Program Manager

The Program Manager will report to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and work in
close collaboration with our Chief Strategy & Development Officer and external
partners including community nonprofits, philanthropic partners, and our service
providers.

Approximately 80% of the Program Manager’s time and effort will be spent on day- to-day delivery of Builders Avenue core programming, working directly with participating construction entrepreneurs to understand their business goals and challenges, co-creating personalized action plans to overcome barriers, and coordinating with our network of professional service providers (e.g., BIPOC
accountants, estimators, and other subject matter experts) to deliver one-on-one
training, mentorship, and support to implement a holistic set of business best practices. Developing working relationships with each participant over a number of months, the Program Manager will serve as relationship manager, helping participants navigate the resources available through Builders Avenue and our partners, ensuring follow-ups by all parties, encouraging participants to stay engaged, enabling them to better plan, manage and fund their growth.

The remaining 20% of the Program Manager’s time and effort will be in a strategic
capacity, advising Builders Avenue in the evolution of our model, including client journey design, service offerings and methods of impact measurement. The Program Manager will assist with regular reporting of deliverables and impact to internal and
external stakeholders, including the Builders Avenue staff, Board of Directors, and
philanthropic partners.

Key Duties to include:

• Recruitment of diverse construction entrepreneurs, including attending
  community workshops and info sessions, to present high-level introduction of
  the program.
• Assessment through discovery conversations with prospective program
  participants to understand their needs and determine fit for the program.
• Intake and onboarding of admitted participants, including in-depth
  conversations about their business goals and barriers, explain program
  benefits, and encourage next steps.
• Conduct Financial Health Assessment for participants exploring root causes of
  business instability. Co-create custom action plans to address barriers for
  business growth.
• Coordinate schedules, introductions and training sessions between individual
  participants and service providers such as accountants and construction cost
  estimators.
• Meet with participants and service providers one-on-one to collect feedback.
• Support recruitment, training and managing of back office associates.
  Associates will be supporting participating businesses in entry-level tasks.
• Work with partners to co-design workshop programming to offer holistic
  support for contractors.
• Coordinate in-house trainings for contractors and back office staff/associates
  including, but not limited to, project management and financial systems for
  construction business owners.
• Collect output and outcome data, including hours of instruction, action items
  completed, growth in economic indicators and improvements in Financial
  Health.
• Collaborate with Builders Avenue team and partners to create success story
  materials for social media, impact reporting, and uplifting of participants.
• Work with the Builders Avenue team to reflect on program and design
  improvements.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

An ideal candidate will have some or all of the following experiences:

• Embrace a “Servant Leadership” style, focused on deep listening to client
  needs and seek to create solutions that empower the client toward long-term
  growth. Experience may be demonstrated through social services, nonprofits
  or traditional customer service/sales roles.
• Eager to work at a small, nimble organization, comfort with ambiguity, rapid
  change and evolving roles.
• An ability to work independently while collaborating with a remote team and a
  wide variety of partners and stakeholders across diverse functions.
• 5+ years experience supporting underserved entrepreneurs through a
  nonprofit, business support organization, economic development or
  community organization.
• Familiarity with construction, real estate development, or contract
  procurement.
• Familiarity with entrepreneurial and business concepts such as business
  planning, financial management, small business lending.
• Familiarity with the landscape of Chicago neighborhoods, business support
  organizations and resources available to entrepreneurs.

Values

As important as the qualifications listed above, we seek team members who
embrace our identity as “builders” (entrepreneurial, risk-taking, focused on
outcomes) and share our organization’s core values:

• Representation: We aspire to represent the community we serve through our
  board, executive leadership, partnerships and staff.
• Boldness: We are not scared to be the first and/or the new. We lead with bold
  transparency in our work.
• Ownership: We believe sustained impact is created through a culture of
  ownership across all stakeholders.
• Empathy over Scale: We emphasize the “how” over “how many.” We create a
  client experience rooted in empathy.
• Learn and grow: We regularly pause and reflect. We convert setbacks into
  opportunities to learn and grow.

Commitment: This is a full-time position based in Chicago, Illinois. This is a hybrid
role; the vast majority of work can be performed remotely, with 1-3 in-person
meetings or events throughout Chicagoland expected in a typical month.

Pay and Benefits
Based on experience and ability to take on increasing levels of responsibility, salary
for this position starts at $80,000 with opportunities for advancement. We offer
health insurance and employer-matched Simple IRA retirement benefits for full time
employees.

Contact: Interested candidates can submit a resume to Kyle Johnson
(kyle@buildersavenue.org) or visit www.buildersavenue.org for more information
about our organization.