Program Director – E3 Durham Program

Overview

The Program Director will lead the E3 (Equity for Every Entrepreneur) Durham program. The program is designed to increase connectivity, counseling services, and capital access for underrepresented entrepreneurs in Durham/Durham County, NC. The role will also coordinate a cross-functional team in support of E3 Durham - a 24-month program. This role reports to the Senior Director of Programs.

Functions and Responsibilities

Program Management

• Serving as the outward-facing leader of the project in community; 
• Providing day-to-day leadership and operational guidance of the E3 Durham program; 
• Leveraging business development expertise and knowledge of local business support resources to better connect business owners in underserved communities with critical services and assistance programs;
• Maintaining communications with the the Senior Program Director to ensure engagement milestones are on schedule and within the prescribed budgets; 
• Identifying opportunities to improve our work and impact within our programs as well as our broader team;
• Identifying potential issues and risks and providing timely recommendations;
• Tracking and updating the engagement calendar, action plans, and project management boards for the project;
• Supervising Community Navigator(s) to ensure all assigned engagement milestones are on schedule and within the prescribed budgets;
• Coordinating with the Marketing and Communications team and Program Assistant to provide any necessary inputs and multimedia content for events, web, print, and social media;
• Producing minutes, actions items, follow-ups after meetings, and scheduling future meetings;
• Vetting, selecting, and managing multiple contractors for the project, including those providing direct services to E3 Durham clients and those supporting other aspects of E3 Durham program delivery;
• Coordinating and leading the E3 Alliance, a collaborative group of business support organizations from the Durham entrepreneurial ecosystem; 
• Training and helping contractors with data reporting and invoice submissions; 
• Preparing monthly service summary reports according to the templates provided with the support of the Program Assistant

Community Engagement & Events

• Attending events and meetings to share information about E3 Durham with other leaders in the ecosystem and learn about other activities;  
• Collaborating and coordinating with partner organizations on entrepreneur outreach strategies, activities, and events;
• Producing and curating content (e.g., workshops) for the monthly engagement gatherings;
• Serving as host, recruiting, and overseeing volunteers for the weekly engagement gatherings;
• Serving as the community manager for the ecosystem digital community platform;
• Working with navigators and other service providers to emerge stories to communicate the impact of the engagement;

Capacity-Building for Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs)

Specific topics to be determined. Examples may include:

• Developing and delivering training curriculum to help to ESOs expand their capacity to meet the needs of  businesses at various stages; 
• Emerging and sharing best practices on outreach, education, and 1:1 counseling

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

• 5+ years of full-time operational experience in program management for corporations and/or non-profits; 
• Experience in business development and support, business capital, procurement, business certification, program management, and entrepreneurial ecosystem building;
• Existing relationships and trust within - and/or familiarity with- the Durham community among predominantly Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, and/or immigrant business communities;
• A strong and confident presence and aptitude for live presentations and meeting/event facilitation;
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills;
• The ability to describe the historical and systemic realities that have led to the disenfranchisement and underinvestment of underrepresented businesses;  
• The ability to clearly communicate information using technical and non-technical language in both oral and written format;
• A high-level understanding of data-informed program delivery and impact evaluation;
• Experience developing, delivering, and codifying training programs;
• A demonstrated commitment to the mission and work of Forward Cities;
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic work environment;
• Spanish-speaking a plus

Work Location & Expectations

The full-time position is based in Durham, NC with standard work hours from 9am - 5pm, Monday - Friday, with flexible work time for attending required events during the evenings and weekends. This position requires in-office presence Tuesday - Thursdays in Forward Cities’ Durham office. Mondays and Fridays may generally be worked remotely.

Salary and Benefits

The salary for this position is $70,000 - 80,000 annually in addition to benefits including health insurance, 403(b) Plan matching, paid time off, and paid holidays. The anticipated start date for this position is April 2024.