Description

Role of Department:
The Community and Economic Development department provides a means for the region to work together to identify issues and needs which are regional in scope; achieve concurrence for cooperative actions; and achieve shared goals in areas including transportation, regional economic development, public infrastructure, natural resources, and environmental protection, public safety and emergency management, and housing and human services. In addition to supporting region-scale activities, COIC provides project-specific community development services for individual communities, governments, businesses, and other partner organizations.

Job Purpose:
The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Builder will work with multiple rural communities to implement the Growing Rural Oregon (GRO)  entrepreneurial ecosystem framework. The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Builder serves as a guide and moderator, resource networker, and capacity builder who champions the GRO framework in each of the participating communities. The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Builder works closely with paid local coordinators, community champions, and other locals to implement the GRO framework; with the GRO core team; and with the GRO evaluation team to collect community stories and data to support evidence of the achievement of the outcome objectives.

Requirements

Required Skills:
Detailed knowledge and experience providing community development, and economic development services;
Basic knowledge of entrepreneurship principles and practices;
Experience facilitating multi-stakeholder meetings;
Experience tracking expenditures and staying within the specified budget.

Must have one or more of the following:
Successful experience in creating and implementing partnership-led entrepreneurial ecosystems building work at a local, state, or national level.
Development and commercialization of a business, serving as a key leader in its implementation or creation thereof.
Experience serving on a business advisory board/committee.
Working regularly to activate entrepreneurs and connect them to resources.
Experience serving on an economic development board.
Work in the field of community philanthropy with a focus on entrepreneurship-led initiatives.

Preferred Skills:
Demonstrated ability and experience serving as a community guide and mentor, preferably in a rural setting;
Demonstrated ability and experience serving as a resource networker that can connect communities with relevant service providers to meet community goals and needs;
Demonstrated ability and experience serving as a community capacity builder;
Demonstrated ability and experience reaching and collaboratively engaging diverse members of a community; bilingual/bicultural capacity;
Demonstrated ability and experience in dialogue facilitation and creating a shared understanding between diverse interests and groups;
Entrepreneurial experience (starting and running a business); preferably in a rural setting.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, CERTIFICATIONS AND LICENSES REQUIRED

Requires a minimum of 3 years of experience in community development and community building practices, preferably in a rural setting, as well as 1 years' experience in economic development and/or small business advising, mentorship, or other entrepreneur support services. A Bachelor's degree in a related field or an additional 2 years of relevant experience is also required to display a proficient understanding of entrepreneurial ecosystem concepts.