Beacon Executive Leadership Program

About this role

ABOUT BEACON SOFTWARE

Beacon Software is a new type of software holding company with the mission to buy, build, grow, and hold great vertical market software businesses. We are not a financial firm; we are technology entrepreneurs passionate about building great software. We seek out founders who have spent years understanding their market and prioritizing their customers’ specific needs. Our flexible structure offers entrepreneurs a unique succession option that ensures the continuity of their company while providing liquidity at full value for their equity. Beacon acquires companies with the intent to hold them forever and invest in their continued growth. We have permanent, committed capital with a long term time horizon and no pressure to sell to another buyer. Our capital comes from a diverse set of investors, including Wall Street (D1 Capital, CPMG), Silicon Valley (General Catalyst), the family offices of great technology entrepreneurs (John & Patrick Collison, Tony Xu, Eric Glyman, Karim Atiyeh), and evergreen funds specializing in buy-and-hold models (Sator Grove).

Beacon Software was founded by entrepreneurs Nilam Ganenthiran (former President of Instacart and partner at D1 Capital) and Divya Gupta (former partner at Sequoia Capital), who have spent their careers investing in, scaling, and building high-growth technology businesses.

ROLE AND MISSION: EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

This is an exciting opportunity for emerging leaders to fast-track their careers in software operations. Beacon’s Executive Leadership Program is a full-time rotational leadership development program launching in 2026. We are recruiting talented MBA students and early-career professionals (3–6 years of experience) to join an inaugural cohort focused on developing the next generation of General Managers for Beacon’s portfolio companies. Participants will undergo intensive training at Beacon HQ and then take on meaningful operational leadership roles within a Beacon operating company. By combining broad exposure with deep, hands-on responsibility, the program prepares Chiefs of Staff to step into GM-level roles as early as year three of their tenure.

The pilot cohort will be immersed in Beacon’s high-integrity, entrepreneurial culture and will work closely with Beacon’s centralized team and portfolio company leaders. The program is designed to instill Beacon’s values, operational playbooks, and growth mindset in future leaders. As part of a small and highly selective first cohort, you will benefit from significant mentorship and will play a pivotal role in shaping this program for future participants.

Location: You will begin the program with a residency at Beacon’s offices (San Francisco) and will then be placed at one of our portfolio companies (primarily in North America) for the embedded role. Willingness to relocate to the operating company’s location (if different) or travel as needed is expected.

SCOPE OF RESPONSIBILITY: MULTI-PHASE LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

This program offers a structured progression through two main phases:

- Phase 1 – Beacon HQ Residency (6 months): You will join as a Chief of Staff in the portfolio operations team working GMs and Beacon’s central team across functions to learn how we operate our software businesses. In addition, you will receive intensive training at Beacon’s headquarters covering core playbooks in pricing strategy, go-to-market (GTM), customer onboarding and retention, and product management. This phase builds foundational skills, knowledge of Beacon’s standards, and a strong internal network.

- Phase 2 – Portfolio Company Embed (18–24 months): Placement in a Beacon operating company in a scoped operational leadership role (e.g. leading a key initiative or managing a specific function within the business). During this phase, Chiefs of Staff will take on real operating responsibilities—driving growth projects, improving processes, or leading teams—while receiving active mentorship from the company’s General Manager and Beacon’s senior operators. The role is designed to be high-impact and learning-rich, giving the Chiefs of Staff ownership of meaningful outcomes within the business.

Goal: High-performing Chiefs of Staff will be on track to transition into General Manager roles at a Beacon company starting in year three. The ultimate aim of the program is to graduate Chiefs of Staff into full GM positions with the confidence, context, and leadership experience to run a vertical software business within the Beacon portfolio.

QUALIFICATIONS

- 3–6 years of professional experience in operating roles such as BizOps Manager, Operations Manager, RevOps, Product Ops, Product Manager, FP&A analyst

- Preferred: MBA degree (or equivalent graduate degree) in progress or recently completed – or comparable experience in a rigorous leadership role.

- Strong academic foundation and a track record of high performance.

- Preferred: Experience in software/SaaS companies or in small-to-medium business operations, with exposure to revenue growth and operational scaling challenges.

- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a natural ability to build relationships and collaborate across teams.

- Demonstrated commercial acumen and problem-solving skills — you can quickly analyze business challenges and drive data-informed decisions.

- High ownership mindset and self-motivation, with the ability to take initiative in ambiguous environments and drive projects to completion.

- Empathetic team player who can influence without authority and foster trust, both internally and with customers/partners.

IDEAL CANDIDATE

- Ambitious emerging leader who is excited by the opportunity to accelerate their path toward a General Manager role in the software industry.

- Based in (or willing to relocate to) San Francisco, and open to travel within North America as required.

- Eager to work across multiple business functions (product,…