Business Coach

Background

ProsperUs Detroit is a community economic development initiative that supports entrepreneurs and small business development in neighborhoods throughout Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster. We are on a mission to advance economic equity in under-resourced communities by supporting entrepreneurs with opportunities and capital needed to build businesses, generational wealth, and vibrant neighborhoods. We do this by delivering radically supportive and culturally competent entrepreneurship training, financial coaching, technical assistance, and microlending. ProsperUs approaches this work with the belief that residents, small businesses, and community organizations in all neighborhoods can engage and revitalize their own communities.

Summary

As a business coach at ProsperUs Detroit, you will approach the work with an eagerness to support small businesses and entrepreneurs of color at a community development financial institution (CDFI) working in low- to moderate-income communities. Each day, you will partner with entrepreneurs and business owners to ensure they are supported with the tools, resources, and coaching necessary to make tangible progress in business development. Working closely with your team, you will identify solutions to bolster relationships with entrepreneurs and enhance business growth outcomes consistent with the organization’s mission. You are great at building relationships one-on-one, advocating for others, and communicating effectively with individuals from various backgrounds. We are excited to welcome team members who are focused on intersectional equity in the context of entrepreneurship in Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster.

Responsibilities

Core Job Responsibilities 

1. Project and Program Management
   • You will deliver culturally competent one-on-one business coaching to emerging entrepreneurs and borrowers to address barriers of business growth and/or accessing capital;
   • You will acquire an advanced understanding of the entrepreneur’s business to develop and manage action plans;
   • You will analyze financial information obtained from entrepreneurs to determine strategies for meeting their financial objectives;
   • You will be a strategic partner, project manager, and facilitator of small group and/or individual technical service provision with internal and external stakeholders;
   • You will collaborate with team members to create and sustain ongoing support programming and efforts related to program participants and borrowers;
   • You will support the growth and development of the network of service providers supporting entrepreneurs in collaboration with the organization;
   • You will enhance and execute processes to ensure the efficacy of ProsperUs’ approach to administering technical assistance and coaching;
   • You will bolster outreach to program participants and borrowers through various communication channels and create new ways to interact with the growing ProsperUs network; and
   • You will foster additional opportunities for connection and communication for ProsperUs program participants and borrowers to the regional entrepreneurial service network of providers and organizations.
2. Outreach and Strategic Growth
   • You will cultivate strong relationships with business owners, entrepreneurs, and community stakeholders in the neighborhoods of Detroit, Hamtramck, Highland Park, and Inkster with intentionality toward ProsperUs program participants, borrowers, and service providers;
   • You will manage business services and technical assistance initiatives by developing goals, strategic planning activities, and providing recommendations and/or reports to leadership;
   • You will support capturing data and metrics related to ProsperUs’ Business Services programming for internal use, sharing with the board of directors, and completing grant reporting functions;
   • You will be a thought partner and share enthusiasm for deepening the sustainability of technical assistance and comprehensive coaching at ProsperUs; and
   • In collaboration with the Programs Team, you will identify and support opportunities to grow ProsperUs Business Services in alignment with the strategic direction of the organization.
3. Some other activities you will do to support ProsperUs:
   • Identify opportunities to improve programming, make strategic recommendations to leadership, and collaborate on program enhancements;
   • Represent ProsperUs within the regional entrepreneurship ecosystem and in various networks locally and nationally, as required;
   • Continue enhancing knowledge and expertise in equitable entrepreneurship, community economic development, and race equity;
   • Assist with special projects as assigned and other tasks deemed necessary to achieve overall goals and to operate a successful program; and
   • Perform other related duties as assigned.

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities 

While demonstrating high energy and passion for ProsperUs’ work, including our clients, partners, mission, and values, you are also able to do or know the following:

1. You have knowledge, experience, and credibility within neighborhoods and communities like those that ProsperUs serves. You are familiar with community-based organizations (CBOs), community development financial institutions (CDFIs), and nonprofits in Detroit and the region.
2. You understand tactics for culturally competent business coaching and are enthusiastic about providing the structure for action planning with entrepreneurs at various stages of business development.
3. You are interested in working with technology systems and you can learn and use new software and tools as required. Experience with Salesforce is a plus, and training will be provided.
4. You have a personal and professional commitment to intersectional equity, including the dismantling of racism and other forms of oppression that exist in the communities ProsperUs serves, specifically Black, Latinx, Arab, immigrant, and low- to moderate-income communities.
5. You have a proven history of transparent and high-integrity servant leadership.
6. You can manage timelines and understand how to communicate your needs to others including team members, partners, and other stakeholders.
7. You want to find a solution. You can demonstrate proactive, entrepreneurial approaches to problem-solving with strong decision-making capability.
8. You are self-motivated and able to work independently, but you also have practice working with internal or external teams and appreciate collaboration.
9. You must be excited about finding solutions to challenges or barriers faced by those we serve.

Minimum Qualifications

ProsperUs is looking for candidates who have the following qualities and experiences:

• Experience and/or knowledge of entrepreneurship and economic development is required.
• At least three years of proven coaching experience with skills in collaborating with entrepreneurs or community members, project management, and connecting with regional resources. Ideally, an emphasis on understanding businesses and entrepreneurs who encounter challenges related to systemic and institutional inequity. Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred.
• Strong technical skills with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat (or comparable tools), operating systems, and networks.
• Flexibility in days and hours available for scheduled work, including regular evening engagements and occasional weekend commitments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English. The ability to communicate in Spanish, Arabic, French, or Bangla is a plus.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $50,000 to $65,000; in addition, we offer these supports to help you manage your mental, emotional, and physical health:

• Holidays: You will have 11 nationally recognized holidays, an additional floating holiday to be used when you choose, and more time to rest around the winter holidays.
• Paid Time Off: When you join, you will have 15 days of paid time off (PTO) that you can use 90 days after joining the team.
• Benefits Plans: You can choose to join the organization’s benefits plan with health insurance (most paid by the organization), org-paid vision, and org-paid dental.
• Retirement Savings: You can invest in the org-sponsored 401(k) and ProsperUs will match a portion of your contributions.
• Parental Leave: You will have access to parental leave for giving birth, adoption, fostering, and supporting a partner who is giving birth.
• Family-Friendly: ProsperUs is a family-friendly work environment with accommodations for nursing parents, respect for childcare needs and practices, parental leave, and other supports.
• Continuous Learning: We care about your success. You will create professional development goals to collaborate on with your supervisor, and we regularly check in about how it’s going with Quarterly Conversations focused on goals and values.
• Flexible Schedule: Team members must be available 9 AM – 3 PM Eastern Time. We participate in a variety of events and collaborations, so we encourage team members to work additional hours with a schedule that works for them.
• Flexible Work Environment: We encourage hybrid home / office work. Team members primarily work in-person, with two remote workdays allowed per week. In-person events and engagements are a regular responsibility of all roles at ProsperUs.

How to Apply

https://prosperus.applytojob.com/apply/eVkP8aODNh/Business-Coach