Centralized Client Intake Manager – MI-Small Business Development Center

Grand Valley State University•Grand Rapids, MI

1d•Remote

About The Position

Under the direction of the Michigan SBDC Lead Center leadership, the Centralized Client Intake Manager is a critical leadership role responsible for transforming the Michigan SBDC’s intake process from a regional "patchwork" into a high-performance, standardized statewide model. This individual will oversee a centralized team of Intake Specialists to provide a professional, consistent, and efficient "front door" for all clients. The Manager balances high-level systems orchestration—including AI integration and tech stack management—with daily team supervision to ensure every client is efficiently triaged and matched with the right consultant based on geography and expertise. This position is grant-funded and subject to the availability of funding.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
Minimum of 2–3 years of experience directly supervising staff, with a proven track record of managing performance, coordinating team schedules, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Demonstrated experience managing professional operations, workflows, or customer-facing intake systems. Must show an ability to maintain high-quality service standards in a fast-paced environment.
Experience developing, implementing, or maintaining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The candidate must demonstrate an understanding of how to use documentation to ensure consistency across a team.
Minimum of 3 years of experience in high-volume customer-facing scheduling and service, where maintaining a high standard of professional "first impression" was critical.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with a specific ability to navigate "change management" conversations and build consensus among stakeholders.
Proficiency with digital productivity tools (such as Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) and a demonstrated ability to quickly learn and adopt new software, platforms, or database systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience managing workflows or personnel across multiple geographic regions or departments.
Experience moving a new program into a permanent, standardized operational model, including the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Experience tracking operational metrics and labor hours to assist in budget forecasting and cost-per-unit analysis.
Proven ability to manage a strict project scope; specifically, the ability to distinguish between administrative/triage needs and substantive consulting or diagnosis.
Experience using a CRM (such as Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar) to manage data and workflows. High proficiency in Google Workspace and automated scheduling tools is a plus (e.g., Calendly).

Responsibilities

Provide daily leadership and coordination for a team of 3 to 5 full- or part-time Intake Specialists (contractors or students).
Lead the recruitment, hiring, and onboarding for the intake team.
Create and maintain all training materials, standardized scripts (including sorting and triage logic), and knowledge bases.
Conduct regular quality audits of Salesforce data entry and intake session notes to ensure adherence to statewide standardized protocols.
Manage the Intake Shift Schedule to ensure 100% coverage during business hours. Work alongside regional consultants and regional directors to manage scheduling systems.
Maintain the process document and the Statewide Consultant Matrix to ensure accurate client-to-consultant matching.
Act as the final authority and decision-maker for "special case" client inquiries or system discrepancies that fall outside standard operating procedures.
Directly manage intake-specific workflows to eliminate regional variability and ensure a high-quality, uniform experience across all regions.
Serve as the central bridge between frontline intake personnel, Regional Directors, and the Lead Center to ensure functional alignment and transparency.
Optimize the use of Salesforce, Google Workspace, Calendly, and Slack to identify and implement the most efficient tools for statewide scaling.
Lead the refinement of the Intake-specific Gems (such as Intake Session Note Summarizer) to ensure high-fidelity, consultant-ready data extraction.
Assist with the transition to Google Workspace for all intake sessions and use of Calendly to prevent double-bookings.
Establish and monitor meaningful conversion benchmarks (Lead-to-Consultant) and enforce adherence to the MI SBDC’s governance policy.
Ensure all intake staff accurately log "Contact Time" and "Prep Time" to determine true operational cost-per-intake for future budget planning.
Synthesize data and performance benchmarks into recommendations for continuous improvement for the client intake model.