Program Manager

Title: Program Manager

Reports To: Chief of Programs & Services

Location: Massachusetts Residence Required (Hybrid — Greater Boston HQ, ~1 in office day/week)

Position Type: Full-time, W-2 Temporary Employment Position (6 months) with an expected pathway to permanent employment

Salary Range: $70,000-$75,000

Start Date: May 2026

Application Deadline: April 10, 2026

HOW TO APPLY

Please submit a resume and a brief statement of interest (one page maximum), both in PDF format, to info@people-strategy-studio.com. In your statement, address two things: the gap you see in how Black-owned businesses access anchor institution contracts in Massachusetts, and how you have used AI tools in a professional or operational context. Use the subject line: "BECMA Program Manager — [Your Last Name]"

ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY

The Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA)’s mission is to drive economic equity and prosperity for Massachusetts to achieve inclusive growth through advocacy, programming, and strategic partnerships that enable Black-owned businesses and Black communities to thrive.

BECMA’s work is centered around our 4 pillars for closing the racial wealth gap in MA:

• Entrepreneurship: Nurture startups and support existing entrepreneurs by providing access to affordable and adequate capital to launch and scale their firms.
• Advocacy: Influence policies to shape economic opportunities while addressing and mitigating systemic barriers, to ensure a more just and prosperous future for Black and other micro small businesses and diverse communities.
• Commerce: Support Massachusetts’ micro and small business owners in selling their goods and services while helping ally buyers meet their supplier diversity or ESG goals.
• Ownership: Increase business owners’ equity stake in their enterprises.

As a nonprofit, BECMA has grown from a start-up concept to a $5M+ organization.

As a member-based organization, our priority is supporting members through advocacy, partnerships, and programming. We regularly engage with the press, hold public and members-only events, and host premier annual events including Mass Black Expo and the Annual Meeting.

Our membership community includes micro and small business owners, partner organizations such as nonprofits, corporations, foundations, hospitals, universities, venture capital firms, insurance companies, and government agencies. 

WHO WE ARE

BECMA is a 10-year-old organization with a transformative mission, driven by passionate individuals committed to eliminating the racial wealth gap. Our culture is:

• Mission-driven: Committed to excellence and achieving our goals.
• Empowering: We create confident, forward-thinking leaders.
• Collaborative: Work is interrelated and interdependent.
• Supportive: We provide tools and space to exceed expectations.
• Innovative: We seek creative solutions to move closer to our goals.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

BECMA is seeking an experienced, mission-driven Program Manager to join the Programs & Services team as its fourth member. This role leads our Supplier Development Services (SDS) program and drives the integration of AI and digital tools across BECMA's programming and member offerings. The ideal candidate brings three core strengths: deep knowledge of procurement and supplier development, strong project management and facilitation skills, and hands-on proficiency with advanced technology including AI tools. The Program Manager must be organized, proactive, data-driven, collaborative, and unapologetically committed to economic opportunity for Black people.

A successful candidate will execute the following roles and responsibilities, as well as other duties as assigned:

Supplier Development & Procurement Pipeline

• Lead end-to-end execution of the SDS program: vendor intake, readiness assessment, pipeline development, contract matching, and bid preparation support.
• Build and manage procurement pipelines aligned with institutional buyers — municipalities, utilities, and anchor institutions (hospitals, universities, research organizations).
• Develop and maintain a library of procurement tools: RFP templates, capability statement frameworks, pricing guides, and bid package checklists.
• Facilitate matchmaking events, buyer convenings, and reverse bidding sessions that connect member businesses to contract opportunities.
• Support businesses in pursuing and winning contracts of $50,000+, including proposal review and pre-submission preparation.
• Manage relationships with procurement and supplier diversity teams at anchor institutions, translating their needs into actionable member pipelines.

Teaching, Training & Cohort Facilitation

• Design and deliver high-impact training experiences, including:
• Procurement readiness bootcamps and bid-writing workshops
• Capability statement development
• AI for business operations and contracting
• Facilitate cohort-based learning models aligned with BECMA's programmatic frameworks.
• Translate complex systems procurement, compliance, AI tools into accessible, actionable instruction for small business owners at varying technical levels.
• Coordinate with BECMA's technical assistance consultants to embed AI literacy and procurement coaching into 1:1 member relationships.

