Manager, Special Projects

Type: Full Time

Location: Required to be in office in Boulder, CO 4 days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) with 1 Flex Day (Friday). Occasional after-hours and weekend work will be required, particularly around events.

Start Date: Immediate

Compensation: $80–110k plus benefits (commensurate with experience)

Job Description

Caruso Ventures is seeking a Manager, Special Projects to support execution, coordination, and relationship stewardship across the Caruso Ventures platform, with an immediate focus on the successful delivery of Boulder Roots Music Festival.

This is a generalist role with real ownership, designed for someone who combines structured thinking with a strong bias toward execution. In the near term, the role will be deeply involved in Boulder Roots Music Festival—supporting planning, partner coordination, community relationships, and on-site execution. Over time, the scope expands to include additional programs and initiatives across Caruso Ventures, The Caruso Foundation, and the broader ecosystem of partners and platforms supported by the firm.

This is not a narrow or purely operational role. As part of a small, fast-moving team, you will operate across program/project management, strategy, events, and relationships. Some days you’ll be building project plans, managing timelines, and solving operational challenges; other days you’ll be engaging directly with community partners, sponsors, artists, vendors, and civic stakeholders, helping ensure clarity, trust, and thoughtful follow-through. You will be expected to move comfortably between planning and doing, and to step in wherever needed to ensure high-quality outcomes.

This role is ideal for a highly capable early- to mid-career professional—such as someone with consulting, strategy, operations, or comparable experience—who is eager to apply rigorous thinking in a hands-on environment, work closely with senior leadership, and take on meaningful responsibility in real-world, high-visibility programs.

Responsibilities

Boulder Roots Music Festival — Immediate Focus

• Manage and support end-to-end execution of Boulder Roots Music Festival VIP Experience, from planning through on-site delivery and post-event follow-through
• Coordinate across sponsors, community partners, artists, vendors, and internal stakeholders to ensure alignment and timely execution
• Own timelines, deliverables, and dependencies across multiple festival-related workstreams
• Provide on-site program management during the festival, assisting with logistics, partner needs, and real-time issue resolution
• Build and maintain strong, professional relationships within the Boulder community, serving as a reliable and thoughtful point of coordination
• Ensure a high-quality experience for partners, guests, and participants through careful planning, proactive communication, and attention to detail

The Caruso Foundation 

• Support planning and execution of select Caruso Foundation programs, partnerships, and community initiatives
• Assist with coordination among Foundation partners, grantees, and stakeholders
• Help translate Foundation priorities into clear plans, timelines, and operational next steps
• Support events, convenings, or public-facing initiatives tied to the Foundation’s work
• Ensure consistency, professionalism, and follow-through across Foundation-related efforts

Program Management & Execution

• Support planning and execution across additional Caruso Ventures programs and initiatives over time
• Translate high-level objectives into clear program plans, milestones, and operating rhythms
• Track progress, surface risks, and drive resolution across active programs
• Prepare concise briefing materials, updates, and summaries for leadership

Strategy, Analysis & Problem Solving

• Conduct structured analysis to support program design, partnerships, and strategic decisions
• Research and synthesize information across business, cultural, civic, and ecosystem topics
• Apply a hypothesis-driven, solutions-oriented approach to ambiguous challenges
• Help design repeatable processes and frameworks that improve program execution over time

Relationships, Community & External Engagement

• Support relationship stewardship across community organizations, sponsors, partners, and civic stakeholders
• Represent Caruso Ventures professionally in meetings, events, and community settings
• Ensure continuity, clarity, and thoughtful follow-through in relationship-driven programs
• Build trust through reliability, discretion, and consistent execution

Operations & Cross-Office Support

• Maintain and improve operational workflows, documentation, and tracking systems
• Coordinate across internal teams and external partners to keep programs moving forward
• Step in to execute directly when needed, particularly in fast-moving or live environments
• Contribute to broader office priorities, special projects, and ad hoc needs

Preferred Job Responsibilities

• Bachelor’s degree in business, economics, public policy, communications, or a related field
• 2–5 years of experience in program management, consulting, strategy, operations, events, or similar roles
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to structure complex, multi-stakeholder programs
• Comfort operating in ambiguous environments with multiple moving parts
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Proficiency with GSuite; comfort with tools like Notion, or similar systems
• Demonstrated interest in business, entrepreneurship, culture, and community-building—particularly within Colorado

Character & Personality Traits 

• High integrity, sound judgment, and strong respect for confidentiality
• Ownership-oriented mindset with accountability for outcomes and quality
• Comfort using AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT or similar) as part of everyday work for research, synthesis, planning, and communication
• Structured thinker who brings clarity and organization to complexity
• Hands-on, resourceful, and solutions-focused with a “figure it out” mentality
• Exceptionally reliable, with strong follow-through and responsiveness
• Comfortable working with senior stakeholders and community partners alike
• Calm under pressure and energized by high standards and meaningful responsibility
• Strong interpersonal skills that build trust, credibility, and durable relationships
• Naturally comfortable engaging new people and navigating evolving community dynamics

About Us

We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.