About Futurpreneur Canada

Futurpreneur is a national non-profit organization that empowers young, diverse entrepreneurs, ages 18-39 to start, buy or grow their businesses in Canada, by providing loans with mentorship and resources.

Founded in 1996, we have helped more than 18,700 young entrepreneurs, promoting entrepreneurship among Canadian youth as a critical pillar for diversifying the economy, generating employment opportunities, and fostering a sustainable future.

Futurpreneur is a founding member of the G20 Young Entrepreneurs' Alliance, the Canadian member of Youth Business International and the Canadian host of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW).

Our Purpose (why we exist): To drive inclusive Canadian prosperity by fostering the success of young entrepreneurs

Our Mission (what we do every day to achieve our purpose):To empower diverse entrepreneurs ages 18-39 by providing loans with mentorship and resources to help them start and buy businesses that contribute to sustainable and inclusive economic prosperity, in their communities and across Canada.

Our Values (how we work – our core principles & commitments): We are mission-driven, collegial & collaborative, diverse & inclusive, and accountable & transparent.

Here's the opportunity: Business Development Manager, Indigenous Entrepreneur Startup Program

Reporting to the Head of DEI and Director, Indigenous & Northern Entrepreneurs, you will connect young Indigenous entrepreneurs to the business planning support, start up financing and mentorship they need to successfully launch businesses. In this role, you will also connect with and recruit mentors for the young entrepreneurs we support and work collaboratively with Indigenous Financial Institution (IFI) members of the National Aboriginal Capital Corporation Association (NACCA) network and other community partners.

This is a permanent, full-time position that can be located anywhere in Alberta or British Columbia. The incumbent will be working on our hybrid work model (minimum 1 day in the office per week) .

Entrepreneurs:

• Act as Futurpreneur's main point of contact for young Indigenous entrepreneurs
• Facilitate informal gatherings with Indigenous young entrepreneurs to discuss and learn about small business development
• Support young, Indigenous entrepreneur leads by reviewing their business plans and cashflows and supporting them through the application stage of the process
• Promote awareness of Futurpreneur Canada and partner programs to young Indigenous people to increase participation of potential young entrepreneurs by delivering seminars, attending tradeshows and special events
• Promote Futurpreneur programs and updates through local social media platforms

Mentors:

• Attend and coordinate events that provide the opportunity to engage prospective mentors
• Manage prospective mentor inquiries regarding mentoring program and application process
• Identify, recruit and onboard volunteer mentors within the community
• Create connections to Futurpreneur mentor care resources and other regional resources available to support mentoring success
• Communication with Futurpreneur client services regarding fulfilling mentor gap

Strategic Partners & Referral Partners:

• Supporting the Head of DEI and Director, Indigenous & Northern Entrepreneurs, build and maintain strong relationships with Aboriginal Financial Institutions and other community partners in Alberta, British Columbia and Northwest Territories to support young, Indigenous entrepreneurs access start up resources, support and financing
• Manage relationship with local NACCA partners, Indigenous Financial Institutions and others in the community, as well as grow the number of community partners if and where appropriate
• Execute partner onboarding: train new and retain existing partners and ensure they are fully aware of Futurpreneur processes
• Loan document and compliance support for loan disbursement activity
• Manage relationships with all partners, as well as grow the number of partners if and where appropriate
• Attend and coordinate events that provide the opportunity to engage formal community partners
• Identify and onboard potential partners through research, events, networking and referrals
• Manage inquiries from potential new partners

Requirements

What you will have:

• Must have a valid driver's license and access to a vehicle (40% of this role includes local and provincial travel)
• Relevant experience may include education with a focus on business administration, economic development, entrepreneurship or equivalent hands-on career experience
• 3 years of experience in sales, start-up business development or economic development position
• Experience working with entrepreneurs or business start-ups, business plans and cashflows is considered a strong asset
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the barriers and opportunities experienced by young Indigenous entrepreneurs and Indigenous-led and Indigenous-focused community organizations
• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills with the ability to influence
• Strong customer focus with the ability to work with volunteers
• Proficient with computer skills; experience with a Customer Relationship Management system is required
• Confident, proactive and self-motivated, able to work with minimal supervision
• Team Oriented
• Excellent organizational skills
• Ability to develop and facilitate program presentations and workshops
• Knowledge of trends within the entrepreneurial, startup, small business industry
• General administration experience including budget management, report writing, etc.
• Alignment with Futurpreneur's values and commitment to the mission/purpose of the organization
• Be a role model for Futurpreneur's organizational culture by creating a positive impact at every touchpoint with people

Scoring assets:

• Event planning and execution experience
• Management and volunteer management
• Experience managing social media accounts (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram)

HOW TO APPLY:

Qualified candidates are invited to submit their resume, cover letter and salary expectations by January 2, 2025

Benefits

Futurpreneur offers you the opportunity to work for an organization with a clear and compelling purpose - To drive inclusive Canadian prosperity by fostering the success of young entrepreneurs. Respect, teamwork, diversity and inclusion, transparency, empathy, impact, innovation, high performance, recognition and working hard and having fun are important to us!

We offer an attractive compensation package that encompasses a competitive salary, amazing benefits such as, health and dental benefits package plus RRSP contribution matching, health spending account, flex hours and more.

Futurpreneur Canada is committed to an inclusive, equitable workplace and encourages applications from all qualified candidates. We embrace the unique perspectives and experiences within our team. Reasonable accommodation is available on request for candidates taking part in the selection process.

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