Community Development Officer
Company: Working Solutions
Location: San Francisco, CA
Job Function: Community Outreach
Background
Working Solutions CDFI (www.workingsolutions.org) is a certified, nonprofit Community
Development Financial Institution (CDFI). As the First to Believe in Small Business, Working
Solutions (WS) makes affordable capital—primarily microloans of $5,000-$100,000—available
to start-up and early-stage entrepreneurs and provides business consulting in conjunction with
every loan. WS is committed to connecting with communities that have historically not had
access to capital and places an additional priority on serving lower-income individuals, women,
and entrepreneurs of color.
Acutely focused on strong social impact, WS mapped out an ambitious five-year strategic plan
in 2019 to reach $50MM in capital deployed to small businesses by 2024. Over the last three
years, WS has delivered outstanding year-over-year results and is on track to meet this goal,
connecting more than 3,000 local entrepreneurs to critical capital and consulting along the way.
Headquartered in San Francisco and lending in the Bay Area since 2005, WS recently
answered the call to expand its footprint to 19 counties throughout Northern California,
encompassing more than 20,000 square miles and an estimated 2 million entrepreneurs.
As a continuously learning organization, WS has made significant investments in its team and
operations to improve the entrepreneur experience. WS’ financial and impact successes and
local and national visibility speak to its commitment to core markets, staff, and excellence in
getting the job done. WS is looking for community-minded change makers committed to being
part of this small but mighty industry leader to grow loan deployment volume and set new sights
for the years ahead. Come be a part of this vision!
Summary
Position Overview:
The CD is part of the larger Programs Team who are collectively responsible for providing WS’
advisory products. The CD will be responsible for: (1) cultivating partnerships in communities
that Management prioritizes to increase visibility and generate lending leads; and (2) support
new loan requests from inquiry to completed stage. This person must be a skilled partnership
manager with outstanding verbal and written communication skills who is comfortable with inperson, boots-on-the-ground outreach. The CD will be a change agent who is passionate about
reaching financially marginalized communities with WS products. This person must have basic
knowledge of finance and small business lending
Responsibilities
Key Duties:
• Conduct outreach with an initial regional focus in the South Bay or Sacramento area;
• Engage community partners, civic organizations, trade organizations, and businesses to
build new partnerships and maintain existing small business referral sources;
• Prioritize lead generation sources to increase volume of quality leads and maximize
conversion rates with a focus on outreach to lower-income individuals, women, and
entrepreneurs of color as well as start-ups less than 1 year in operation;
www.workingsolutions.org
• Participate in networking events and be comfortable with public speaking to represent
WS in the communities that it serves;
• Maintain partnership calendars to track WS visibility and impact;
• Provide occasional support to Lending Team to expedite processing of applications and
enhance conversion rates from Loan Inquiry to completed Loan Application Package;
• Enter data into Salesforce CRM and work across teams to watch data trends and adjust
outreach strategies for improved lead quality; and
• Foster peer-to-peer networking opportunities for existing clients along with Business
Consulting Team as an additional source of referrals.
Requirements
Spanish language skills required;
• Bachelor’s degree or relevant work experience required;
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills, with cultural competency to
connect with diverse audiences;
• Strong presentation skills, both in-person and in the virtual environment;
• Strong customer service and relationship-building skills with an awareness of how to
connect resources and increase referrals;
• Knowledge of community-building or small business experience a plus;
• Knowledge of digital communication and social media tools a plus;
• Proficient with virtual office environment and tools including, but not limited to: Zoom,
Outlook, and tracking data via Salesforce;
• Self-starter with the ability to work independently, but also values communication to keep
in touch with team and larger organization;
• Demonstrates sound judgment and effective decision-making skills;
• Experience with the CDFI industry highly preferred;
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion practices;
• Commitment to Organizational Values of: 1) Economic opportunity for those
historically excluded from mainstream finance; 2) Transparency, integrity, and
respect for all; and 3) Significant social impact; and
• Self-awareness with a flexible, growth-oriented mindset for a great culture add.
Compensation and Benefits
Annual Salary Range: $78,000 to $82,000
Excellent Benefits: Working Solutions offers a competitive salary based on industry best
practices, as well as an excellent benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, disability,
and life insurance; a 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match; flexible spending
accounts (medical, dependent care); commuter benefits; professional development funds;
generous paid time off; gym, telephone, and internet subsidies; and an Employee Assistance
Program (EAP).
How to Apply
Application Deadline: Open until filled.
Please email resume and cover letter with the subject line “Community Development Officer” to
jobs@workingsolutions.org. No phone calls please.
Working Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer.