Catalyst Fellowship
Catalyst Fellowship
"Catalyst Program Coordinator"
Overview
Mountain BizWorks (www.mountainbizworks.org) is offering a one-year, full-time, paid fellowship (beginning Spring 2022) to an individual who demonstrates a keen interest in entrepreneurial development, community development, small business finance, credit building, and/or addressing systemic and institutional racial bias in our local economy.
*The one-year fellowship may transition to a regular, full-time position based on need, performance, and funding.
The fellow will be paid a monthly stipend of $3,000 with a competitive benefits package, including health benefit offerings, paid holidays, and paid time off.
The fellow will acquire increasing responsibility throughout the year assisting with the three core activities of the Mountain BizWorks Multicultural Catalyst Program: i) Catalyst fund loans; ii) Catalyst cohorts peer learning program; and iii) Catalyst microgrants.
Specific goals of the Catalyst Fellowship include:
- Aid the organization in meeting its goals of responsibly and effectively increasing the deployment of loan capital and technical assistance to diverse entrepreneurs.
- Work closely with the Entrepreneur in Residence to guide and develop the Catalyst program in a high-impact and sustainable manner.
- Assist a portfolio of current and prospective small business microloan clients in accessing and navigating MBW services (e.g., lending, technical assistance) to further their business goals
- Gain broad exposure, deepen skills, and build relationships with an innovative community development financial institution (CDFI) to serve as a foundation for CDFI, finance, or related career pathways
Key Responsibilities
- Help define and track program timelines, outcomes and deliverables as set internally and requested by funders for the Catalyst program and Opportunity Asheville initiative.
- Review program metrics regularly with the Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) and communicate these with the MBW team along with next steps and priorities.
- Proactively market MBW’s services directly and through partnerships to consistently increase the number and level of diverse clients served.
- Help Catalyst Cohort participants to create client growth goals and connect clients to learning opportunities and business coaches.
- Proactively connect our growing portfolio of diverse clients to MBW’s pre- and post-loan technical assistance services:
- Conduct initial client intakes and assessments; help create client goals and service plans.
- Proactively connect clients with relevant MBW learning programs; in some cases, deliver high-quality technical assistance directly; and where appropriate, refer clients to partners.
- Assist the Lending Program with due diligence and related readiness assessments for Catalyst program and Opportunity Asheville loan applicants.
- Track target market client progress through the loan pipeline and to identify opportunities for technical assistance support in a timely fashion.
- Assist the EIR in bringing an entrepreneurial approach to the creation of new products and services (or the strengthening of existing ones) such as training on how to become “procurement-ready”, pre-Foundations entrepreneurial training, and Spanish-language offerings.
- Aid in organizational marketing and storytelling efforts to raise the visibility of entrepreneurs of color in Asheville & Western North Carolina.
- Help identify persistent barriers faced by diverse clients and opportunities to improve or extend services offered (lending, learning, and investing) to better meet client needs; and work with the MBW team to plan and implement improvements.
- Help ensure strong attendance/participation in MBW classes, workshops and events through active lending and learning clients, referral partners, community organizations and other stakeholders.
- Support the organization’s continual growth in cultural competence, respect, and sensitivity.
Eligibility
Eligible candidates must be natives or residents of Mountain BizWorks’ service area (the 26 westernmost counties of North Carolina) and/or graduates of an accredited college or university within our service area. Further qualifications include a self-driven initiative and performance of the highest quality, with keen attention to detail; the ability to work with clients and partners from various backgrounds; strong written and oral communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate in one-on-one and in group settings and experience communicating to diverse communities and stakeholders; strong computer proficiency including Microsoft Office, email, customer relationship management software “CRM” or similar database tools; and the ability to work independently and to effectively manage time.
Mountain BizWorks values and respects all types of diversity and strongly encourages applicants from traditionally marginalized groups to apply.
Application Process
Eligible/interested candidates should email their resume and cover letter (optional) to careers@mountainbizworks.org with the subject line “Catalyst Fellowship”. Applications to this opportunity are due by 9am Eastern on Friday, April 8th, 2022.
Between five to eight applicants will be chosen as finalists and will be interviewed by Mountain BizWorks staff. Finalist interviews will take place in April 2022, with a final decision made shortly thereafter.
More About Mountain BizWorks
Mountain BizWorks (www.mountainbizworks.org) is passionate about serving Western North Carolina as a non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI) providing tailored small business lending and peer learning services. Our mission is to build a vibrant and inclusive entrepreneurial community in Western North Carolina by helping small businesses to start, grow, and thrive. When small businesses succeed, we all prosper.
Mountain BizWorks is seeking to create a diverse work culture that closely matches the diversity of our client base and the communities we support. Our seven core values are modeled by our team and incorporated throughout business operations: equity, inclusivity, collaboration, stewardship, sustainability, entrepreneur-centric, and local.