Insights

NC IDEA is a private foundation supporting entrepreneurial ambition and economic advancement in North Carolina. We fulfill our mission through grant and mentorship programs for entrepreneurs, and through our work with partner organizations who do similar work.  

We are creating and launching new grants and programs targeted at under-resourced North Carolina entrepreneurs, especially those who may be working on products beyond our historical technology focus. 

Our team of five is adding two people to contribute to the next chapter of NC IDEA.

Both positions are multi-faceted and difficult to pigeon-hole into a job title.  The most important qualifications have more to do with a particular mindset than a particular skillset.  We are looking for people who are excited about working with startups and the outcomes that those startups will create for the North Carolina economy.   We require an entrepreneurial mindset, agility, initiative to learn more, collaboration, and communication.

Program Manager

The Program Manager will be responsible for leading and executing an NC IDEA program.  Some of these duties would include:

• Identifying opportunities to improve and enhance the program
• Working with our companies participating in the program to manage funding requests, identify mentors or partners who can help the company, and monitor company progress
• Working with our external partner organizations to execute programs across the state, including selecting new partners, monitoring progress, and facilitating connections between these organizations
• Working with our volunteer mentors and speakers – scheduling, identifying new mentors, and building a helpful, connected community

For this position, we require a bachelor’s degree and several years of experience managing programs or projects.  You must be comfortable working externally with entrepreneurs, companies, and organizations in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.  Experience working at a startup or an entrepreneurial support organization would be a plus.  We imagine the ideal candidate would currently be a program or project manager at a growth stage company or a grant manager at a foundation or non-profit. 

This is a full-time salaried position with benefits. 

Data Specialist/Project Coordinator

NC IDEA places a high value on measuring the impact of our grants and programs and it is important that we track outcomes achieved by the companies we serve.  The data specialist will

• Work with and improve NC IDEA CRM databases (salesforce and other systems)
• Manage collection of data from our companies and partner organizations through interviews, surveys, and other external sources
• Use the data to design and build reports for NC IDEA’s team and partners
• Assist in understanding and improving the data

In terms of time, we estimate this is 33% of the job, but will be the most important consideration in hiring for the role.  The remainder of time will be assisting the team on various project management tasks such as:

• Managing the recruitment, intake, and application review of NC IDEA companies
• Assisting the NC IDEA team in engaging with companies, including the management of grant opportunities and assistance
• Liaison with our outsourced IT team, maintaining our software and hardware licenses.

It may be helpful to know what this position is not: an executive assistant, office administrator, salesforce administrator, or data entry person.  We are looking for a creative thinker who will do the nuts and bolts tasks that make our programs excellent.

The key qualification for this position is strong technical and data analysis skills.  Experience with salesforce is a plus.  Experience working at either a startup or a non-profit is a plus.  We imagine the ideal candidate may be working with a sales team at a startup or growth company, working at a college or university admissions department, or working at a non-profit or foundation.  We would consider a recent graduate.

This is a full-time salaried position with benefits.

Learn more at www.ncidea.org.