BDI Program Officer (Management Analyst)

County of Mecklenburg, NC•Charlotte, NC

1d•$63,080 - $94,620•Hybrid

About The Position

The Business Diversity & Inclusion (BDI) Program Officer performs complex research, project management, and program analysis for the division within the Office of Economic Development. Operating independently, this role is responsible for the strategic administration, contract compliance, and end-to-end execution of initiatives designed to position Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprises (MWSBEs) to benefit from county purchasing, localized economic opportunities, and the ability to grow and scale their business for long-term success. As an administrative and programmatic professional, the BDI Program Officer specializes in coordinating, planning, marketing, and evaluating diverse vendor equity initiatives and capacity-building programs. Utilizing an equitable lens, this role ensures small businesses and localized commercial corridors are provided with accessible, transformative economic growth opportunities. The position requires regular travel across Mecklenburg County and occasionally throughout the state and to other states. Work on occasional evenings and weekends to attend programs and sessions to support small businesses, professional development, and the Office of Economic Development. Serving as a core member of the BDI team, this position acts as the central hub for the programmatic lifecycle. Responsibilities include managing third-party vendor service agreements, developing or review of educational curriculum, coordinating high-profile business resources, and executing public relations and marketing strategies. The ideal candidate is mission-driven, team-oriented, and proactive in driving outreach, training, and breaking down systematic barriers to business growth and contractor opportunities within Mecklenburg County. Work on occasional evenings and weekends to attend programs and sessions to support small businesses, professional development, and the Office of Economic Development. Manages special projects and other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Economic Development, Public Administration, Business Administration, Urban Planning, or a closely related field.
Minimum of 3-5 years of progressive professional experience in project management, contract administration, small business development, or economic development programming.
Demonstrated experience managing or reconciling program/event budgets, familiarity with procurement and invoicing approval workflows preferred.
Advanced capability to multitask, prioritize high-volume workflows, and maintain extreme organizational clarity under tight, absolute deadlines.
Proficiency in maintaining consistent data tracking mechanisms, organizing operational metrics, and preparing clean data packets, develop and present reports.
Strong capability to hold third-party contractors and service providers accountable to performance goals, deadlines, and equity benchmarks.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; highly polished professional demeanor suitable for public speaking and direct engagement with county leadership, town officials, and corporate partners.
Demonstrated ability to independently conceptualize marketing strategies, author informative content, and design promotional material across multiple media formats.
Deep understanding of small business ecosystem gaps and a commitment to applying an equitable lens to application guidelines, resource allocation, and program delivery.
Highly organized and systematic mindset, capable of building clear, step-by-step application, review, evaluation, and intake processes.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) or Public Administration (MPA); Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent.
Bilingual proficiency (verbal and written).
Demonstrated experience working directly with or within diverse small business ecosystems, MWSBE programs, or supplier diversity frameworks.

Responsibilities

Manage comprehensive service agreements, performance-based contracts, and the complete administration lifecycle for core BDI initiatives (including cohort-style programs, seminar series, specialized information sessions, outreach events, and networking forums).
Design, schedule, deliver, and continuously evaluate educational frameworks and topics for small business technical assistance, workshops, and informational events distributed across Mecklenburg County.
Direct and monitor performance-based contracts and service-level agreements for specialized third-party vendors. Source and manage external consultants, guest speakers, subject matter experts, and specialized vendors, ensuring all deliverables meet strict quality control metrics and procurement guidelines. Review, approve, and provide feedback on monthly Contractor Performance & Activity Reports submitted by third-part service provides; ensures data quality standards are met before authorizing invoice payment processing.
Source, vet, and contract external experts, procurement professionals, and guest speakers to deliver high-impact, compliant content during workshops and cohort sessions.
Conduct regular one-on-one and group consultative meetings with business owners, MWSBE contractors, and interested program participants to assess organization needs, provide the support or resources they need, navigate county intake processes, and direct them toward appropriate technical assistance resources or cohorts.
Plan, coordinate, and execute an annual calendar of small- and large-scale outreach events, resource sessions, and ceremonies. Manage all end-to-end logistics, site selection, and stakeholder engagement. Collaborate with the Project BOAST Program Officer to lead, coordinate, and manage the Crowns of Enterprise Event with the City of Charlotte (co-host).
Act as the primary content author and designer for professional, public-facing materials. This includes authoring monthly newsletters, designing program flyers, building data-driven presentations for leadership, and orchestrating targeted social media campaigns.
Lead grassroots community outreach by actively participating in, hosting, and representing the BDI division at external business networking events and community forums.
Source, procure, and maintain an organized inventory of program/event supplies, promotional materials, and marketing collateral.
Serve as an active, collaborative member of the BDI division. Learn and understand teammates' individual portfolios to coordinate technical sessions that align internal division gaps with available purchasing, contracting, and business opportunities.
Partner closely with other areas within the department to align outreach schedules, ceremonies, and workshops, collaborations, etc. Maintain continuous communication to ensure initiative-specific projects do not duplicate or overlap with broader division/department-wide calendars.
Identify, map, and engage key small business ecosystem resource groups, community financial institutions, business support organizations, and regional nonprofits to build unified referral networks, address localized service gaps, and optimize business outreach pipelines.
Develop and maintain rigorous program tracking mechanisms to gather performance data from cohort participants and vendors. Ensure all collected programmatic outputs and metric data sets are cleanly formatted and standardized before being transferred to data management analysts.
Facilitate systematic qualitative research (e.g., debriefing sessions, surveys, interviews, focus groups, open-ended evaluations) with contractors and participants to measure program efficacy and pivot strategies proactively.
Systematically capture, document, and share powerful testimonials, participant feedback, and success stories emerging from programs. Formulate comprehensive monthly, quarterly, and annual impact reports analyzing economic data and making data-driven recommendations to executive leadership.
Track, reconcile, and monitor assigned program and event budgets to ensure compliant fiscal management.
Assist leadership with strategic division goals and respond efficiently to inquiries from internal county stakeholders, external organizations, and local, state, or municipal government agencies.
Monitor and report on defined program KPIs including cohort retention rates, graduation rates, application volume, conversion rates, economic impact metrics, and NC Secretary of State compliance status for active and alumni participants.