Program Manager, Business Services

Program Manager, Business Services

Northwest Native Chamber

Department: Programs

Reports to: Director of Programs

Supervises: Coordinator, and business advisors serving Oregon, Washington, and Idaho

Location: Washington based, with statewide and regional travel

Schedule: Full time, 40 hours per week; occasional evenings and weekends

Salary: $73,100–98,900 annually

Funding: Grant funded; continuation is subject to available funding

About Northwest Native Chamber

Northwest Native Chamber is a Native led economic development nonprofit serving Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. We support Native entrepreneurs, businesses, and communities through technical assistance, business education, capital readiness, procurement support, and partnerships that advance economic opportunity.

About the Position

The Program Manager leads NWNC’s business advising team and the delivery and development of business support services across the region. Supervising four business advisors, the manager turns organizational priorities into coordinated services that help Native entrepreneurs and businesses address challenges, pursue opportunities, and achieve their goals.

A central priority is strengthening NWNC’s presence and effectiveness as a business resource provider in Washington. The manager develops business service partnerships, expands access to assistance, and leads the team’s delivery of business advising and related outcomes under NWNC’s Washington initiative, initially supported by an SBA Congressionally Directed Spending award.

This is a hands-on management position responsible for daily team operations, project delivery, assigned grant leadership, budgets, and reporting. The manager also coordinates select client engagements whose size, complexity, visibility, or strategic importance calls for additional judgment and attention. Routine business advising is delivered primarily by the advisor team.

Essential Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Service Delivery

• Supervise, coach, and support four regional business advisors, setting clear priorities, manageable workloads, service expectations, and performance goals.
• Conduct regular individual supervision and team meetings; review assignments and deadlines, coach staff, address performance concerns, and complete performance reviews. Lead hiring, onboarding, and staff development in coordination with the Director of Programs and HR.
• Manage daily business TA operations, including client assignment, caseload review, service planning, referrals, and follow-through. Monitor response times, stalled cases, and advisor capacity; resolve service issues and adjust assignments as needs change.
• Review client records and service plans for quality and completeness. Reinforce consistent advising practices, approve time and leave within delegated authority, and arrange coverage to maintain service continuity.

Project Management and Implementation

• Maintain current workplans for assigned projects and service commitments, with deliverables, staff owners, deadlines, budgets, dependencies, and documentation requirements.
• Lead weekly implementation check-ins, maintain action and decision records, and follow up with staff and partners until commitments are completed or revised through the appropriate approval process.
• Coordinate advising, education, professional services, events, and referral activities with other program leads. Confirm responsibilities and available capacity before committing shared staff or resources.
• Monitor consultants and service providers against agreed scopes, schedules, and deliverables. Review programmatic work and invoice support before routing for approval and payment.
• Identify delays, unresolved decisions, staffing gaps, and changes in scope or cost. Resolve issues within delegated authority and bring corrective recommendations to the Director of Programs early enough to protect delivery.

Business Services Strategy and Washington Development

• Lead planning and improvement of NWNC’s business TA and development services, using client needs, staff experience, partner feedback, and program results to guide priorities.
• Translate approved strategy and funding commitments into team workplans, service goals, timelines, and staffing plans. Set delivery priorities within approved resources.
• Strengthen NWNC’s role as a Washington business resource provider through outreach, trusted partnerships, coordinated referrals, and reliable delivery of services.
• Develop relationships with Native business organizations, lenders, Native CDFIs, public agencies, professional service providers, and other business support partners.
• Lead the business services components of the Washington SBA initiative and coordinate with other program leads on shared activities, events, education, and market connections.
• Identify service gaps and opportunities for program growth. Develop recommendations, partnership concepts, and program information to support CPO led funding and organizational decisions.

Complex Client Coordination and Relationship Management

• Provide senior level coordination for select high profile clients, larger businesses, complex engagements, and businesses in priority portfolios, bringing together advisors and specialized resources as needed.
• Exercise sound judgment and discretion when client needs involve sensitive relationships, competing interests, reputational considerations, or significant organizational commitments.
• Establish clear service plans, staff responsibilities, communication expectations, and follow-up for complex engagements. Provide targeted advising within personal expertise and engage qualified specialists when needed.
• Coordinate with the CPO on engagements involving Tribal leadership, procurement strategy, sensitive external relationships, or commitments requiring executive approval. Work with CPO led procurement and Tribal functions to connect clients with appropriate expertise.

