Program Manager

Overview

The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC) is a national nonprofit founded in 1994 by Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter. ICIC drives inclusive economic prosperity in under-resourced communities through innovative research and programs to create jobs, income, and wealth for local residents. Informed by our research, ICIC has developed and supported highly effective initiatives for underserved businesses to meet entrepreneurs’ most pressing needs. At ICIC, you will work with talented, creative, and committed professionals in a collaborative culture dedicated to excellence and innovation.

Program Overview

ICIC is the national outreach and recruitment partner for Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business (BiB) and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB). Black in Business is a business education program designed to help sole proprietors learn how to price their products or services, hire their first employee, assess business finances, and more. 10,000 Small Businesses empowers entrepreneurs to create jobs and drive economic growth by providing access to education, capital, and business support services. ICIC manages and provides strategic guidance on outreach, application, and selection processes for both programs.

Position Summary

The Program Manager will provide project management, analytical, technological, and process-related oversight for the Black in Business (BiB) and 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) programs. In addition to leading and promoting our strategic advising work, the Program Manager will contribute to identifying creative methods for optimizing current processes and implementing new processes within programmatic guidelines. This role involves regular engagement with external stakeholders, including the Goldman Sachs Foundation, NYU Stern, and Babson College.

This position reports to the Director and supervises two to three staff members.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Program Management for Black in Business (35%)

• Coordinate and manage strategic outreach, recruitment, application, and selection with external partners and Goldman Sachs Foundation to select 640 businesses annually;
• Manage complex partner relationships with program site teams, Goldman Sachs Foundation staff, NYU Stern and Babson College staff;
• Analyze data on small business applicants and participants and present key findings to the program funder and program partners;
• Cultivate new and existing partnerships with business support services and community development organizations
• Lead webinars with key partners and stakeholders
• Participates in the evaluation and selection process for program applicants, including facilitation of interviews with program applicants and site partners;
• Manage program contact management systems and internal databases.
• Build templates, guides and training materials to capture team processes for streamlining and training;
• Host the training;
• Enhance internal staff training materials and needs on a continuous basis;
• Travel to small business conference and program orientation

10KSB Program Management (35%)

• Manage overall execution of the 10KSB program in one-two program sites;
• Manage outreach and selection for three cohorts, totaling 120 participants per market;
• Ensure the quality of program data for these sites;
• Serve as the primary point of contact for Goldman Sachs at designated locations;
• Participate in the evaluation and selection process for program applicants, including facilitating interviews with program applicants and site partners;
• Build templates and training materials;
• Enhance internal staff training materials and needs on a continuous basis;
• Host internal and external training;
• Manage complex partner relationships with program site teams, Goldman Sachs Foundation staff, and Babson College staff;
• Lead when the BTT Deputy Director is unavailable for both the BTT team and the National Partners (Goldman Sachs and Babson College);
• Lead panels and webinars with key partners and stakeholders;
• Indirectly oversee the BTT team. Provide coaching and mentorship to junior staff for quality of work, promotion, and team culture;
• Travel to small business conferences and local sites

Manage two to three direct reports (25%)

• Conduct performance review and support professional development for direct reports;
• Provide feedback on work products;
• Conduct hiring of new team members as required; and
• Flag any challenges or opportunities to the Director

ICIC Leadership (5%)

• Serve on an ICIC committee and represent BiB and 10KSB programs

Qualifications

The successful candidate is a highly organized self-starter with experience providing data analysis, outreach support, and relationship management while managing multi-stakeholder partnerships. They are inspired by the work that we do at ICIC and passionate about supporting small businesses.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A Bachelor’s degree and 8-10 years of work experience OR 10+ years of relevant work experience, with some prior experience in program management, communications, capacity building, or partnership-based work.
• At least 2-3 years of supervisory experience
• Knowledge of economic development and small business operations is strongly preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, and demonstrated experience with Salesforce or other CRM systems
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong organizational and prioritization skills and a keen attention to detail
• Professional communication skills for interacting with both internal and external stakeholders
• Ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks concurrently while managing competing demands
• Collaborative, solutions-oriented team player who enjoys working with other team members and departments
• Ability to travel at least 20% of the year, nationally

This is a full-time remote position. We are currently recruiting candidates from the following states: AL, AR, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, KY, MA, MD, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TX, and VA.

ICIC is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive organization. We provide equal opportunity for all persons seeking employment without regard to race, age, color, religion, gender identity, family status, sexual orientation, military status, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic as established by law.

ICIC participates in E-Verify to confirm that all new hires are authorized to work in the U.S. Please see the Participation Poster and Right to Work Poster for more information.