JOB ANNOUNCEMENT
Position Title: Managing Director Reports to: EDG President
Status: Full-Time/Exempt
Location: Arlington, Virginia
The ECDC* Enterprise Development Group (ECDC/EDG) is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) micro- enterprise lending intermediary founded in 1992 that provides loans to small businesses primarily in the Greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, including Baltimore, Md. At the corporate level, a board of directors oversees the agency, and executive level staff include the president, the managing director, and the finance manager. An Independent CPA, appointed by the ECDC/EDG Board, audits the agency annually.
EDG is a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) and an SBA Intermediary Lender and receives funding support from local, state, and federal government agencies as well as private sector institutions. These include the DHHS Office of Refugee Resettlement, the U.S. Small Business Administration, CDFI, State of Virginia, Fairfax and Arlington counties and other local jurisdictions, a number of national and regional banks, foundations and other nonprofits, which vary in number from year to year.
EDG operates with a $1.3 million annual budget and a staff of 8 to 10 people. Its programs include a small business incubator, IDA (individual development accounts), car and commercial truck loans, consumer loans, free tax preparation assistance for individuals and small business owners, and a broad array of training in business/entrepreneurship (in different languages), ESL, computers, and IT. EDG’s primary clients include refugees, immigrants and low‐income people as well as start‐ups in general, which will employ low‐income earners. In 2015 EDG made 93 loans totaling
$2.07 million, boosting its cumulative total to 1,291 loans worth $21.77 million and gained certification as an SBA Community Advantage Lender.
Salary/Benefits. Starting salary is commensurate with experience. ECDC offers comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, life and disability insurance, paid holidays and PTO as well as a generous retirement plan.
Key Responsibilities. The position requires an experienced person who brings administrative and management skills with an emphasis on four major skills:
Commercial and/or micro-lending to small businesses;
Marketing the lending programs to eligible businesses;
Grant writing and promoting EDG to partners and funding organizations; and
Working comfortably with a culturally and ethnically diverse clientele.
The position’s primary tasks include overseeing the performance of the micro-lending program, building staff skill levels, providing responsive customer service, maintaining
efficient and accurate loan servicing, limiting delinquencies and expanding the loan portfolio. Also of equal importance are creatively marketing EDG’s programs to prospective partners and funders, increasing the number of loan applications, and educating the public about EDG’s work.
The Managing Director shoulders the main responsibility for identifying new program partners and funding sources, promoting EDG’s programs and services, including writing grants and agreements and making effective oral presentations, while also sustaining existing relationships with these entities and timely fulfilling their reporting requirements.
In conjunction with the EDG president and other senior staff, the position sets EDG’s priorities and annual goals, prepares annual program budgets, and recruits and hires staff. Other administrative duties include providing day-to-day oversight of the organization; delegating duties, devising operational policies as needed; and preparing internal and quarterly and annual performance reports.
The Managing Director will occasionally be the EDG’s public face and she or he needs to be comfortable in the public arena in Washington, D.C., including interactions with the media, elected officials, professional associations, and diverse groups defined by ethnicity, culture, language and income level, as well as occasional participation in conferences and speaking opportunities.
Candidate Qualifications. Applicants for the position should have the following qualifications:
Bachelor’s degree (A Master’s degree in a related area of study will be preferred.)
A minimum of five (5) years’ experience in business lending, business counseling/financial counseling, and/or economic/business development
A minimum of two (2) years experience in marketing and supervisory experience (Ownership and daily operation of a small business will be considered.)
Experience using social media in a business or professional context
Excellent and effective oral and writing skills
Able to relate professionally to and collaborate with diverse individuals in multicultural and team environments.
Organized, detail oriented and able to manage multiple assignments and simultaneous priorities under pressure and to complete tasks in a timely manner, occasionally under time constraints.
Ability to exercise initiative and judgment and make decisions within the scope of assigned responsibilities
Legally eligible to work in the United States
EDG is an operating subsidiary of the Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc. (ECDC), the parent 501(c)(3). Founded 33 years ago, ECDC was the first ethnic, community-based organization authorized by the Department of State to resettle refugees in the U.S. From its three branch offices in Silver Spring, Md., Denver, Colo., and Las Vegas, Nev., and 13 affiliate organizations, it has resettled tens of thousands of refugees and provided them with intensive case management and employment services. Originally focused on African refugees, ECDC’s program resettles people from around the world. In this context the EDG was inaugurated in 1992 as an additional way to economically assist immigrants.
Application Information: Send a cover letter, which highlights experience related to the position’s key responsibilities, along with a resume, writing sample (such as a funding proposal), and salary requirements to: (1) ECDC EDG Human Resources, 901 S. Highland Street, Arlington, VA 22204; (2) via fax to 703/685-4200; or (3) via email to edg-hr@ecdcus.org
No telephone calls, please.
Selected candidates will be contacted for an interview and a request for references
ECDC EDG is an equal opportunity employer.