Preceptor

About Watson Institute

Watson Institute runs high-impact fellowships with support from major corporations and foundations, helping promising entrepreneurs and leaders from underserved communities build the skills, networks, and confidence to grow their ventures and increase their impact. Fellows receive practical entrepreneurship and leadership training, dedicated mentorship, community-development stipends, longer-term alumni support, and access to a global network of peers, mentors, and opportunities.

The organization partners with groups such as Google, JPMorganChase Foundation, Walmart.org, Wells Fargo, Ford Philanthropy, SAP, Truist Foundation, BMO, Comcast, Western Union, and other private foundations. Its programs will serve more than 2,400 emerging leaders this year.

Graduates of these fellowships have collectively raised over $190 million, created more than 2,300 paid jobs, and reached over 11 million people worldwide through the initiatives they have helped lead. Most alumni are employed, continuing their studies, or building a venture, and many continue using the skills they learned years later. Alumni have also gone on to programs such as Y Combinator and the Echoing Green Fellowship, have appeared on Forbes 30 Under 30, and have continued their education at institutions including Harvard, New York University, and Princeton.

Role Summary

Watson Institute is hiring Preceptors to serve as expert practitioners and educators within its fellowship programs. In this role, you will advise and guide Fellows as they move through a 16-week program, helping them translate ideas into action and strengthen their ventures, leadership, and career paths.

Preceptors are expected to bring grounded, real-world experience and strong facilitation skills. Typical topics may include Foundations, Data & Metrics, Funding, Go-to-Market, Pitching, and Team Management. Each Preceptor leads a designated block of the program, usually made up of two to four modules aligned with the fellowship’s learning goals.

What You Will Do

You will prepare session content, lead virtual learning experiences, mentor Fellows, provide coaching and feedback on their deliverables, join program meetings, and participate in onboarding and training. The role is part-time across the duration of the assigned fellowship, with exact scheduling and time requirements confirmed during hiring.

The teaching model is highly experiential. Sessions are designed so that roughly 80% of the time is spent practicing and applying concepts, while about 20% is used to introduce frameworks and key ideas. The program emphasizes clear outcomes, aligned in-session activities, a Fellow-centered approach, adaptability to the cohort’s venture stage, and continuous improvement through surveys and feedback.

The learning platform used for delivery is Google Classroom, and Preceptors are expected to upload materials on time. A preparation checklist will be shared before sessions.

As part of the mentorship component, each Preceptor should reserve 4 hours per module for one-on-one guidance. Fellows will book 30-minute mentoring meetings, allowing up to 8 Fellows per module over the 16-week fellowship. Preceptors may choose to extend availability at their discretion. Fellows are asked to come prepared with goals for the session, and Preceptors must keep a brief record of mentorship meetings using a form provided after orientation.

Additional responsibilities may be added as the role evolves.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate has deep experience in entrepreneurship, startup building, venture support, social impact, business growth, or a closely related field. Strong candidates may come from founder, operator, investor, advisor, mentor, educator, or ecosystem-builder backgrounds.

You should also be committed to practical learning, comfortable working with people from varied cultural, socioeconomic, and academic backgrounds, and motivated by ethical leadership and social responsibility. A growth mindset, curiosity about emerging trends, and a desire to help founders and changemakers succeed are important.

Working Style and Culture

To thrive in this role, you should be highly organized, intentional, outcome-oriented, and able to build reliable systems. The organization values direct communication, principled dissent, decisive follow-through, a low-drama environment, and proactive escalation of concerns when needed.

Compensation, Timing, and Location

This is a contractor role with compensation of $1,300 to $3,000 per block, depending on the fellowship, number of modules, and scope of work. Estimated total time commitment is about 25 to 35 hours.

Applicants from priority geographies may be preferred. In the United States, priority locations include California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. International priority locations include China, Finland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

The expected start for all Preceptors is August 2026, with onboarding and engagement beginning then. The expected end date varies by fellowship, but most cohorts finish in December 2026 or January 2027. Extensions may be possible based on organizational needs, program needs, and performance.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until the role is filled.