Executive Director of Small Businesses

Background

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, employing almost half of all U.S. workers and representing 99.9% of U.S. businesses. For over a decade, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses (10KSB) has helped thousands of entrepreneurs grow their businesses and create jobs in their communities.

The Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program is delivered through partnerships between local community colleges, business schools, and leading nonprofit organizations. The program is a national initiative that provides entrepreneurs with access to business education, support services, and access to capital. The primary goal of the initiative is for participating business owners to increase their revenues and create jobs in their communities and surrounding areas. With a curriculum designed in partnership with Babson College, the nation’s top-ranked school for entrepreneurship, participants undergo an intensive multi-week program with like-minded small business owners and receive one-on-one business advice while learning valuable skills to help them grow their business. Over the course of the program, small business owners will gain the skills needed to recognize new opportunities, embrace practices that increase business growth, and develop a customized growth plan for their business.

Position Description

The Executive Director position is a grant-funded, renewable position supported by a partnership with the Goldman Sachs Foundation (GSF). The program is part of Academic Affairs, with the Executive Director reporting to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

The Executive Director provides overall leadership and strategic direction for the 10KSB program, ensuring its long-term sustainability, impact, and alignment with organizational and national objectives. This role is responsible for staff leadership, high-quality program delivery, community and stakeholder engagement, alumni outcomes, recruitment strategy, and grant management. Serving as the primary ambassador for the Goldman Sachs program, the Executive Director builds strong external partnerships and represents the College and 10,000 Small Businesses program across small business, nonprofit, and philanthropic communities.

Examples of Duties:

 The Executive Director is responsible for

• Overseeing all components of the program, including business owner recruitment, local and regional partnerships, the delivery of curriculum and business services, the measurement and evaluation system, and the management of the day-to-day program.
• Providing executive leadership and management for staff and teams, setting strategic priorities, fostering a high-performance culture, and ensuring accountability across all functional areas.
• Overseeing scholar engagement and ensuring high-fidelity program delivery that meets national standards and delivers meaningful outcomes for participants.
• Serving as the primary internal and external representative of the program, acting as an ambassador and champion for small businesses and the organization’s mission.
• Leading local implementation of the national alumni program by cultivating strong alumni relationships, supporting signature events, overseeing monitoring and evaluation data collection, and ensuring performance benchmarks and targets are achieved.
• Overseeing ORAS processes and recruitment strategy to meet enrollment goals, representing the program within the community, building referral pipelines, attending key events, and establishing partnerships that support targeted recruitment objectives.
• Providing oversight of grant management, serving as the primary liaison with GSF, and ensuring administrative, compliance, and reporting requirements are met.
• Demonstrating vision, management expertise, in-depth knowledge of small-business growth strategies, and an understanding of service-delivery operations.
• Managing, building, and sustaining a healthy delivery team in a fast-paced environment and delivering effective programs to program participants.
• Ensuring the curriculum, business services, networking, and alumni components are comprehensive and enable small businesses to grow and lead to job creation.
• Evaluating, recommending, developing, and effectively managing all partner relationships with local and regional organizations, associations, etc.
• Facilitating communication and coordinating efforts across different areas of the home college and partner colleges to deliver a unified and comprehensive program.
• Recruiting and sustaining a high-functioning and performing regional 10KSB delivery team to deliver on the program’s vision
• Managing and adhering to the program budget.
• Preparing and submitting quarterly budget and deliverable reports to GSF and partners.
• Implementing and managing the Measurement and Evaluation system.
• Coordinating the continuous development and improvement of innovative and practical solutions to address the needs of small businesses in the realm of business support services, technical assistance, and networking
• Developing targeted outreach and recruitment plans to attract businesses to the program.
• Networking with business support services organizations and other key stakeholders to enhance the local entrepreneurship ecosystem and to advance program recruitment.
• Leading application review and participant selection processes.
• Overseeing events, clinics, and graduations for small business owners
• Communicating with the 10KSB team and the Vice President of Academic Affairs to ensure partner and College expectations and program success are sustained.

Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or higher from an accredited school, preferably in Business, Public Administration, Government Affairs, or related
• 5-7 years of senior management experience with a track record of progressive responsibility, preferably in private industry or a large community or governmental organization
• Experience in operating a small business and/or an in-depth knowledge of growth strategies for small businesses
• Background in building and mentoring a high-performance team
• Demonstrated skill in developing strong teams and collaborations
• Knowledge of how to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders and a wide range of business, industry, and community partners
• Experience managing grants and budgets
• Excellent spoken and written communication skills
• Experience with program design, implementation, and operations
• Previous experience in the creation and delivery of training or educational services
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Ability to develop and oversee quality assurance measures to ensure program effectiveness
• Ability to work a flexible schedule
• Ability to travel
• A valid driver's license and dependable transportation
• High personal and professional ethical standards

Additional Information:

• BridgeValley will not accept incomplete applications. Please fill out the application completely, even though the resume may include the same information.
• Employment is subject to satisfactory results on background check.
• Copies of transcripts may be sent but originals must be available prior to hire.
• This posting does not reflect the entire job description and may be changed and/or modified, at any time, without notice.
• We are interested in every qualified candidate who is eligible to work in the United States. However, we are not able to sponsor candidates requiring a visa.

BridgeValley Community and Technical College promotes student success, prepares a skilled workforce, and builds tomorrow's leaders by providing access to quality education.

BridgeValley Community & Technical College is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Institution and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, disability, veteran status, religion, color, ancestry, or national origin in admission, employment, educational programs or activities; nor does it discriminate on the basis of genetic information in employment or employee health benefits.

Please contact the Human Resources office at 304-205-6606  if you need assistance or reasonable accommodation in the hiring process.