Program Associate

Position: Program Associate

Reports to: Director of Programs and Partnerships

Location: Oakland, CA 

The Alliance for Community Development (ACD) is a Bay Area 501(c)(3) not-for-profit dedicated to ​increasing access to capital and support for local, underrepresented entrepreneurs including but not limited to women, people of color, and veterans.

The Alliance is seeking a multilingual Program Associate to support our Programs team. Our flagship Navigation Program is the cornerstone of our organization. We build relationships and connect business owners to the resources they need within the ecosystem through one-on-one and cohort-based approaches. The Navigation Program consists of several initiatives including: Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Resource Navigation, Rapid Response Navigation, Capital Navigation, technical assistance and more. As part of this work, we also host community events, including our annual Bay Area Capital Connections (BACC) conference and release an annual  publication called The Good Money Guide. 

Our ideal new team member is an ambitious, self-starting and accountable, dynamic leader with passion for entrepreneurship, small business, and economic and community development. They offer proven experience in program support and implementation; equity-centered leadership; and collaborating across sectors to work with diverse clients and community stakeholders. 

Please Note: ACD is a Bay Area-wide organization. While our physical office is located in Oakland, we co-work from other spaces across different Bay Area cities. Candidates for this role must be based in, and familiar with, the Bay Area.

Core Duties and Responsibilities Include: 

The Program Associate role will support the Director of Programs and Partnerships in executing the following programs department areas including: 

Program Implementation 

1. Serve as Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Navigator, by providing support, advising, and resource referrals to Bay Area entrepreneurs in the form of a “Roadmap” and monthly touch points.
2. Follow up with entrepreneurs to assess their progress at predetermined intervals 
3. Ensure timeliness, cultural competency and quality of referrals
4. Manage incoming Navigation requests and scheduling
5. Support maintenance of ACD Resource Database including adding and updating information on resources

Data and Storytelling 

1. Ensure timely and accurate data entry in data management systems for programs related activities
2. Support the Marketing and Communications department in content development for reports and stories that highlight our impact and needs of our community; 
3. Support implementation of systems for evaluating short term and long term impact/outcomes and continuous quality improvement practices
4. Assist in tracking trends in diversity in tech and in investing, small business climate, and growth and access to capital 

Ecosystem Events

1. Contribute to the curation and implementation of events for entrepreneurs and other ecosystem stakeholders, including one-off workshops, Small Business Week events and our annual Bay Area Capital Connections Conference.

Community Engagement 

1. Support digital community building efforts via social media, including outreach to businesses that primarily operate via e-commerce and social media platforms
2. Attend partner ecosystem events representing ACD to engage entrepreneurs and other ecosystem partners
3. Canvass Bay Area neighborhoods and communities to meet and introduce ACD’s services to new businesses

Partnership Engagement 

1. Develop relationships with new partners and build creative ways to collaborate, cross promote and support one another’s work
2. Support pipeline building for Navigation programs and partners programs -  by connecting with ecosystem stakeholders and 
3. Support development of internal systems to support partnerships 
4. Operations 
5. Support Alliance’s evolving approach and developments to delivery that align with its mission and values

Qualifications: 

Applicants should have a strong commitment to ACD’s mission and substantial leadership, management, administration, and coaching experience; strong commitment to the Bay Area. 

Additional qualifications include:

• Multilingual (Spanish and English fluency, required)
• Ability to simultaneously manage multiple projects and competing priorities
• At least 3 years of entrepreneurial/Small Business support experience or lived experience 
• Experience working directly with clients in one-on-one and small group capacity 
• Experience and comfort with public speaking and stakeholder engagement
• Experience and comfort with self-directed and managed work; willingness to take initiative and fill in gaps as necessary or collaboratively identified
• Highly developed interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in collaboration with diverse groups of people
• Effective written and verbal communication skills – a persuasive, concise communicator; storyteller
• Track record of social media engagement and ability to implement social media strategy
• Availability for flexible schedule, including evening hours and weekends as needed
• Ability to travel to clients and work remote training sites and events.