ECI Small Business Ecosystem Navigator

Position Title:

ECI Small Business Ecosystem Navigator

Compensation:

$51,000-$53,500

Department:

ECI-SBD

About this opportunity:

Are you passionate about helping entrepreneurs succeed and strengthening communities?

The East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center, hosted by Ball State University, is seeking an Ecosystem Navigator to join our team. This full-time professional position is centered on building connections—helping entrepreneurs, small businesses, and community partners find the right resources at the right time while supporting the growth of a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem across East Central Indiana.

As the Ecosystem Navigator, you'll work directly with local stakeholders, business owners, and community organizations to build relationships, identify opportunities, and support initiatives that strengthen our region's economy.

This position serves our 11-county region, including Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Union, and Wayne Counties. Regular travel throughout the service area is required, and candidates must reside within the region or be willing to relocate to one of the counties served by the East Central Indiana SBDC.

This is an in-person position and is not eligible for remote work.

All candidates must have current authorization to be employed in the United States without employer sponsorship. Ball State will not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

In addition to the opportunity to make a meaningful impact across East Central Indiana, Ball State University offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes generous paid time off, paid holidays, university-funded retirement contributions, medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage, flexible spending and health savings accounts, tuition assistance and discounts, and many other valuable employee benefits.

If you're looking for a role where you can connect people, strengthen communities, and support entrepreneurship throughout the region, we'd love to hear from you.

For inquiries regarding this opportunity, please contact Judy Porter at jlporter@bsu.edu.

What you'll do and what you'll bring:

Position Function:

This is a strategic role that connects entrepreneurs, stakeholders, community partners, and the SBDC team to strengthen Indiana's entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Ecosystem Navigator works collaboratively with SBDC Business Advisors, stakeholders, and partner organizations to foster a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and help entrepreneurs connect to the right resources at the right time in their entrepreneurial journey. This position plays a key role in supporting the formation, growth, and long-term sustainability of small businesses while creating measurable economic impact throughout Indiana.

This position is grant funded and the individual hired will have an At Will assignment.

Ball State University hosts the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center (ECI SBDC), which serves an 11-county region including Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Union, and Wayne counties. This position requires regular travel throughout the service region and occasional travel throughout Indiana. The role also requires flexibility in work hours and locations, including occasional early mornings, evenings, and weekends to support meetings, events, workshops, and stakeholder engagement activities.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Provide entrepreneur support, which includes serving as a boundary-spanning connector in and between various groups of entrepreneur-serving organizations and local entrepreneurs at the right time in their journey; meeting one-on-one with entrepreneurs to guide them to the right resource or mentor at the right time in their journey; organizing and facilitating founder peer groups; and working from locations throughout the region to meet entrepreneurs where they are, including holding walk-in office hours and hosting group coffee hours.

2.Facilitate community collaboration by identifying, developing, and executing partnerships that support local entrepreneurial ecosystem initiatives. Regularly collaborate with stakeholders and partner organizations, including but not limited to coworking spaces, incubators, accelerators, colleges and universities, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, Main Street organizations, libraries, and regional partners to strengthen and grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Develop and maintain relationships with cities, towns, counties, and community leaders throughout the region, serving as an active partner in entrepreneurial ecosystem development. Represent the In