Innovation Leadership Manager (Erc)

Our values
Rural America is a place of untapped potential. As an organization, we believe it takes a culture of collaboration — one built upon integrity, respect, and trust — to achieve equity and help rural people and places take on meaningful roles in the 21st-century tech economy.
About Us
The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization partnering with rural leaders across the country to build tech economies that support scalable entrepreneurship and lead to more tech jobs in rural America.
Established in 2017, CORI is at the heart of a dynamic social enterprise focused on closing the rural opportunity gap. To maximize all possible resources to address this critical problem, the organization partners with a taxable nonprofit, Rural Innovation Strategies, Inc. (RISI), and a seed fund, CORI Innovation Fund (CIF), focused on early-stage technology companies located in rural areas.
Guided by a strong belief in rural ingenuity and small-town potential, we provide strategic support to rural communities that want to develop inclusive, resilient tech economy ecosystems. Our systems approach involves building a nationwide network of local economic change agents; increasing the tech workforce and access to tech jobs; using mapping, data, and research to highlight rural opportunities; making direct investments in underserved rural entrepreneurs; and closing the digital divide so all Americans can participate in the 21st-century tech economy. We are currently working with 35 communities across 24 states in the Rural Innovation Network to execute this model.
Rural America is home to 12% of the U.S. workforce, but just 5% of the tech workforce. Smaller populations and lack of broadband in rural areas have historically translated into inequities in access to training for fast-growing tech careers, leading rural employers to outsource their tech talent demand to other markets. This has led to a vicious cycle in which there is never enough demand to justify tech training in rural areas, and because training is not available, employers continue to outsource their tech needs. CORI aims to break this cycle by showing that tech jobs and tech talent can exist in rural areas, and we are seizing the moment to create a more equitable distribution of accessible future-proof jobs.
CORI and RISI are headquartered in a historic general store building in the village of Hartland, Vermont, part of New England’s Upper Valley and greater Dartmouth College region.
About The Economic Recovery Corp (ERC) Program
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded a $30 million CARES Act Recovery Assistance cooperative agreement to the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) and its assembled partners to establish and operate a nationwide Economic Recovery Corps (ERC) program. The program’s design will accelerate recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and promote economic resilience and competitiveness in the communities served.
As a partner of IEDC, CORI has been selected to train and manage an eight Fellow subcohort focused on innovation-based rural economic recovery. CORI will recruit, hire and embed Fellows over a two to three year period in a variety of economic development organizations, economic development districts, and entrepreneurial support organizations throughout rural communities in the Rural Innovation Network specifically focused on supporting the development of a tech based economy. The program will help to build the skills and capacity of a new generation of economic development leaders, generating a pipeline of practitioners focused on equitable regional economic development within the tech sector, and better connect communities directly to federal economic development resources and opportunities to support this transformational work.
The program will have two main focus areas:

• Providing training to build capacity in under-resourced communities to access funding and participate in economic development programs and planning, including Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) through the placement and training of Fellows; and
• Conducting, curating and disseminating research, best practices, and data to drive

economic development practices and more equitable economic outcomes.
About The Role
The Innovation Leadership Program Manager will perform duties related to directing and coordinating the activities of the Fellowship program to ensure program goals and objectives are accomplished. The program manager will also develop the mapping of the fellowship program structure in addition to providing sound guidance and mentorship to fellowship program participants. The program manager will work closely with CORI leadership to build a unique and impactful program, providing day-to-day oversight of the Fellows program and serving as the primary point of contact. The ideal candidate will take the lead in managing the Fellowship budget as well as develop, oversee and coordinate all Fellowship program activities (both remote and in-person).
Duties/responsibilities:

• Manage and support Fellow-Community placements; provide direction and guidance on work plan development, progress reporting, and performance evaluation processes
• Design and execute a comprehensive rural tech focused leadership and professional development program
• Management of recruitment, support, and retention of the Fellows cohort and the host organizations.
• Facilitate individual and group meetings to provide coaching and support towards desired program outcomes
• Oversee the fellows completion of IEDC onboarding processes, orientation activities, and training sessions
• Apply an equity lens to designing systems and programs
• Develop and manage the Fellowship program serving as the liaison between CORI, CORI partners, communities and the fellows participating in the program
• Support and monitor project progress and provide regular updates to community stakeholders

Requirements
Required skills/attributes:

• A passion for supporting the economic development of rural communities
• Understanding of innovative economic development and organizational practices, including strategic planning, relationship management, fund-raising, and project management
• Proven ability to recruit, develop, fully engage and empower talented people and programs in a team-based, collaborative environment
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Ability to sustain a high level of productivity and work independently while being part of a collaborative team
• Proven flexibility in adjusting to changing demands and deadlines
• Detail oriented with strong organizational and time management skills, especially around balancing multiple workstreams
• Demonstrated capacity to switch between leading an effort and liaising between multiple stakeholders

Experience and qualifications:

• Strong understanding of project management methodologies and processes
• Experience with non-profits and economic development or community leadership is preferred
• Experience managing participant-host relationships (eg, internships, employer or fellowship placements)
• Experience managing a team and leading projects to successful completion
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Experience developing and leading educational programs for adults, with special preference for fellowships or cohort-based programs
• 5 or more years of experience in one of the following areas: policy making, education, communications, program design, community leadership, economic development or research
• Experience teaching and sharing best practices through online events and facilitated working groups
• Strong computer skills, including use of Google Suite, web based collaboration and project management tools, and virtual presentation platforms

Physical Requirements: Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.Location: This is a remote position. Travel to rural communities across the United States will be required, as well as periodic travel to the CORI/RISI headquarters in Vermont for strategic planning and alignment with the team (Approximately 25%).
IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Due to the pace of this search, candidates are strongly encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
• We will manage the application and review process using our Workable platform. Please direct all inquiries through this system. We are unable to respond to phone inquiries at this time.

Benefits

• The salary for this position is $80-90k depending on experience
• Health, dental, vision, and short-term disability insurance
• Employer matched 401k after 90 days
• 15 days PTO (accrued) plus 8 floating holidays (pro-rated based on start date)
• Personal and professional development opportunities

Must be authorized to work in the US - no sponsorship offered at this time