Neighborhood Program Coordinator (Temp)

Description:
Neighborhood Program Coordinator (TEMP)
Client launched the Global Center for Urban Development (GCUD) to advance its 14-year mission to accelerate Newark's comeback through initiatives aimed at advancing equity, racial justice and economic empowerment. Designed to expand existing programs and invent new scalable and replicable models, the Center serves as a think-tank for innovative ideas to address social and economic inequities and actively catalyze societal change – all of which creates measurable equity and resilient futures in the communities we work.
GCUD's neighborhood revitalization efforts consists of two key programs: Business Attraction and Neighborhood Activations. The goal of Client's business attraction efforts is to help accelerate Newark's revitalization by thoughtfully and equitably growing the tech and innovation ecosystems, creating new jobs and supporting the local economy, with a focus on founders of color and female founders who have been traditionally marginalized in the capital markets.
Neighborhood Activations advances creative placemaking in downtown Newark, supporting events/program activations with an emphasis on increasing foot traffic and driving local spend as well as amplifying relevant Client content. Through attraction of businesses and creation of foot traffic, we will create a sustainable and equitable economic growth engine for Newark.
This role will support our work with Business Attraction and Neighborhood Activations within Newark. This is a boots-on-the-ground role and will require a hands-on approach to event planning and management, community engagement, and program management.
Key responsibilities:
Provide community support to tech start-ups and retail businesses in Client Business Attraction program, including:
Act as initial point of contact for businesses in the program to triage and assist with incoming requests for small businesses assistance such as consultation with Client employees on relevant functional areas, redemption of AWS credit entitlements.
Liaise with third party administrator for Live Local and Shop Local benefits to track monthly spend and onboard new businesses with the administrator into the benefits program.
Conduct outreach to businesses on quarterly basis to obtain key metric updates including revenue, employee counts, and funding, and update tracker for internal quarterly business reviews.
Maintain database of business summaries in order to regularly share out information to Client PR team, prospective investors and Newark business opportunities.
Collect and share relevant Newark events for Business Attraction startup and retail community.
Coordinate events for neighborhood and tech ecosystem-related activations including programming within Harriet Tubman Square, Library and other neighborhood stakeholders such as Newark Museum of Art. Examples include farmers markets, in-store activations at local restaurants, and festivals.
Manage pre-event logistics including coordinating vendors, security, A/V, legal review of contracts, process purchase orders etc. as needed to execute the event.
Provide on-site event support including set up, breakdown and event run of show as needed.
Ensure post event follow ups are completed inclusive of setting up de-brief meetings, sending out attendee surveys, reporting metrics and submitting invoices.
Draft and edit communications to ensure ongoing promotion of business attraction and activations.
Engage with community stakeholders, such as programming partners, property owners and tech ecosystem participants (e.g. Newark City Parks Foundation, Newark Venture Partners, NJII, HAX Capital) For example, coordinate regular tech ecosystem stakeholder meetings to ensure ongoing collaboration and awareness of initiatives.
Perform other tasks as assigned by Sr Dir, Economic Dev Programs and Neighborhood Activations Director.
Qualifications:
Bachelors Degree preferred.
5 year's experience in executing events and/or community engagement.
Multi-task with the ability to quickly change focus and balance the needs of the moment with longer-term goals.
Excel at building strong relationships and persuasive in written and verbal communication
Comfortable with and find opportunity in ambiguity.
Outstanding work ethic and organizational skills
Extremely detail oriented
Demonstrated initiative and creativity
Strong Excel skills
Ability to work evenings and weekends when necessary.