Tribe Hiring! Full Time Innovation Program Specialist (Freelancer - Contractor) in - Ricebowl

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Innovation Program Specialist (freelancer/contractor) to design, plan, and deliver innovation programs - including large-scale events, accelerator programs, and hackathons - on behalf of our clients. This is an end-to-end ownership role: from initial concept and planning through to execution, wrap-up, and post-program reporting.

Key Responsibilities

Program Management & Execution

• Own end-to-end planning, execution, and delivery of large-scale events, accelerator programs, hackathons, ideathons, or innovation challenges, ensuring objectives, timelines, and quality bar are met.
• Design program/event structure, curriculum, or run-of-show, including agendas, mentor matching, and cohort or participant management where applicable.
• Track progress against milestones and prepare reporting on outcomes and results.
• Shape the end-to-end marketing strategy for the program, from planning and campaign development to execution and performance tracking.

Client Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for assigned clients, accounts, and stakeholders throughout the program or event lifecycle.
• Own relationship management, ensuring client satisfaction, retention, and opportunities for account growth.
• Provide regular updates and align expectations with clients on scope, progress, and outcomes.

Operations & Logistics

• Manage end-to-end logistics for owned programs and events, including venues, vendor relationships, run-of-show, and on-site execution.
• Coordinate mentors, judges, speakers, and partner organizations to support participants.
• Manage documentation, contracts, and vendor coordination for each engagement.

Business Development

• Ability to support lead generation and outreach efforts for new programs, events, or client accounts.
• Commercial
• Monitor budgets and forecasts for owned programs/events, flagging variances proactively.
• Manage costs against approved budgets, ensuring commercial viability of each engagement.

Strategy & Innovation

• Bring fresh ideas and best practices to program/event design, drawing on experience across the innovation ecosystem.
• Identify opportunities to improve program formats, participant experience, or delivery efficiency.

Requirements

• Proven experience managing large-scale events, accelerator programs, and/or hackathons (please indicate area(s) of strongest expertise).
• Strong project management, vendor management, and stakeholder communication skills.
• Ability to manage budgets and timelines independently.
• Comfortable working autonomously in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Prior experience in the innovation/startup ecosystem is a strong plus.