Leadership Development Programs Manager
Job Description
Job Description
If you are energized by building relationships, making connections, and turning conversations into real opportunities, this role puts you at the center of Greenville’s business community and its future workforce.
The Leadership Development Programs Manager helps bring Leadership Greenville, Opportunity Greenville, GCYP, Pacesetters, alumni programming, and future leadership initiatives to life. This is a highly detail-oriented role with many moving parts: the Talent & Leadership team delivers more than 50 program sessions, events, and experiences each year, each requiring thoughtful planning, coordination, communication, and follow-through.
Working closely with the Executive Director/Vice President, the Manager will develop a deep understanding of the programs, their traditions, relationships, and purpose while progressively assuming greater responsibility and ownership. The role is designed for someone who enjoys planning ahead, keeping multiple timelines and details moving at once, and creating order behind the scenes so participants, volunteers, speakers, and partners have an exceptional experience.
Success in this role means creating experiences that feel seamless to participants because the planning, communication, relationships, and countless details behind them have been handled exceptionally well.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Work in tandem with the Executive Director/Vice President to plan, coordinate, and execute a high volume of leadership programs, sessions, and events, progressively assuming greater ownership and independent decision-making as experience and proficiency grow.
- Develop a strong understanding of each program’s purpose, history, curriculum, stakeholder relationships, and operational requirements.
- Coordinate program logistics, including calendars, registrations, venues, speakers, facilitators, meals, transportation, materials, communications, evaluations, and follow-up.
- Maintain timelines, checklists, participant records, procedures, and other systems to ensure deadlines and commitments are met.
- Serve as a responsive point of contact for participants, alumni, volunteers, speakers, sponsors, and community partners, escalating issues when appropriate.
- Support steering committees and volunteer leaders by coordinating meetings, preparing materials, communicating assignments, and following up on action items.
- Support participant recruitment, selection, onboarding, engagement, and ongoing program communications.
- Implement established curriculum and program experiences while identifying opportunities to strengthen participant experience and operational efficiency.
- Gather participant and stakeholder feedback and work with the Executive Director/Vice President to identify appropriate program improvements.
- Assist with program budgets, revenues and expenses, sponsor commitments, participation data, evaluations, and assigned KPIs.
- Support sponsor stewardship and recognition in coordination with the Executive Director/Vice President, Business Engagement Manager, and other Chamber staff.
- Maintain accurate program documentation and strengthen templates, procedures, and shared systems to improve consistency and cross-training.
- Represent the Chamber professionally and collaborate across the Talent & Leadership team and Chamber, communicating priorities, needs, and potential challenges in a timely manner.
Candidate Profile: What We Need on this Team
- Strong coordinator — organized, dependable, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple activities, deadlines, and commitments.
- Eager learner — interested in understanding the programs, community, relationships, and Chamber culture while developing greater program ownership.
- Relationship-centered — builds positive relationships with participants, volunteers, business leaders, community partners, and colleagues.
- Proactive communicator with strong follow-through — keeps others informed, asks questions, anticipates concerns, tracks details, and closes loops.
- Practical problem solver — works through day-to-day challenges, adapts when circumstances change, and knows when to seek guidance.
- Collaborative and coachable — works effectively with a supervisor and teammates, welcomes feedback, and adjusts as responsibilities evolve.
- Calm and adaptable — manages events, changing schedules, competing priorities, and unexpected needs professionally.
- Growth-oriented — interested in developing greater program management, facilitation, relationship management, and leadership capabilities over time.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in leadership, education, business, communications, nonprofit management, public administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
- Three or more years of relevant experience preferred in program coordination, event management, leadership development, education, nonprofit organizations, Chamber programs, community engagement, or a related field.
- Experience coordinating projects, events, deadlines, and multiple stakeholder relationships.
- Strong organizational, written and verbal communication, customer service, and interpersonal skills.
- Demonstrated ability to build positive relationships and work effectively with a variety of personalities and levels of leadership.
- Ability to follow established processes while also identifying opportunities for improvement.
- Experience supporting budgets, program data, participant feedback, or performance measures preferred.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office and comfort learning CRM, registration, project management, and other technology platforms.
- Ability to work independently on assigned responsibilities while remaining highly collaborative and comfortable seeking direction when needed.
Physical Requirements
General office requirements, including keyboarding, communicating, and extended periods at a workstation. Some lifting and carrying up to 30 pounds and 100 feet. Vision sufficient for preparing and analyzing data and figures. Ability to drive and work extended hours.
Disclaimer
This description describes the general nature and level of work performed and is not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities.
The Greenville Chamber is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable federal, state, or local law.
