Program Manager (Venture Discovery Pod)

About the company:

Altellect is a strategic venture ecosystem that builds, operates, and scales intelligent, high-growth startups across diverse sectors. As we expand our portfolio, we’re looking for passionate and driven professionals to join us in shaping the future of our ventures. We are on a mission to build and launch 10+ product-led businesses across multiple technology domains.  At Altellect, you’ll help lay the foundations of innovation - from people and products to culture and performance - as we transform ideas into thriving businesses. 

Role Objective

Own the operating system of the CVA pod – process, timelines, documentation, and coordination with other studio functions and the Investment Committee (IC) – to ensure multiple ventures move smoothly through discovery, pilots, and MVP definition without dropping balls.

Who’s it for?

This role suits a high-agency operator who loves to build structure amidst uncertainty, utilizes checklists and creates clarity, thrives in fast-changing environments, and enjoys being at the center of action, enabling AI PMs, engineers, and commercial leads to focus on deep work while keeping the entire pod on track.

Key responsibilities:

1. Process and Stage-Gate Management

   • Maintain and improve the stage-gate process from idea → discovery → pilots → MVP scope → IC decision.

   • Ensure every concept has clear timelines, owners, and exit criteria at each stage.

1. Timeline and Workflow Orchestration

   • Plan and track pod sprints, rituals (standups, reviews, retros), and key milestone dates for all active ventures.

   • Identify bottlenecks early, flag risks to the CVA, and proactively drive resolutions across functions.

1. Documentation and Knowledge Management

   • Own venture documentation: briefs, discovery notes, pilot results, IC decks, and decision logs.

   • Ensure all documents are versioned, searchable, and accessible in the studio’s knowledge systems (e.g., Notion, Drive, internal wikis).

1. Coordination with Studio Functions and IC

   • Coordinate inputs from design, finance, legal, talent, and other shared services into each venture’s discovery and IC process.

   • Support CVA in preparing IC agendas, distributing pre-reads, capturing decisions, and tracking follow-ups.

1. Executive Assistance to CVA

   • Manage calendars, key meetings, and follow-up actions for the CVA in relation to venture discovery and IC.

   • Help prioritize CVA time across ventures, stakeholders, and internal/external meetings..

Domain expertise and experience:

• Strong background in program/project management, operations, or PMO in fast-paced startup or product environments.

• Comfort working across multiple workstreams and stakeholders, ideally with exposure to product/tech or venture building contexts.

• Familiarity with modern productivity tools (Notion, Asana/Jira, Google Workspace, Slack, etc.) and an instinct for building simple, effective processes.

Must-Haves (Elimination Criteria)

• 3–6 years in program management, operations, EA-to-leadership, or similar roles in high-velocity environments.

• Proven experience running complex, multi-stakeholder projects end-to-end with clear milestones and documentation.

• Excellent organization, follow-through, and written communication skills; strong attention to detail.

• High ownership, initiative, and comfort working closely with senior leadership in ambiguous situations.

Good-to-Haves

• Experience in a venture studio, accelerator, incubator, or startup CXO office.

• Exposure to product development or tech teams (understanding sprints, backlogs, and releases).

• Experience setting up or improving operating cadences, rituals, and simple dashboards.

Qualification:

• Bachelor’s in Business, Management, Engineering, or any discipline with strong exposure to project/program management.​

• Certifications like PMP, PRINCE2, or Agile/Scrum are nice-to-have but not mandatory.