Grant Leadership and Reporting

• Serve as the designated Grant Lead for assigned business development awards, owning the approved workplan, program outcomes, budget forecast, programmatic reporting, funder coordination within delegated authority, and closeout. Support advisors assigned as Grant Leads through coaching, milestone reviews, and workload planning.
• For the Washington SBA initiative, lead assigned business services workstreams, track the team’s deliverables, and provide timely results and documentation to the overall Grant Lead and Programs leadership. Coordinate dependencies with other workstream leads.
• Maintain a grant reporting calendar and prepare assigned narrative reports, progress summaries, and deliverable documentation for internal review and submission. Coordinate staff contributions and resolve missing or inconsistent information before deadlines.
• Review client data and source records against reported activities and outcomes, distinguish results by award and geography, and maintain organized program files for monitoring, evaluation, and audit requests. Protect confidential client and Tribal information.
• Review actual spending, outstanding commitments, and projected costs with Finance at least monthly. Update assigned program budget forecasts, assess spending against remaining deliverables and time, and recommend corrective action for underspend, overspend, or resource gaps.
• Provide the Director of Programs with regular written updates on milestones, outcomes, reporting, budget forecasts, staffing, partner commitments, and decisions needed. Escalate likely missed deadlines, material variances, compliance concerns, and proposed award changes promptly.
• Work with grants coordination staff on reporting requests and evidence collection, Operations on administrative records and contracting, and Finance on financial reports and cost questions. Confirm programmatic completion and organize final deliverables and closeout records for assigned awards.

What Success Looks Like

The advisor team has clear weekly priorities, consistent supervision, and ownership of client follow-through. Project plans and program records stay current. Reports are accurate and submitted on time, spending supports the approved work, and delivery concerns surface early with practical solutions. Washington partnerships expand access to useful services, and business outcomes are supported by reliable documentation.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, entrepreneurship, public administration, nonprofit management, economic development, or a related field.
• At least five years of progressively responsible experience in business assistance, entrepreneurship, economic development, or management of related programs, including responsibility for implementation, budgets, and measurable results.
• At least two years of direct employee supervision, including assigning and reviewing work, conducting individual supervision and performance evaluations, coaching staff, and addressing performance concerns. Project coordination alone does not meet this requirement.
• At least two years managing grant or contract funded projects, including workplans, deliverables, budget monitoring, and preparation of narrative or performance reports. Supervisory and grant management experience may overlap with the five years of required experience.
• Experience managing multiple projects and deadlines, coordinating staff and external providers, and maintaining documentation that supports reported activities and outcomes.
• Working knowledge of small business operations and common needs related to planning, financial readiness, access to capital, and growth; ability to assess needs and engage appropriate expertise.
• Demonstrated ability to build respectful relationships with Native entrepreneurs, Tribal enterprises, Tribal Nations, and Native led organizations, and to exercise discretion in sensitive client and partner situations.
• Strong writing, facilitation, and analytical skills, including the ability to prepare clear reports, interpret budgets, communicate concerns promptly, and recommend practical solutions.
• Proficiency using spreadsheets, shared documents, project management tools, and CRM or client tracking systems to manage work and verify results.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Native entrepreneurship, Tribal economic development, or culturally responsive business advising.
• Established relationships in Washington’s business support community and experience serving urban, rural, and reservation communities.
• Experience supporting larger businesses or complex portfolios and coordinating specialized assistance such as capital readiness, procurement, or professional services.
• Experience with federal grant requirements, SBA funded initiatives, funder monitoring, or program closeout, and experience contributing to program design or funding proposals.

Travel and Schedule

This position is based in Washington and requires regular travel throughout the state, including occasional overnight trips, and periodic travel across Oregon and Idaho for staff support, organizational meetings, and program activities. Some evening and weekend work is required for scheduled events and community engagement.

Pay: $73,100.00 - $98,900.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Seattle, WA 98101