Hub Cohort Manager

The Hub Cohort Manager for the Mid-South Innovation Hub working under the NSF-given title Hub Coordinator works on the Vanderbilt Innovation Corps team in the Vanderbilt School of Engineering. The ideal candidate embodies a demonstrated commitment to and interest in entrepreneurship innovation-driven enterprise commercialization enterprise and economic development. The Hub Cohort will support the day-to-day and long-term management implementation evaluation and growth of core programming managing all cohort-focused day-to-day operations of the Hub including coordination with the Partner Sites. The Hub Cohort Manager will lead cross-institutional collaborations guiding Hub Partner institutions in launching and scaling regional training programs. This person will lead and manage cohort recruitment management of training logistics facilitation of workshops and organizing information for reporting in support of the Hub. The Hub Cohort Manager will report to the Hub Director and work closely with all Senior Personnel and the Hub Leadership Team. The Hub Cohort Manager will play a key collaborative role in working with the Hub Director to implement strategy tactics and content that leads to meaningful measurable outcomes for all involved. The Hub Cohort Manager will also help manage develop and coordinate enterprise partnerships and collaborations with Hub Partners and other internal- and external-Hub collaborators including but not limited to the investor community entrepreneurship centers and connected resources as well as industry partners.

This is a full-time on-site position working 40 hours per week. The position is available for the term life of the grant which expires in December 2027 with option of renewal.

The broader impact/commercial potential of the Mid-South I-Corps Hubs is the development of a sustainable innovation ecosystem that will impart shared economic prosperity across the US Mid-South region. The Mid-South Hubs unique formative evidence-driven approach will inform how innovation ecosystems can be established in regions with primordial economic activity. This knowledge will augment team preparation maximizing the value extracted from I-Corps training. The Hub will further amplify the downstream successes and sustainability of deep technology ventures including grant acquisition fundraising sustainable revenues and net-positive liquidity events.

This I-Corps Hubs project is based on the development of a scholarly incubator that uses data-driven approaches to develop best practices influence economic policy inspire adoption of approaches to innovation and instruct future programmatic investments. Currently a gap exists in understanding how regional innovation clusters can unify to drive the development of a prolific innovation ecosystem. Addressing this gap will enable policymakers and government agencies to implement evidence-based approaches to inform programmatic investments and maximize technology commercialization economic development and overall national innovation readiness. This consortium of deep technology-producing institutions from disparate locations within the Mid-South region will leverage the I-Corps program to catalyze technological commercialization spur economic development and inform the future of American innovation. The Hub will prioritize a formative longitudinal assessment to iteratively optimize key activities including team recruitment Regional and National I-Corps training upstream changes in university innovation culture downstream impacts on successful commercialization and an innovation corridor across the Mid-South. This will advance technology transfer from academic institutions into entrepreneurial ventures that seed emergent regional ecosystems. This data-driven performance improvement approach will ensure best practices are evidence-based and create a model for other regions seeking to induce innovation cluster development.

The Vanderbilt School of Engineering (VUSE) advances education research and innovation to prepare engineers to address complex challenges facing society. The School provides rigorous interdisciplinary academic programs that integrate fundamental engineering principles with real-world application and discovery. VUSE supports a robust research enterprise spanning six major departments fostering collaboration across disciplines and with partners in industry government and academia. It equips students and faculty with cutting-edge facilities experiential learning opportunities and an entrepreneurial mindset to translate ideas into impact. Through its commitment to excellence in teaching research and service VUSE plays a vital role in shaping technological solutions that improve lives and contribute to economic and societal progress. The Innovation Corps team within VUSE seeks to collaborate cross-institutionally and inter-institutionally across a network of institutions to drive institutional initiatives that foster innovation excellence through the generation of impactful innovation-driven enterprises enterprise through innovation-driven corporate and government partnerships and economic development that showcases our institutions standing as a critical thread in the fabric of our community of citizens.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Hub Cohort Manager for the Mid-South Hub performs a variety of complex duties ensuring the success of the Mid-South I-Corps Hub and the Vanderbilt Innovation Corps generally. Responsibilities include:

External Hub Management & Capacity Building:

• Lead cross-institutional onboarding and collaboration guiding Hub Partner Institutions in launching supporting recruitment and scaling regional training programs; including onboard and train managers recruit instructors and launch their first regional I-Corps program.
• Lead coordination with Hub Partner institutions by managing relationships and activities with and between the Partner Coordinators/Managers/Directors.
• Assist in the identification and recruitment of strategic internal- and external-Hub partners and the coordination of future collaborations that involve internal- and/or external-Hub organizations community partners and mentors.
• Build and share Mid-South Hub regional program templates and learning management system with the content provided.
• Manage facilitation of instructional workshops and National/Regional cohort training logistics including Mid-South Train-the-Trainer sessions Summit plenary sessions and ad-hoc survey training/Q&A sessions.
• Coordinate and manage the design production and co-promotion of promotional materials on an as-needed basis to create awareness about specific workshops programs and events and motivate participation.
• Work with Hub Leadership Hub Partners and other Hub external partners to develop articles blog posts etc. to promote the Mid-South Hub and the creative activities its participants and colleagues undertake.
• Oversee the maintenance of Hub Website and maintain updated Hub-wide regional program dates and application links with assistance of Hub Communications team.
• Oversee Hub-wide data collection and reporting to VW with the assistance of Hub Data Analyst.
• Update Hub-wide survey questions when needs are identified with the assistance of Hub Data Analyst.
• Attend NSF National Innovation Network (NIN) I-Corps convenings and build relationships with the other Hubs.

