Program Associate, BioQuest

About RTW Foundation (RTWCF)

RTW Foundation (RTWF) was founded in 2018 as the philanthropic arm of RTW Investments, LP a biotech investment firm. RTWCF has two major focuses: improving health equity in New York City and advancing ultrarare disease research. Our overarching goal is to improve the health of underserved communities whether that be from historically underinvested communities in New York City, including communities of color and migrant populations, to patients and families facing rare diseases.

BioQuest Mentoring Program

BioQuest is RTW Foundation’s STEM mentoring program for middle and high school students, developed in partnership with several external community partners. The goal is to leverage our collective expertise to inspire underserved students to explore careers paths in science, biotech, and medicine. We’re aiming to expose students to diverse career paths, prepare students to pursue STEM paths, and provide mentors to support them along the way. The program has had outsized success in its pilot year, and we are looking for a program associate to join the team and scale BioQuest in its second year and beyond.

Role Responsibilities

• The Program Associate will lead BioQuest events and programming (internship kick-off, student projects, etc.) and will serve as the key point of contact for all BioQuest stakeholders including non-profit partners, science teachers, school administrators, mentors from RTW Investments and other organizations, prospective partners, and students.
• Build relationships with schools, non-profits, and other collaborating organizations to co-create and co-facilitate monthly BioQuest programming, internships, and other enrichment opportunities for students. Facilitate regular co-creation meetings to solicit input and feedback from key collaborators and integrate feedback to continuously improve programming and provide responsive partnership.
• Facilitate monthly STEM-focused enrichment events to expose students to diverse career paths and spaces. Develop relevant hands-on activities to facilitate engagement between students and mentors and to provide interactive programming.
• Develop relationships with all mentors and facilitate their regular engagement in the program. Prepare mentors in advance of events or activities so that they can lead small groups and activities smoothly. Communicate expectations, opportunities to engage, and gratitude for participation.
• Develop a recruitment strategy to engage more schools and partners across boroughs. Facilitate recruitment events at schools, activity fairs, etc. on site with science teachers, non-profit leaders, and school administrators. Cultivate relationships with new partners and engage them in the BioQuest program to provide this experience for more students.
• Engage BioQuest parents/guardians to communicate about upcoming events, student engagement at previous events, and to invite them to participate in programming where appropriate.
• Coordinate with the Communications Manager to feature BioQuest events, students, and impact, through newsletters, website, social media, annual report, and other avenues.

Role Qualifications and Experience

• Professionalism and relationship management skills. Strong ability to communicate with diverse stakeholders well including Board members, school administrators, non-profit leaders, students, teachers, mentors, and prospective partners. Ability to listen well and facilitate collaboration and compromise between diverse stakeholders.
• Organized and detail oriented. Ability to clearly plan event details, run of show, tasks, and logistics. Ability to execute in a logical, timely manner.
• Ability to collaborate successfully across teams internally and externally.
• Public speaking and classroom management skills.
• Strong ability to manage multiple priorities at once. A monthly cadence of events, partnership cultivation, recruitment, student projects, internships, and other aspects of the program require attention simultaneously.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills. Ability to listen well and communicate across cultures and with diverse stakeholders internally at RTWF, across RTW, and across communities in NYC. Fluent Spanish skills are preferred.
• Operational and problem-solving skills, someone who is proactive, adaptive, and solution oriented. Someone who takes initiative.
• Positive attitude. Flexible and adaptive to the needs and capacity of community partners and collaborators.
• Training in education, student programming, curriculum development, community development, community organizing, locally led development, project management, or a related field. Bachelor's degree required; master's degree preferred.
• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in youth program management or community event planning. Experience coordinating logistics, vendors, and communication materials for community programs or events.
• Deep knowledge of education landscape and/or equity challenges in New York City.
• Experience with Outlook, SharePoint, Concur, and/or similar administrative and data management systems.
• Experience with Salesforce and/or similar CRM is a plus.

Salary & Benefits

• $65k-$80k and performance-based bonus eligible
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Healthcare concierge service
• FSA and HSA savings plans
• 401(k) plan and company match
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Corporate fitness and wellbeing benefit (Gympass)
• Pretax commuter benefits
• Hybrid work policy offering one day work from home. Some community events will require commitment outside of typical working hours, for example our Back-to-School fair is on a Saturday.