Propeller is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to taking positive action necessary to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants.

Employment

• Director of Community Development
• Programs Manager

Volunteers

• Propeller Incubator Host, Work Trade

Director of Community Development

Position Overview
The Director of Community Development is responsible for coaching Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) entrepreneurs located along the Broad Street corridor on growth, sustainability, and equitable business practices and for activities related to community engagement, advocacy, and just neighborhood development. This role will ensure measures are in place so that Propeller’s programming and coworking facility located at the intersection of the Broadmoor – Hoffman Triangle – Zion City – Gert Town neighborhoods serve the needs of Propeller’s entrepreneurs, coworking members, and neighborhood community residents. Lastly, this role will be a representative, internally and externally, for community accountability efforts.

We are looking for someone who loves building camaraderie and inspiring others, particularly small business owners, neighborhood residents, and non-profit organization leaders. This role is for someone who enjoys learning and teaching business development that is aligned with principles of racial equity and inclusion and who is excited to collaborate with Propeller’s team members and partners to better serve our entrepreneurs, coworking members, and neighborhood community members.

Major Responsibilities & Outcomes
The percentages below are the approximate percentage of time you would spend performing each responsibility. These estimates may be adjusted based on organizational priorities.

Direct Assistance to Entrepreneurs (50%)

• Determines Impact Accelerator eligibility and leads recruitment for Propeller’s Community Economic Development focus area entrepreneurs, which supports Black and Brown entrepreneurs along the Broad Street Corridor, as well as BIPOC-led affordable housing developers, and BIPOC-led organizations advocating for a more equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem
• Manages Impact Accelerator experience of Community Economic Development entrepreneurs and works closely with the entrepreneurs’ Lead Mentors to ensure entrepreneurs meet or exceed their social impact, financial, and racial equity goals
• Assists with Impact Accelerator curriculum development and facilitates sessions on equitable business practices, community development, and advocacy

Community Development + Advocacy (40%)

• Leads the development and implementation of community advocacy, community engagement, and policy initiatives to support equitable development along the Broad Street Corridor, with an emphasis on South Broad Avenue such as but not limited to: attending local neighborhood association meetings, facilitating connections amongst neighborhood stakeholders, and/or amplifying the concerns of local small businesses and residents
• Ensures community engagement and accountability activities are incorporated into Propeller’s coworking facility operations as determined by the upcoming strategic planning period
• Develops and maintains genuine stakeholder relationships that advance equitable neighborhood outcomes such as, but not limited to, communicating with local government representatives and elected officials and forming mutual partnerships with values-aligned organizations

Organization Liaison + Leadership (10%)

• Represents Propeller at external meetings and speaking engagements, when appropriate, to promote the impact of our organization, provide support to our partners, advocate on issues related to the Community Economic Development focus area and assist in collaboration efforts
• Leads organizational strategy discussions for the role’s direct responsibilities and organization priorities

Critical Competencies

• Personal qualities of emotional intelligence and maturity, humility, and unwavering commitment to Propeller’s mission
• Written and verbal familiarity in the history and impacts of structural racism in the US and its current manifestations in New Orleans and nationally, particularly in the areas of small business development and neighborhood development. Fluency in this area is highly desired
• Strong writing and meeting facilitation skills
• Authentic relationship building skills, with a track record of building trust and credibility by demonstrating consistency between words and actions
• Self-motivated, innovative, and works with considerable independence within the context of an overall strategy and collaborative team
• Leads by example and motivates team members to meet a common goal
• Approaches tasks with systematic analysis to support decision making
• Supports the development of direct reports through performance management systems and encourages behaviors that contribute to teamwork

Required Experience

• 3-5 years experience in managing community advocacy activities
• 3-5 years experience in urban planning, community or neighborhood engagement and development, or real estate finance and development

Preferred Experience

• Bachelor’s or equivalent knowledge + 6 or more years’ experience, or Master’s or equivalent knowledge + 4 or more years’ experience, and 3-5 years’ supervisory experience
• Experience working in an organization with a values-driven culture that prioritizes racial equity, diversity, and inclusion
• Experience working alongside prominent New Orleans communities of color (Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Vietnamese-American, and others)

Manager: Jess Allen, Chief of Staff

Compensation: $75,000 – $84,000. Propeller also offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance, long- and short-term disability insurance, retirement, paid time off, and professional development.

