Manager, Program Initiatives

Job Description

Job Description

Description : The Opportunity :

In the United States, only 25% of high-achieving students from low-income communities apply to the nation's most selective colleges and universities. At EMERGE, we believe that talent is universal, but opportunity is not. Grounded in this

belief, EMERGE empowers and prepares high-performing students from underserved communities to attend and graduate from selective colleges & universities across the nation.

The Manager of Program Initiatives will support the planning, execution, and management of events and oversee the Program Team's day-to-day operations. This role often has a dual focus on both operational management and event execution. It requires strong operational oversight and a significant number of event-specific responsibilities, such as managing event logistics, vendor relationships, event promotion, and guest engagement.

The ideal candidate for this role is a professional who has a passion for college access and college success work, is an excellent relationship cultivator, and is a strong planner with attention to detail and time management skills. They should be positive, adaptable, and have strong ownership.

Salary Range : $58,000 - $70,000

Reports to : Director of Program Initiatives

The Role :

As the Manager of Program Initiatives, you will spend your time in the following ways.

Event Planning and Management

• Manage logistics of events from start to finish, including planning, marketing, and execution
• Research event venues, vendors, and resources
• Coordinate volunteers and vendors for events.
• Ensure the smooth delivery of event-specific logistics, which could include things like venue selection, registration, and on-site event management
• Work together with the budget manager for events and initiatives to inform and track against program budgets
• Ensure all events are in compliance with financial procedures and policies

Application Booster Planning and Management

Team Operations

Communication and Collaboration

The Person : Self-Directed

Strong Attention to Detail

Strong Communicator

Requirements :

Ideal candidate will have :

Physical and Working Conditions :

Who we are :

At EMERGE, we live by our Core Values :

Founded in 2010, EMERGE is a developmental, college access organization changing the life trajectories of thousands of students across the Houston area. Since its inception, EMERGE has grown from serving 14 students across four high schools, to serving over 1,600 high school students across five school districts. We also serve over 1,400 college scholars at over 100 selective colleges and universities across the country.

As EMERGE’s impact has grown, our nonprofit team has grown to over 30 staff members. The staff includes our College Access Team, College Success Team, Strategy & Innovation Team, Finance, Operations & HR team, and Development Team. You will be joining an energetic, passionate team of individuals working to propel Houston’s top talent upwards and onwards.

What we offer :

At EMERGE, we aim to enact our core value of “equity grounds us” within our compensation practices to ensure a competitive and equitable salary & benefits package for all employees.

To determine salary; we consider each candidate’s relevant experience, growth potential, and responsibilities within the role, as well as equity across similar roles within the organization. The salary range for this role is $58,000-$70,000.

Benefits :

Priority Deadline : Applications received by December 26, 2025, will receive priority consideration. Applications will continue to be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.