Program Manager, BRIDGE Louisiana

Position Summary

Activate is partnering with FUEL Louisiana to build a connected carbontech innovation workforce across the state. This new Louisiana-based Program Manager will serve as the on-the-ground leader for two complementary programs that together aim to engage 300+ participants annually, expanding the pool of science entrepreneurs and startup talent across Louisiana, while strengthening the connections that drive long-term ecosystem growth.

• Louisiana Science Innovator BRIDGE (LSI BRIDGE) — a 6-month scalable support program helping scientists and engineers explore entrepreneurship and commercialization in carbon management, with a Core Track (25–100 participants) and an Intensive Track (5–10 participants/year).
• StartUp Pathways — a lightweight awareness-building initiative that exposes students, early-career professionals, and technical workers to career opportunities in Louisiana's growing hard tech startup ecosystem.

This is a high-impact, entrepreneurially-spirited role at the intersection of science, community-building, and workforce development. You will be Activate's primary presence in Louisiana, working closely with FUEL Louisiana, local universities, community colleges, industry partners, and Activate's national team to ensure both programs are executed with excellence.

Primary Responsibilities

Program Management & Execution

• Own end-to-end coordination, managing timelines, milestones, and day-to-day operations across both programs simultaneously.
• Collaborate with FUEL on the LSI BRIDGE selection process for the Core Tract; leverage Activate's historical selection infrastructure to select the Intensive Track participants.
• Support EIR with the Intensive Track program, ensuring meaningful progress and building community for participants.
• Assist FUEL in making direct connections between Intensive Track founders and core assets in Louisiana to ensure retention in FUEL’s founder ecosystem.
• Coordinate monthly virtual sessions, peer learning forums, group discussions, and cohort events for LSI BRIDGE participants — including logistics, materials access, and participant communications.
• Organize StartUp Pathways panels and Q&A sessions, sourcing speakers from Activate's national hard tech startup network and coordinating with FUEL's platforms for participant recruitment.
• Support recruiting efforts including in-person and virtual recruitment events annually, partnering with FUEL to activate local channels and institutional partners.

Community & Relationship Building

• Cultivate a tight-knit, supportive community among LSI BRIDGE participants, forming relationships with participants to connect them to resources and opportunities.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager with FUEL Louisiana, attending key stakeholder meetings, contributing to joint reporting, and ensuring strong alignment between both organizations' goals.
• Build and steward a local network of mentors, carbontech experts, institutional partners, and venues — drawing on both Activate's national network and FUEL's Louisiana connections.
• Engage LSI BRIDGE alumni over time, connecting them back to current participants as mentors and collaborators to deepen the ecosystem's self-reinforcing nature.
• Represent Activate externally across Louisiana — at universities, industry events, and innovation gatherings — to raise visibility, refer qualified applicants, and attract future talent.

Data, Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

• Track participant progress, program outcomes, and ecosystem indicators; produce reporting to meet FUEL Louisiana's coordination and accountability needs.
• Proactively collect and analyze data about participants and programs to drive continuous improvement and surface insights to both the local and national Activate teams.
• Contribute feedback and learnings to Activate's national fellowship and BRIDGE program teams to help refine standard processes and programming.

Strategic Contribution

• Serve as a consultant on statewide initiatives to build or attract hard tech startup programs, providing Activate's perspective and expertise.
• Partner with Activate's national team to scale LSI BRIDGE from ~25–50 participants in Year 1–2 to ~75–100 participants by Year 3.

The Ideal Candidate...

• Is passionate about community building and has a track record of cultivating connection, collaboration, and mutual support across diverse groups.
• Can manage a complex, multi-program operation through changing circumstances — getting the details right and staying organized and prepared.
• Is a skilled relationship-builder who thrives working across stakeholder groups: scientists, policymakers, university administrators, industry partners, and funders.
• Proactively collects and uses data to stay ahead of problems and drive improvement — comfortable with both a spreadsheet and a heartfelt one-on-one conversation.
• Can communicate nuanced information clearly and confidently in any context: on a stage, in a partner meeting, or in a written report.
• Is excited to work in an entrepreneurial environment and can switch fluidly between strategic thinking and ground-level execution.
• Is energized by Louisiana's innovation moment and brings genuine enthusiasm for carbontech, clean energy, and equitable workforce development.
• Loves science and is ready to learn a lot of it — curiosity about deep tech is essential, though a technical background is helpful but not required.

About the Role

This is a full-time position with a starting competitive annual salary of $90,000 and a generous benefits package that includes professional development, $2,000 in annual wellness funds, flexible paid time off, healthcare coverage for employees and dependents, with 90–100% of premiums covered, and the opportunity to join a retirement plan with a 3% match beginning after 3 months at Activate. 

The role is open to U.S.-based candidates who are based in or willing to relocate to Louisiana, with the ability to occasionally travel regionally for events and partner meetings.