BDI Program Officer (Management Analyst)

MECKLENBURG COUNTY

Position Title: ManagementAnalyst (BDI Program Officer)
Department: Office of Economic Development
Reports To: Division Director
FLSA Status: Exempt
Position Type: Full-Time (FTE)

Salary Range: $63,080.00 - $94,620.00

POSITIONSUMMARY

The Business Diversity & Inclusion(BDI) Program Officer performs complex research, project management, andprogram analysis for the division within the Office of Economic Development.Operating independently, this role is responsible for the strategicadministration, contract compliance, and end-to-end execution of initiativesdesigned to position Minority, Women, and Small Business Enterprises (MWSBEs)to benefit from county purchasing, localized economic opportunities, and theability to grow and scale their business for long-term success.

As an administrative and programmaticprofessional, the BDI Program Officer specializes in coordinating, planning,marketing, and evaluating diverse vendor equity initiatives andcapacity-building programs. Utilizing an equitable lens, this role ensures smallbusinesses and localized commercial corridors are provided with accessible,transformative economic growth opportunities. The position requires regular travel across Mecklenburg County andoccasionally throughout the state and to other states. Work on occasional evenings and weekends toattend programs and sessions to support small businesses, professionaldevelopment, and the Office of Economic Development.

Serving as a core member of the BDIteam, 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-profilebusiness resources, and executing public relations and marketing strategies.The ideal candidate is mission-driven, team-oriented, and proactive in drivingoutreach, training, and breaking down systematic barriers to business growthand contractor opportunities within Mecklenburg County. Work on occasional evenings and weekends toattend programs and sessions to support small businesses, professionaldevelopment, and the Office of Economic Development. Manages special projectsand other duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1. Project, Program & LifecycleManagement

Program & Contract Administration: 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).

Curriculum & Capacity Development: Design, schedule, deliver, and continuously evaluate educational frameworks and topics for small business technical assistance, workshops, and informational events distributed across Mecklenburg County.

Service Agreement & Vendor Oversight: 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.

Vendor & Speaker Sourcing: Source, vet, and contract external experts, procurement professionals, and guest speakers to deliver high-impact, compliant content during workshops and cohort sessions.

Client Consultation & Intake Meetings: 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.

2. Event Coordination & StrategicCommunications

High-Volume Event Execution: 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).

Content Creation & Marketing: 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.

Community Representation: Lead grassroots community outreach by actively participating in, hosting, and representing the BDI division at external business networking events and community forums.

Logistics & Inventory Control: Source, procure, and maintain an organized inventory of program/event supplies, promotional materials, and marketing collateral.

3. Cross-Functional Collaboration& Ecosystem Alignment

Internal Portfolio Integration: 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.

Department-Wide Event & Session Synchronization: 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.

Strategic Partnership & Ecosystem Coordination: 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.

4. Data Hygiene, Tracking &Impact Reporting

Data Tracking & Standardization: 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.

Qualitative Research Methodologies: 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.

Impact Reporting & Storytelling: 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.

Financial Tracking: Track, reconcile, and monitor assigned program and event budgets to ensure compliant fiscal management.

Leadership Liaison: Assist leadership with strategic division goals and respond efficiently to inquiries from internal county stakeholders, external organizations, and local, state, or municipal government agencies.

KPI Ownership: 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.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Project Management & Organization: Advanced capability to multitask, prioritize high-volume workflows, and maintain extreme organizational clarity under tight, absolute deadlines.

Data Hygiene & Reporting Layouts: Proficiency in maintaining consistent data tracking mechanisms, organizing operational metrics, and preparing clean data packets, develop and present reports.

Contractual & Programmatic Quality Control: Strong capability to hold third-party contractors and service providers accountable to performance goals, deadlines, and equity benchmarks.

Communication & Executive Presence: 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.

Creativity & Marketing: Demonstrated ability to independently conceptualize marketing strategies, author informative content, and design promotional material across multiple media formats.

Equitable Program Design: Deep understanding of small business ecosystem gaps and a commitment to applying an equitable lens to application guidelines, resource allocation, and program delivery.

Process Optimization: Highly organized and systematic mindset, capable of building clear, step-by-step application, review, evaluation, and intake processes.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education: Bachelor's degree in Economic Development, Public Administration, Business Administration, Urban Planning, or a closely related field.

Experience: 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.

Equivalent Experience: An equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job will be considered.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Certification: Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) or Public Administration (MPA); Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent.

Language: Bilingual proficiency (verbal and written).

Ecosystem Experience: Demonstrated experience working directly with or within diverse small business ecosystems, MWSBE programs, or supplier diversity frameworks.

Reasonable Accommodations Statement

To accomplish this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform,with or without reasonable accommodation, each essential functionsatisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to help enable qualifiedindividuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Disclaimer Statement

This is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of job-relatedresponsibilities, duties, skills, requirements or working conditions. Otherduties may be assigned based on business need and the supervisor's request.Mecklenburg County reserves the right to revise the job description at anytime. Designated positions may be required to assist in emergency and/ordisaster situations.