Director – Central Massachusetts Women’s Business Center

About the Center for Women & Enterprise:

The Center for Women & Enterprise (CWE) is an economic empowerment nonprofit founded in Boston in 1995 to lift up the women who lift up the world. CWE is home to the largest cluster of Women’s Business Centers in the country, covering Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The Women’s Business Centers are funded in part by the U.S. Small Business Administration. At CWE, we believe that when women thrive economically, families and communities also thrive, creating a more equitable and inclusive economy. To that end, CWE offers business services - training, individual business counseling, and community connections - that help women start and grow their businesses.

Over 50% of CWE’s service footprint is focused on low-income communities in urban and rural areas whose access to such services have been extremely limited. While our focus is on serving the needs of those who identify as women, we serve all genders. CWE is also home to the Veterans Business Outreach Center of New England and is a regional certifier for the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council. 

Our values:

·        Respect

·        Equity

·        Collaboration

·        Innovation

·        Joy

The role:

As Director, you will oversee the Central Massachusetts Women’s Business Center (WBC). You will be primarily focused on central Massachusetts, with a secondary focus on western Massachusetts. You will breathe new energy and ideas into this well-established WBC, crafting & executing the vision for the center in alignment with CWE’s mission, vision and three-year strategic plan. Reporting to CWE’s VP of Program Operations, you will keep the WBC in excellent standing with funders and stakeholders, through strong communication, programmatic impact, and compliance.

You’ll be tuned in to the needs of small business owners in central and western Massachusetts to create relevant programs and counseling experiences that will empower business owners to affect substantial economic impact in their communities, as measured by successful business start-ups, job creation and retention, and increased company revenues.

Working in partnership with CWE’s VP of Strategic Partnerships, you’ll serve as the ‘talent’ when talking with local funders to communicate the great work of your center and provide thought leadership in the field of economic development and entrepreneurial education. You will expand and deepen programming partnerships with community and economic development organizations across central and western Massachusetts. You will have a consistent focus on creating programs and relationships that allow the center to be more accessible, equitable, and supportive. You will work collaboratively with your colleagues across New England to ensure the organization is strong and able to implement best practices.

This job is for you if:

• You have owned a small business and/or worked as a key member of a small business
• You have extensive networks in central Massachusetts, ideally also in western Massachusetts, developed over at least 8 years of work as a business owner and/or in a leadership position with an entrepreneurial/economic development organization
• You excel in the areas of teambuilding and management

Responsibilities:

• Recruit, manage, and cultivate an Advisory Board of community volunteers for your center.
• Collaborate deeply with other CWE center directors, sharing best practices, troubleshooting, and pooling resources.
• In conjunction with our team, create and teach innovative programs in entrepreneurship and small business ownership.
• Manage a staff of 2: your Program Manager, who carries out the daily operational and client experience tasks, and your temporary Project Manager for COVID Business Recovery, the office’s expert on programming & individual business counseling for COVID-specific business issues.
• Build out and manage a team of Core Consultants and volunteers who deliver counseling and trainings to our clients. Ensure each receives consistent onboarding, which includes familiarization with a feminist approach to business development.
• Work directly with clients through individual business counseling and instruction, including helping them to package their financials to approach an investor or lender.
• Ensure each client has a high quality and relevant experience each time they work with CWE.
• Establish, implement and maintain operational protocol within your center to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
• Manage your center’s budget to ensure that expenses are in line with local and organizational strategy.
• Understand and ensure compliance with governing documents such as CWE Standard Operating Procedures, and the federal Notice of Award and Project Guide.
• Collaborate closely with the VP of Strategic Partnerships and the Director of Grants & Data to identify local funding prospects and build relationships with community leaders, influencers and funders.
• Ensure that grant deliverables are exceeded, and that all information needed for reporting is submitted in a timely manner.
• Via participation in the Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC), collaborate with our WBC colleagues from across the country to share best practices and problem-solve.
• Speak on state, regional and national webinars/panels on the needs of women entrepreneurs and best practices in serving entrepreneurs.
• Proactively engage and collaborate with people and organizations throughout the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Massachusetts.

Qualifications:

• Strong connections in the central Massachusetts entrepreneurial ecosystem, ideally also western Massachusetts, with a special emphasis on historically underserved communities.
• Confidence in a variety of public-facing roles
• Undergraduate degree in economics, business administration or liberal arts; MBA preferred (significant work/life experience may be considered in lieu of degrees)
• Excellent organizational, communication, writing and decision-making skills
• Innovative self-starter with ability to develop and drive new initiatives
• Committed to serving the needs of a diverse client base
• Enthusiastic about the mission of CWE
• Team player
• Committed to success
• Diplomatic, professional and patient

Language and Computer Skills:

• Bilingual in Spanish and English is strongly preferred. Knowledge of Portuguese and/or Haitian Creole is a plus.
• Ability to write reports and business correspondence
• Ability to effectively present information in a variety of ways, including online (i.e. via webinar)
• MS Office proficiency required
• Familiarity with online CRMs strongly preferred

Additional Requirements:

• Expect to work outside of normal business hours
• Much work will be done in communities throughout central and western Massachusetts, as opposed to in a traditional office setting.
• Must communicate clearly and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders on an ongoing basis.

Interested? Submit your resume and cover letter to info.centralma@cweonline.org along with any questions you may have.

To learn more about us, check us out at www.cweonline.org and follow the links to our social media.