Regional I-Corps Program Management:

• Support Regional instructors if needed for any of Mid-South I-Corps Hub and Vanderbilt Innovation Corps supported programs or coursework.
• Lead coordination and serve as Teaching Assistant for VU certified Regional I-Corps Programs including Sullivan Family Ideator Builder Immersive Cohorts and coursework compatible I-Corps offerings.
• Complete Regional I-Corps Training and serve as an Instructor for Ideator and Builder offered by Vanderbilt Innovation Corps.
• Evaluate and update programming strategically with Hub Lead Instructor Hub Lead Regional Instructor or any other regional lead instructors of particular Hub Partner cohorts as needed including learning management system updates content reorganization class deliverables and instructor responsibilities.
• Project a welcoming attitude that ensures participants feel invited and supported as they engage in Mid-South Hub programming.

National I-Corps Program Recruitment & Support:

• Complete National I-Corps Teaching Assistant Training and serve as Mid-South Hub National I-Corps Teaching Assistant.

Microgrant Administration & Budget Oversight:

• Serve as the primary point-of-contact for all microgrant-related activities across the Hub.
• Manage the end-to-end processing of all microgrant payments ensuring accuracy timeliness and compliance with institutional and program requirements.
• Review participant-submitted budgets to ensure alignment with funding criteria and grant guidelines prior to approval.
• Lead informational webinars for microgrant awardees to provide clear guidance on spending rules documentation requirements and submission procedures.
• Evaluate all microgrant-related purchases to confirm they meet NSF grant regulations and program-specific policies addressing discrepancies as needed and guiding teams through corrections.

Financial Operations & Payment Processing:

• Manage all reimbursement processes for the Mid-South I-Corps Hub ensuring timely submission and processing of requests.
• Review reimbursement documentation to verify compliance with NSF grant guidelines and Vanderbilt University policies.
• Provide clear reimbursement instructions and guidance to participants ensuring accurate and complete submissions.
• Serve as the PO Invoice Delegate Approver in Oracle for NSF I-Corps Hub subaward invoices ensuring accurate and timely processing.
• Coordinate and process payments for Hub instructors and advisors maintaining compliance with all financial and institutional policies.
• Hold Vanderbilt OneCard purchasing authority to support Hub-related transactions and operational needs.

Internal Hub Management:

• Manage all day-to-day cohort-specific operations of the Hub as directed by the Hub Director.
• Work alongside the Director of the Mid-South I-Corps Hub and Vanderbilt Innovation Corps and the unit Administration and/or Grant Officer(s)/Manager(s) to ensure the work remains within budget and that funds are being spent responsibly.
• Participate in regular team meetings strategic planning sessions and maintain records of internal team meetings and progress and organize information and data as directed for reporting.
• Collaborate and provide assistance to other team members to turn strategic priorities into meaningful programming.
• Ensure that all activities in these areas are aligned with the mission of both the Mid-South Hub and the Vanderbilt Innovation Corps at Vanderbilt University.

Supervisory Relationships: This position supervises a team of professional staff members and student interns as assigned by providing clear performance expectations and regular feedback. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Director of the Mid-South I-Corps Hub.

Qualifications

• A Bachelors degree from an accredited institution of higher education is required. A Masters degree from an accredited institution of higher education is strongly preferred.
• Experience as an entrepreneur and/or assisting in entrepreneurship programs or centers is strongly preferred.
• A high attention to detail is required.
• Familiarity with and experience in the nonprofit social sector academia or entrepreneurial fields strongly preferred.
• Experience facilitating workshops and events is strongly preferred.
• Experience with systems thinking and/or leading innovation or entrepreneurial programming strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with I-Corps and Tech Transfer at institutions of higher education.
• Demonstrated interest in and commitment to service and the common good.
• Experience successfully supporting partnerships and collaborations with minimal oversight.
• Extremely well organized with excellent time management skills and the ability to successfully handle multiple programs at once.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to interact fluidly with the many different individuals and organizations that will contact and work with the I-Corps program.
• Experience navigating university policies and procedures.
• Proficient in office software tools (e.g. Microsoft Excel Word PowerPoint Airtable) and other software tools for communication analysis and office operations.
• Experience with design thinking business proposal and entrepreneurship case studies
• Flexible with job expectations and schedule in an office that is on the cutting edge of innovation.
• Willing to jump in wherever needed.
• Positive energetic can-do proactive entrepreneurial attitude with a passion for innovation and creativity.