Location: New Orleans, LA. Applicants must be located or willing to relocate to New Orleans. Remote work is possible until July 1, 2021. Travel with some evening and weekend work required.

Position Type: This is a salaried and exempt position.

Start Date: July 2021

To Apply

Application Deadline: May 31, 2021. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage anyone interested to apply as soon as possible.

Application Directions: Apply here presenting your resume, cover letter, and responses to the questions below. In your cover letter, please explain how you heard about Propeller and your interest and qualifications in the position. You can address a cover letter to Jess Allen who is the hiring manager for this position.

• What will be your greatest strength in this role? In what way will you need to grow the most to be successful in this role? (2-4 sentences)
• What gives you energy in your current work? What drains your energy in your current work? (2-4 sentences)
• Share an example of your experience working within, facilitating, or building coalitions to respond to community needs. What was the need you addressed, what was your role in the coalition, and what was the outcome or impact of the work? (3-5 sentences)
• Why are you passionate about equitable neighborhood development and community engagement? Please provide relevant experience working in these areas. (2-4 sentences)
• What are your salary requirements? (1-2 sentences)

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Programs Manager

Position Overview
The Programs Manager is responsible for coaching small business owners and non-profit leaders through our Impact Accelerator and Alumni programming. This position will also lead the management of Propeller’s events to showcase New Orleans entrepreneurs and connect them to necessary resources to grow their business and impact. Lastly, this role will be a representative, internally and externally, for our entrepreneurial support programming.

We are looking for someone who has a passion for and/or knowledge of small business coaching and learning best practices for incorporating principles of equity and inclusion into business practices. The person in this role also enjoys hosting engaging and educational events that result in a high level of satisfaction for attendees and partners. This role is for someone who loves inspiring others and building community within a cohort of business leaders.

Major Responsibilities & Outcomes
The percentages below are the approximate percentage of time you would spend performing each responsibility. These estimates may be adjusted based on organizational priorities.

Direct Assistance to Entrepreneurs (60%)

• Manages Impact Accelerator experience of assigned entrepreneurs through direct coaching, coordination of technical support, project management, and troubleshooting, ensuring venture progress towards financial, social impact, and equity related goals for the program
• Supports Director of Entrepreneurship with Impact Accelerator curriculum development and implementation by researching accelerator best practices, reviewing entrepreneur feedback, and facilitating sessions on topics such as identifying customer markets, testing business models, and incorporating principles of racial equity into organizational strategies
• Leads recruitment of entrepreneurs in accordance with target portfolio mix with a focus on entrepreneurs who fit the education and water focus areas for Propeller

PitchNOLA Management (25%)

• Project manages and leads the execution of entrepreneur pitch competitions and showcases with high satisfaction from competition participants, partners, and attendees
• Leads recruitment and marketing for pitch competitions
• Manages budget through the planning period and the run-of-show on the day of the event

Event Management (15%)

• Oversees planning, preparation, and execution of partnership-based workshops and other events
• Develops and recommends the budget, marketing plans, and objectives of events
• Coordinates with Programs team members on event logistics, as needed

Organization Liaison (5%)

• Represent Propeller at entrepreneurial support organization focused meetings and speaking engagements, when appropriate, to provide support to our partners in the entrepreneurial community and assist in collaboration efforts
• Responsible for the development and cultivation of partnerships with like-minded organizations within water and education to support recruitment goals and foster interconnectivity among Propeller focus areas

Critical Competencies

• Personal qualities of emotional intelligence and maturity, humility, and unwavering commitment to Propeller’s mission
• Written and verbal familiarity in the history of structural racism in the US and its current manifestations in New Orleans and nationally, particularly in the area of business development. Fluency in this area is highly desired
• Strong writing and meeting facilitation skills
• Strong project management skills to ensure smooth execution of programming events and effectively manage project consultants and contractors
• Strong interest and passion in supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses in New Orleans
• Ability to build trust and credibility in relationships by demonstrating consistency between words and actions
• Ability to work with partner organizations to surface areas of values alignment, develop shared goals, and execute plans to achieve a shared vision
• Self-motivated, innovative, and works with considerable independence within the context of an overall strategy and collaborative team

Preferred Experience

• Bachelor’s related to business or equivalent knowledge + 4-6 years, or Master of Business Administration or equivalent knowledge + 2-4 years’ experience
• Experience working with small businesses and non-profit organizations to support business development through principles of diversity, equity and inclusion
• Experience navigating professional networks in Propeller’s focus areas, particularly in the areas of water and education, and ability to build professional relationships
• Experience working in an organization with a values-driven culture that prioritizes racial equity, diversity, and inclusion

Manager: Erik Paskewich, Director of Entrepreneurship

Compensation: $57,904 – $67,210. Propeller also offers a competitive benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance, long- and short-term disability insurance, retirement, paid time off, and professional development.

