About XPRIZE

XPRIZE competitions change the world for the better by accelerating innovation life cycles, catalyzing markets, and energizing stakeholders.  

The XPRIZE Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to inspiring and incentivizing breakthroughs to the most critical challenges facing humanity. Since its beginning in 1994, the Foundation has been building and continues to build a vision of hope and abundance for humanity’s future by harnessing the power of innovators, technology, and resources.  

Through incentive prize competitions, XPRIZE enables people to create bold and transformative solutions that are scalable and drive real impact. XPRIZE competitions positively impact both the marketplace and humanity by addressing the market failures that have prevented significant breakthroughs across multiple sectors.  

An XPRIZE… 

sets an audacious but achievable goal that aims to overcome challenges deemed impossible. It tackles some of humanity's most pressing issues by redefining what is achievable and pushing the boundaries of human potential.  

defines and addresses a clear problem through extensive research, a design sprint, and a competition that catalyzes the development of the next breakthroughs to put humanity on the path toward a preferred future state for all. The desired outcome from an XPRIZE is clear and measurable, and the rules of the competition are transparent and easily understood.  

democratizes innovation by encouraging expert and nonexpert participation and multidisciplinary collaboration.  

catalyzes markets and revitalizes stagnant industries by increasing awareness of market failures and accelerating innovations to address them.  

is highly leveraged, with competing teams attracting and mobilizing investment capital, partner support, and new members in pursuit of the prize. Philanthropic dollars are thus magnified in support of a solution.  

Our first XPRIZE, the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE for private spaceflight, spurred an industry and created exponential breakthroughs. Since then we have provided over $140 million in incentives through these competitions. Each prize has created an industry-changing technology that brings us closer to a better, safer, more sustainable world.  

The use of incentive competitions, or prizes, to accelerate innovation goes back over 300 years, to when the British Admiralty launched the Longitude Prize in 1714 to find a better way to navigate our seas. In the years since, several well-known innovations have resulted from incentive competitions, including canning as a form of food preservation (a competition launched by Napoleon in 1795), modern plastics (the Billiard Ball Prize, 1863) and commercial aviation (the Orteig Prize, 1919).  

This is more than a job to us. When you work at XPRIZE, you’re making a positive impact on some of the biggest challenges facing our world. Whether you’re working in prize design or development, marketing and communications, stakeholder relations, business operations or any other department, you’re playing a critical role in turning the impossible into the possible.

Role Summary

As the Project Specialist, you will support the day-to-day operations of XPRIZE Connect, our new educational outreach program. You will be expected to apply a broad range of organizational, analytical, and creative problem-solving skills to ensure the success of the initiative. You will be responsible for the smooth and timely execution of all Connect activities.

Responsibilities

• Maintains a detailed understanding of project goals and clearly communicates progress and recommendations for improvement to the project team(s);
• Performs work under direct supervision;
• Possesses beginning-to-working knowledge of subject matter;
• Updates Connect project plan to ensure all parties are tracking towards deadlines successfully;
• Coordinates internal XPRIZE team and collaborates with all internal departments as related to the operations of all Connect projects;
• Develops internal knowledge base of the initiative, administers official paperwork and filings. This may include assisting in the development of contracts, certificates, licenses, permits, contact lists, etc.;
• Tracks expenditures, schedule, and budgets and works closely with the Lead to ensure competition remains within budget;
• Responsible for reviewing monthly prize expenses and resolving issues;
• Monitors and facilitates internal team project deliverables for all external stakeholders;
• Represents Connect at internal and external meetings, including giving presentations about Connect when needed;
• Prepares presentation materials as needed in collaboration with Connect team

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required;
• Minimum 3 years of relevant work experience;
• Highly organized with proven attention to detail;
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, multi-project environment with evolving needs and quickly changing priorities;
• Ability to build and maintain collaborative relationships;
• Ability to work as part of a team;
• Ability to drive projects to completion;
• Time-management skills;
• Strong written and verbal communication skills;
• Ability to identify and seek needed information/research skills;
• Proven ability to organize information into charts and slides;
• Experience with project management and budgeting highly preferred and/or willingness to be trained;
• Demonstrated critical thinking and problem-solving skills;
• Proven ability to adhere to deadline and support others towards completion of tasks;
• Microsoft Office and Google Suite knowledge and expertise;

Come change the world with us.

XPRIZE Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to having a truly inclusive workforce. We do not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.