Senior Small Business Advocate, Street Vendor Services

City of New York•New York, NY

1d•$62,868 - $78,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) is seeking a Senior Small Business Advocate for its NYC BEST (Business Express Service Team) program, specifically focusing on Street Vending. This role is a key leadership position within the first-ever dedicated team supporting street vendor small businesses. The Senior Small Business Advocate will be responsible for developing and implementing engagement strategies to promote education-based compliance, leading a team of advocates, and providing multilingual guidance on City policies and regulations to street vendor businesses.

Requirements

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and two years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties described above; or
High school graduation or equivalent and six years of experience in community work or community centered activities in an area related to the duties as described above; or
Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least one year of experience as described in "1" above.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of City agency rules and regulations.
Experience navigating licenses and permits.
Experience with street vending regulations.

Responsibilities

Supervise a team of Small Business Advocate, Street Vendor Services; provide guidance and support.
Coordinate team schedules and support regulatory training on City/State codes and licensing.
Assist with administration, timekeeping, and personnel policy enforcement.
Proactively engage early-stage entrepreneurs on regulatory guidance before licensing/permitting.
Present agency and City services via phone, email, meetings, and outreach events.
Build client pipeline through outreach, partnerships, and referrals.
Support senior leadership on pipeline projects and partner relationships.
Lead projects; travel across the five boroughs, including evenings/weekends.
Represent NYC BEST at community events to raise awareness of City services.
Conduct onsite walkthroughs, offering one-on-one compliance guidance.
Help business owners understand requirements, resolve issues, and navigate next steps.
Explain the regulatory process sequence for businesses.
Research City/NYS codes, permits, and requirements.
Propose improvements to strengthen NYC BEST's impact.
Support internal trainings on regulatory and process updates.
Develop and update training materials.
Ensure KPIs and program goals are met; maintain accurate CRM data.
Maintain accurate and specific status reports in the designated software or data analysis tools of establishments participating in these services, including inspection activity, plan examination, issues encountered, opening dates, and time saved.
Report KPIs regularly to Executive staff via dashboards and presentations.