Enterprise Development Director

The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED) is a 34 year-old multi-strategy sustainable economic development organization that seeks to create economic alternatives that work for people and places in need throughout Central Appalachia (eastern Kentucky, southeast Ohio, southwest Virginia, northeast Tennessee and West Virginia).

MACED is a fast-paced, dynamic and growing organization with a 25-person staff that manages $17 million in total assets. The organization focuses its efforts on sustainable development and change strategies that generate economic and environmental benefits to local people and places. These strategies include:

1. providing financial capital and expertise to individuals, businesses and communities,
2. conducting research and engaging in effective communications to support good public policy, and
3. demonstrating effective community economic development efforts that make a difference.

MACED has recently completed a new strategic plan that focuses on 2 sectors (new energy and sustainable forestry), deepens our commitment to entrepreneur and enterprise development, and promotes the development of a new economic vision in Appalachia.

Enterprise Development:

MACED's enterprise development program combines 2 of our core strategies-investing capital and providing capacity building efforts to grow entrepreneurs and community leaders. MACED provides loan capital, technical assistance and market knowledge as key tools to help build enterprises and entrepreneurs that provide important development benefits to the region. We lend between $2 and $3 million and provide meaningful technical assistance to more than 50 entrepreneurs a year.

Our efforts are currently focused in 3 directions:

1. developing efforts to strengthen energy efficiency and sustainable forestry related enterprises and opportunities,
2. focusing on enterprises in the community services, natural resources and cultural assets areas, and
3. refining our efforts to provide effective support to micro-entrepreneurs and enterprises.

The Enterprise Development team partners closely with other MACED programs with sector expertise. The enterprise development program staff will soon anchor a new MACED office in southeast Kentucky. Our technical assistance strategies include staff- and consultant-delivered one-on-one technical assistance focused on financial systems and reporting, business planning and marketing. We also provide some classroom-based training.

Our enterprise development team is consists of 4 full-time staff. We work closely with our portfolio support team to monitor the health of our loan fund. We are working to expand the team to 6 full-time staff. We currently operate from 2 Kentucky offices, in Berea and Paintsville.

Position Overview:

MACED is looking for a highly motivated and experienced manager to join its staff as the enterprise development director. This senior position will guide MACED's efforts to grow enterprises (for-profit and nonprofit) that create employment, strengthen important sectors and foster entrepreneurship. Central to this position is a commitment to sustainable development and experience with rural community development, enterprise development and commercial financing. The enterprise development director will manage our growing enterprise development effort and focus on strengthening enterprises related to new energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) and sustainable forestry. The enterprise development director serves on MACED's management team. 

We are seeking an enterprise development director who can build from the strength of the current team and emerging strategy by deepening the impact of these efforts on low-income people, communities in the region and the natural systems we all depend on. This position should also help the organization identifying ways in which the strategic investment of capital grows meaningful sustainable development opportunities in the region.

Responsibilities:

The duties and responsibilities of the program manager include but are not limited to the following.

Program Management and Development:

• Ensure that the enterprise development program is aligned with MACED's overall mission, vision and goals.
• Guide the enterprise development team in sharpening MACED's overarching enterprise development strategies, approaches to our work and how we communicate them to others.
• Coordinate with operations and finance director to oversee the loan fund, monitor its overall health and take action as needed to improve operations of lending and technical assistance.
• Work with program staff and the president to develop innovative new program through research, discussion and grounded learning.
• Participate in and, where appropriate, lead program evaluation.
• Ensure integration of enterprise development efforts with MACED programs, related sector strategies and support functions.
• Manage the successful implementation of MACED's enterprise development activities through supportive coaching, problem solving and other forms of direction and assistance.
• Prepare and monitor program budget including earned revenue.
• Supervise enterprise development staff.
• Identify and assess potential new sources of grant funding and earned revenue.

Enterprise Development Assessment:

• Identify meaningful enterprise development opportunities.
• Help staff assess and improve enterprise development opportunities by marshalling resources, connecting to partners and developing innovative solutions.
• Review and approve loan proposals before they go to loan committee.

Networking and Marketing:

• Develop and implement new ways for MACED's work to be informed by connections to ideas, people and institutions across the region and across relevant practitioner networks across the country.
• Participate in relevant networks of community economic development and sustainable development practitioners across the state, region and country.
• Develop and implement a program marketing plan that utilizes network relationships as a primary referral resource.
• Identify and develop new markets for lending and consulting services.
• Work with staff to communicate about impact of our work and share stories of partners.

General Management:

• Ensure effective annual and trimester work planning.
• Participate actively on MACED's management team.
• Assist in the development of written proposals and assist in fundraising efforts as needed.
• Represent MACED at conferences, events and functions when needed.
• Practice safety in all aspects of the job.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications and Characteristics:

• Commitment to sustainable development.
• Minimum of 5 years of broadly defined community economic development experience, including experience with lending and capital-based programs.
• Minimum of a 4-year college degree in business, economics, management or related field.
• Successful experience in project design, planning and management, including budget responsibility.
• Successful experience in supervision and group facilitation; able to work successfully on a team with diverse members.
• Ability to skillfully and respectfully supervise the work of others.
• Strong written and interpersonal communication skills.
• Committed to strategic thinking and innovative action.
• Strong computer skills.
• Highly self-motivated.
• Commitment to economic, environmental and social justice.
• Well-organized, attentive to detail, creative, able to work on multiple projects at once.
• Keen sense of humor!

Preferred Qualifications and Characteristics:

• Significant knowledge of and appreciation for the Appalachian region.
• MBA.
• Entrepreneurial experience.
• Experience in accounting, spreadsheet development and financial analysis.
• Experience with evaluation.
• Understanding of marketing.

Compensation: The position offers a competitive salary, based on experience, plus a generous benefits package. Position is based in Berea, Kentucky. Berea is a beautiful, small college town, an hour south of Lexington, on the edge of the Appalachian region. MACED is an equal opportunity employer.

To Apply:

Please e-mail your resume, 3 references and a cover letter specifically explaining why you are interested in working in Appalachian Kentucky and why you are a good fit for this position. Application review will be on-going and continue until the position is filled.