Location: New Orleans, LA. Applicants must be located or willing to relocate to New Orleans. Remote work is possible until July 1, 2021. Travel with some evening and weekend work required.

Position Type: This is a salaried and exempt position.

Start Date: July 2021

To Apply

Application Deadline: June 4, 2021. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage anyone interested to apply as soon as possible.

Application Directions: Apply here presenting your resume, cover letter, and responses to the questions below. In your cover letter, please explain how you heard about Propeller and your interest and qualifications in the position. You can address a cover letter to Erik Paskewich who is the hiring manager for this position.

• What will be your greatest strength in this role? In what way will you need to grow the most to be successful in this role? (2-4 sentences)
• What gives you energy in your current work? What drains your energy in your current work? (2-4 sentences)
• Propeller designs, develops, and executes entrepreneurial programming to grow and support entrepreneurs to tackle social and environmental disparities. When designing programming, what strategies or approaches might you use to ensure that programming aligns closely with the entrepreneurial needs of our community? (3-5 sentences)
• Why are you passionate about entrepreneurship and small businesses? (2-4 sentences)
• What are your salary requirements? (1-2 sentences)

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Propeller Incubator Host, Work Trade

We are no longer accepting applications at this time.

Your Role

As a host, you will be the first point of contact for our members, guests, and curious community members who come into the space. Your job is to orient all stakeholders to make sure that everyone is getting the most out of Propeller Incubator, our community and resources.

Host Responsibilities

• Front Desk: We ask that host greet visitors, answer co-workers’ questions, collect and distribute mail, answer the telephone, provide tours of the incubator, and process payments for Day Passes, Punch Cards, and Events. Hosts will also be expected to assist with opening, closing, and daily operations tasks.

• Propeller Project: We ask that hosts develop and implement a community project during their time here. Examples of community projects include organizing yoga classes, working on an Incubator member spotlight blog, pop-up breakfasts, round table discussions, happy hours, etc.

• Event Hosting; Propeller Incubator hosts off-hour and weekend events. Hosts are able to serve as building hosts for these events to maintain the security of Propeller Incubator facilities, assist with janitorial needs, support event registration, building opening and closings. Event staffing needs will be communicated at least one week before the event.

• Greet everyone who comes through the door, including members and guests. Direct everyone to appropriate locations throughout the building. Give tours to potential new members and curious folks who wander in.

• Keeping Propeller clean and well stocked. Propeller has biweekly janitorial service, but we rely on our members and staff to clean up after themselves in between. This means you will be expected to occasionally take out the trash, empty the dishwasher, clean up spills, make coffee, restock the bathrooms and kitchen, clear off conference tables, etc. as needed.

• Administrative and tech support for members; including receiving and distributing mail, installing printer drivers and troubleshooting printing issues, assisting with projectors and event set-up, etc.

• Answering the Propeller Incubator office phone and getting calls and messages to the appropriate staff members.

• Answering questions from members and guests about the building, neighborhood, Propeller services, other organizations, etc.

• Building community through member introductions and your special project. Interacting with members in the common areas and facilitating connections between members.

• Understanding members’ businesses and needs and finding potential resources for them within the network.

• You are welcome to bring other projects to work on while you are at Propeller, however we ask you prioritize your propeller host duties while you are on shift.

• Commitment to Excellence: Propeller Incubator Host Program is a reflection of our commitment to excellence. We ask that hosts call within 24 hours of shift to cancel, reschedule monthly hours when needed, and be punctual for their shifts.

• Hosts who do not fulfill expected duties and hours, or act outside of Propeller Incubator’s standards of conduct will be asked to forfeit their 24-hour access card to the Incubator Manager.

Time Commitment

As a host we ask you to commit to working 15 hours per month for a 2 – 6 month time frame.

Compensation

During 2- 6 months of your hosting, you will receive a co-working membership with 24/7 access, introductions and mentoring from Propeller staff when requested, references from Propeller team members, and access to meeting and event spaces for your own activities if needed.

To Apply:

We are no longer accepting applications at this time.

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