Program Operations & Reporting

• Manage program logistics: technical assistance calendaring, milestone tracking, attendance reconciliation, and CRM maintenance (GrowthZone/Salesforce, Asana).
• Track and report SDS KPIs: bids submitted, contracts secured, total contract value, and number of businesses securing $50K+ contracts.
• Contribute to quarterly impact reports, funder deliverables, board reports, and the annual impact survey.
• Serve as a secondary owner of core operational functions such as Business Snapshot review, Evaluation Matrix scoring, and program routing 
• Align with cross-program initiatives including BOSS, Green STAR, and sector-specific procurement pathways.

WHO YOU ARE

BECMA recruits self-organized and self-motivated people who are passionate about transformative leadership, solving problems, and who have a strong commitment to Black lives.

A successful candidate will possess most or all of the following:

Experience

• 3–5 years of experience in program management, supplier diversity, procurement, economic development, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated knowledge of procurement processes — RFPs, vendor qualification, contract readiness; including public-sector, anchor institution, or corporate purchasing cycles.
• Experience designing and delivering workshops, trainings, or cohort-based programs for adult learners.
• Experience working with or alongside small businesses, minority- or women-owned enterprises, or entrepreneurship support ecosystems.
• Prior exposure to government or anchor institution procurement systems is a strong plus.

Knowledge

• Genuine passion for and knowledge of the economic challenges facing Black business owners and Black communities in Massachusetts.
• Familiarity with Greater Boston's anchor institution landscape; hospitals, universities, research institutions and their supplier diversity functions.
• Working understanding of AI tools and their practical application in business operations, beyond surface-level awareness.
• Knowledge of nonprofit program management, funder reporting, and impact measurement practices.
• Familiarity with business certifications (MBE, DBE, SDO, WBE, etc.) is a plus.

Skills

• Excellent systems thinking and operational design capability, able to translate a program vision into a repeatable, trackable workflow.
• Strong project management and organizational skills; proficiency in Asana or comparable tools, Google Workspace, and CRM platforms (GrowthZone, Salesforce, or equivalent).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to write clearly for diverse audiences: a business owner, a corporate partner, and a program funder.
• Data-driven mindset with the ability to define, track, and interpret performance metrics.
• Hands-on fluency with AI tools and able to identify appropriate tools, deploy them in a workflow, and train others on their use, including generative AI platforms, workflow automation tools (Zapier, Make), and document processing systems.
• Exceptional attention to detail and strong follow-through.

Abilities

• Ability to build and manage institutional relationships with anchor institutions, corporate partners, and government stakeholders.
• Ability to work independently and make sound decisions without extensive direction, while keeping leadership appropriately informed.
• Ability to adapt quickly when program priorities, funder requirements, or team capacity shifts.
• Ability to travel to locations within Massachusetts and occasionally beyond for partner meetings, site visits, and convenings.
• Ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders including member businesses, procurement teams, partner organizations, board members, and senior BECMA leadership.

WHAT YOU'LL GET

This position begins as a full-time, W-2 temporary employment position (6 months) with an expected pathway to permanent employment. Conversion is contingent on successful delivery against 6-month success metrics.

During the temporary period you will receive:

• Salary of $70,000–$75,000 commensurate with demonstrated skills and experience.
• 401(k) retirement profit sharing plan.
• Flexible medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family.
• Life insurance.
• Travel benefits, including parking reimbursement.
• Unlimited paid time off.
• Work-issued laptop and equipment.
• Mobile phone reimbursement or work-issued phone.
• Professional development support.
• Direct access to senior leadership and exposure to organizational strategy at the highest level.
• The opportunity to shape a first-of-its-kind role — building the procurement and AI function from the ground up.

As an EOE/AA employer, we will not discriminate in our employment practices due to an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, genetic information, veteran or disability status, or any other factor prohibited by law.