unique and high-value emerging animal-related business opportunities for investment. Being a “super-connector” and a helpful member of the venture community, you see industry trends as they emerge and bring opportunities. 70% of the work is outwardly facing and engaging with investors, entrepreneurs, and startups. This is both a strategic and tactical position. The position is complex and requires someone that can transition easily among the roles while representing MFA and Leap professionally.

You Will:

The Senior Program Manager will be responsible for performing the below tasks. While these are the core duties for this role, the Senior Program Manager is not limited to only performing what is captured here; we think growth is good. You should too!

• You will be in charge of overseeing MFA’s impact investment activities
• Manage and maintain back-end systems that track program outcomes and relationships
• Be responsible for reviewing company data, financial projections, and creation of diligence reports for investment pipeline building
• Manage the creation of decks, reports, newsletters, and other documents 
• Maintenance of procedures and internal documentation and assuming the responsibility of operational tools and repositories, as required 
• Perform market scouting activities, interacting with early-stage companies, identifying new areas of innovation and development, as well as potential partners to enable the continued growth of Leap Venture Studios
• Lead research and analysis of ecosystem trends, gaps, and needs and contribute to the creation of knowledge products on impact investments
• Plan and execute virtual and in-person events for groups of pet care startups, including pitch competitions & social events at major industry conferences, our Fellowship program for pet care startup founders, multi-day summits, and programming for the 12-week Leap Venture Studio.  
• Lead the creation, conception, and execution of website content, social media, and other community-building campaigns 
• Actively recruit investors, mentors, and partners to participate in the program activities
• Support our growing portfolio of 33 pet care-focused startups with strategic connections and ongoing advice
• Track the necessary investment documents, PRI/MRI tracking, legal filings, and mission-aligned / impact-oriented KPIs. etc.
• Report back to our partners and maintain a positive and mutually beneficial relationship
• Work closely with the CEO to continue the growth of Leap’s work with new, exciting ideas, and content contributions through blogs, webinars, podcasts, and network outreach 
• Financial reporting and management including budgetary planning, expense management, financial tracking, and reporting

You’ve gotta have:

Successful candidates for this role will have a mix of the below experience, education, and skills. We are flexible in considering your background but want to ensure that you have the tools to thrive! Please review and make sure that your skill set aligns with:

• Minimum of 7 years total experience with a focus on directly managing an accelerator, incubator, or other investment programs, investment banking, private equity or venture capital, or other related fields 
• Have experience in the investment process and have worked closely with investors.
• Experience as an entrepreneur raising money from investors or as an investor is an asset
• Experience in strategy and operations, event production, management consulting, and other related fields a plus 
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Entrepreneurship, and/or related field or equivalent work experience and education that provides the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of this position
• Strong understanding of startup organizations
• Experience in corporate open innovation, venture investment, and/or accelerator/incubator program
• Solid understanding of startups and VC or CVC process and ecosystem and have been part of or have worked closely with such entities
• Ability to successfully discover a high volume of unique and investible deal flow opportunities
• Ability to interpret data and effectively communicate relevant conclusions and recommendations
• Formal Investment Due Diligence experience
• High energy, maturity, and leadership with the ability to serve as a unifying force and to position communications discussions at both strategic and tactical levels 
• Relationship builder with the flexibility and finesse to “manage by influence”
• Sincere commitment to working collaboratively with multiple stakeholder groups, including staff, advocates, partners, program participants, and other supporters 
• Strong track record as an implementer who can manage multiple concurrent projects with an attention to detail
• Be a self-starter. Love driving ideas and projects forward! There’s no challenge you’ve met yet that you haven’t figured out
• Willing to travel occasionally 

You’ll Receive:

We know our people are our most important asset. So in addition to a competitive salary, exceptional colleagues, and the fulfillment of working with an organization literally making the world a better place; all full-time employees are eligible to participate in MP’s benefits program:

• Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Life & Long-term Disability
• FSA
• Pet Insurance
• 401(k) + match
• Paid Holidays and more! Professional development opportunities, team building, and sabbatical to name a few.

Michelson Philanthropies is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Hungry for more? Visit us at https://www.foundanimals.org/ to see the groundbreaking work our teams are doing. 

Think we’re a pretty great organization but this isn’t the right fit for you? Please submit general inquiries via the “share your information” tab on our career site.