Cohort Operations Manager

Cohort Operations Manager

Wheaton College Billy Graham Center (WCBGC)

The Cohort Operations Manager serves as the subject‑matter expert (SME) for cohort strategy and execution across four WCBGC institutes (CEI, AACEI, RCI, and PI). This hybrid role blends operational excellence with project management leadership to deliver consistent, high‑quality cohort experiences.

The Manager oversees the full cohort lifecycle—recruitment, onboarding, delivery, follow‑up, retention, and alumni handoff—ensuring a seamless, service‑oriented experience for pastors, churches, and coaches. By standardizing processes, defining service‑level expectations (SLAs), and leveraging data and feedback for continuous improvement, this role strengthens efficiency and impact across all institutes.

The Cohort Operations Manager acts as the operational and strategic backbone of the WCBGC cohort system – ensuring that each institute delivers a cohesive, experience aligned with the WCBGC’s mission to equip and empower leaders for gospel‑centered ministry.

Reporting to the Director of Operations, this full‑time, salaried role pays approximately $57,000 plus benefits.

• Own the cohort lifecycle across four institutes: aligning activities with annual planning, recruitment campaigns, application intake, selection & placement, onboarding, session delivery support, retention interventions, graduation, and alumni transition.
• Develop and maintain issue logs, identifying potential barriers to cohort success and implementing mitigation strategies.
• Lead cross‑functional huddles (Recruiting, Finance, Tech) to ensure timely execution, clear ownership, and issue resolution.
• Coordinate with Operations Director on dashboards for KPIs: cohort fill %, attendance, payment status, satisfaction/NPS, issue resolution time, completion/retention.
• Coordinate with Finance on pledges/scholarships, dunning and collections in Stripe
  ; ensure clear, empathetic communication with churches and pastors.

• Serve as the cohort SME: build and maintain checklists, timelines, and templates, and process documentation.
• Train coaches, and contractors on cohort processes, systems Hub Spot
  , Circle
  , Stripe
  , and service standards/expectations.
• Set and enforce follow‑up (e.g., reply within 1–2 business days; resolve within 5 business days) with clear escalation paths.
• Oversee participant experience: welcome/onboarding communications, payment guidance Stripe
  , platform access Circle
  /
  Hub Spot
  , schedule reminders, and post‑session follow‑ups.
• Conduct pre‑ and post‑cohort retrospectives, capture relevant data, identify lessons learned, and implement process improvements yearly.
liAct as first escalation point for participant and coach issues; document cases and resolutions in Hub Spot
.
• Implement proactive outreach: failed payments, etc.
• Maintain clear, pastoral tone in all communications; ensure accessibility for diverse contexts across the four institutes.
• Own the participant knowledge base/FAQ; keep how‑to guides current (
  Circle access,
  Stripe payments, surveys).
• Publish session materials in Circle and ensure pre‑work and reminders are sent on time.
• Own session readiness checklists: tech checks.

• Optimize cohort CRM and payment workflows (
  Hub Spot
  , Circle
  , Stripe
  ); ensure data integrity and role‑based access.
• Create and maintain reports and dashboards tracking cohort KPIs; fill rates, retention, attendance, satisfaction (NOS), payment status, and completion.
• Provide monthly cohort metrics and variance analysis to Directors; highlight trends and recommend improvements.
• Reconcile cohort payments with Finance via Stripe reporting; maintain audit trails for key decisions.

• Harmonize operational frameworks across institutes to minimize duplication and establish single sources in Hub Spot
  .
• Collaborate with Institute Directors on launch planning, enrollment forecasting, and coordinate to align fill rate projections, cohort schedules, and resource allocation.
• Align cohort operations with WCBGC’s strategic goals, reporting quarterly on…