Program Director, Small Business Ecosystem & Financial Wellness Collab

Job Description

Job Description

Program Director, Small Business Ecosystem & Financial Wellness Collaborative

Position OVERVIEW:

The Washington Community Investment Fund (WACIF) seeks an experienced, mission-driven Program Director to design, launch, and lead the Small Business Growth & Entrepreneurs’ Financial Wellness Collaborative. This role will oversee a three-year initiative that addresses ecosystem fragmentation, strengthens partner alignment, and improves financial wellness outcomes for underinvested entrepreneurs in Washington, DC. The Program Director will coordinate direct services, systems change, and internal capacity building, ensuring that entrepreneurs receive the right support at the right time across the ecosystem.

The Director will build and manage an Ecosystem Coordination Group (ECG), align data practices across partners, implement a referral system, facilitate train-the-trainer programs focused on financial distrust-informed practices. This role also embeds a sustainable social impact and measurement infrastructure to endure beyond the grant period.

This role works in close partnership with Programs, Development, Finance, and Operations departments to drive enterprise-level outcomes.

DUTIES & Responsibilities:

1) Systems Change (Ecosystem Mapping, Coordination, Data, Convenings)

• Ecosystem mapping & gap analysis: Lead a comprehensive landscape analysis of the Washington DC business ecosystem to identify service gaps, duplication, and coordination opportunities, and guide partners in aligning supports across the entrepreneurial journey to improve access, timing, and outcomes for underinvested entrepreneurs.
• Build & manage the Ecosystem Coordination Group (ECG): Formalize five core partners via MOUs, shared priorities, and operating cadence; facilitate alignment of definitions, data, and delivery.
• Train-the-trainer: Coordinate capacity-building for ecosystem partners on financial distrust-informed practices (acknowledging historical harms, building trust, transparent products, plain-language financial education).
• Referral system: Stand up an interoperable intake and warm-handoff process among eight ecosystem stakeholders, including pathways to capital and TA across the business lifecycle.
• Cross-sector convenings: Plan and deliver convenings and networking events for government, financial institutions, corporations, nonprofits/ESOs, universities, chambers, and community organizations; manage a diverse steering committee for guidance and accountability.
• Establish aligned data practices: In close collaboration with the Social Impact Consultant, Program Direction will lead strategy, alignment and external coordination related to implementation of common metrics for financial wellness, data taxonomy, intake forms, and consent protocols; synchronize data collection across ESOs.

• Data tracking & impact measurement: In close collaboration with the Social Impact Analyst, collaborate to aggregate partner data, analyze outcomes, and report progress regionally and nationally; iterate approaches based on insights.

2) Internal Capacity Building (Measurement & Social Impact)

• Establish social impact framework: In close collaboration with consultants, define outcomes beyond financial metrics (e.g., confidence, agency, resilience, trust in institutions); integrate into program design and reporting.

3) Program Operations, Budget & Compliance

• Project planning & administration: In collaboration with WACIF’s Development and Finance teams, set annual work plans, timelines, risk mitigation strategies, and QA processes.
• Budget management & subgrants: In partnership with programmatic teams, finance and operations, support administration of partner stipends/subgrants, track spending against milestones and ensure compliant documentation.
• Reporting: Provide monthly updates to CPO and other executive team members; quarterly dashboards to leadership/board; annual ecosystem impact report.
• Stakeholder management: Maintain high-trust relationships with ESOs, Funding Partners, chambers, universities, the DC Mayor’s Office, and advocacy organizations.

4) Direct Services (Design → Delivery → Continuous Improvement)

• Design & refine TA delivery in partnership with ESOs/BSOs based on landscape analysis and working group input; integrate financial wellness-informed approaches across services.
• Contribute insights to WACIF’s entrepreneurship support by providing feedback on findings from collaborative efforts to programmatic and other relevant teams regarding access to readiness, business planning, financial systems setup, credit-building, tax and compliance guidance.
• Ensure equitable access by reducing barriers for underinvested entrepreneurs through responsive engagement, flexible scheduling, and easily accessible on-ramps.

Qualifications

Required

• Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or equivalent years of relevant professional experience, in public policy, community development, economics, business, social impact, nonprofit management, or a related field.
• 8–10+ years in program leadership for entrepreneurship, small business support, CDFI/ESO, or community development; 3–5+ years managing multi-organization collaboratives.
• Demonstrated expertise in financial wellness and inclusive technical assistance; fluency in trust-building with communities experiencing financial distrust.
• Proven experience in ecosystem mapping, data alignment, and establishing common measurements across partners.
• Strong stakeholder management (government, banks, universities, chambers, nonprofits) and facilitation skills for diverse, cross-sector groups.
• Data competence: exposure to leveraging CRMs (e.g., HubSpot), dashboarding (Power BI/Tableau), and privacy-compliant data sharing.
• Excellent project management; able to deliver complex, multi-quarter roadmaps on time and on budget.
• Experience managing restricted funding and grants.

Preferred

• Background with referral networks, intake standardization, and API/interoperability concepts (no coding required).
• Evaluation or impact measurement credentials; familiarity with social impact frameworks.
• Lived experience in Washington DC and DC-Maryland-Virginia communities; Preferred experience with Wards 5, 7, and 8. Multilingual capabilities.

Work Environment & Travel

• Hybrid role with routine in-community engagement across DMV; evening/weekend events during convenings as needed.
• Travel to partner sites, city offices, and financial institutions; occasional national presentations.

“What Success Looks Like”

By aligning resources, strengthening partnerships, and streamlining support across Washington DC, the Program Director ensures underinvested entrepreneurs receive timely, high-quality technical assistance and financial wellness coaching. Over three years, the ECG, referral system, and shared measurement infrastructure reduce duplication and close service gaps —empowering entrepreneurs to start, grow, and sustain businesses and drive community wealth and resilience, even amid Washington DC’s economic transitions.

COMPENSATION

Competitive salary commensurate with experience. Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA, FSA, DCA, Life & Disability insurance coverages available. 401(k) retirement plan (employer matching contribution eligible); paid time off (increased with tenure), paid holidays and sick leave days, transportation benefits, and education assistance benefits (professional development, tuition reimbursement, and student loan repayment).

Company DescriptionAbout The Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif)
The Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif) advances equity and opportunity in the Washington, D.C. area’s underserved communities by providing financial capital, business advisory services, and strategic networking support to underinvested entrepreneurs. Since its inception in 1987, Wacif has deployed more than $100 million in capital, served more than 4,500 entrepreneurs with business advisory services, and helped create or retain more than 44,000 local jobs. To learn more about Wacif’s work, visit www.wacif.org.

Wacif is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds. Wacif provides a flexible and hybrid working environment with the opportunity to work remotely.

Company Description

About The Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif) \r\nThe Washington Area Community Investment Fund (Wacif) advances equity and opportunity in the Washington, D.C. area’s underserved communities by providing financial capital, business advisory services, and strategic networking support to underinvested entrepreneurs. Since its inception in 1987, Wacif has deployed more than $100 million in capital, served more than 4,500 entrepreneurs with business advisory services, and helped create or retain more than 44,000 local jobs. To learn more about Wacif’s work, visit www.wacif.org.\r\n\r\n\r\nWacif is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds. Wacif provides a flexible and hybrid working environment with the opportunity to work remotely.