ECI Small Business Ecosystem Navigator

Position Title:

Compensation:

Department:

About this opportunity:

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.

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 Indiana Small Business Development Center at regional meetings, events, and initiatives that promote entrepreneurship and small business growth. Identify gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem and provide recommendations and solutions to address unmet needs and improve resource accessibility for entrepreneurs.

3. Perform operational duties that include identifying and promoting client and partner success stories; developing and providing activity, impact, and progress reports for the SBDC Regional Director and regional stakeholders; completing administrative, CRM, and data-related tasks to measure and report program impact; and regularly meeting with the SBDC Regional Director, Business Advisors, and other team members to coordinate activities, share best practices, and advance regional entrepreneurial ecosystem initiatives.

4. Support the planning, marketing, coordination, and execution of regional entrepreneurial ecosystem events and initiatives. Organize and facilitate at least one entrepreneur or founder peer group that meets regularly throughout the year. Represent the Indiana Small Business Development Center at regional meetings, events, workshops, and initiatives that promote entrepreneurship, small business growth, and ecosystem development.

5. Advocate for small business interests by developing and promoting public awareness of SBDC programs and services.

6. Maintain accurate and timely records in the SBDC client relationship management (CRM) system, including client information, stakeholder and outreach activities, events, training, professional development, referrals, and other program-related data. Ensure all required documentation, notes, and impact metrics are entered and kept current to support reporting, performance measurement, and program compliance.

7. Serve as the regional point of contact for the statewide resource portal (ConnectIND), which includes assessing individual entrepreneurs' current needs and skills, advising entrepreneurs and small businesses about the programs and partners that can best assist them in their development process, and creating action plans outlining assistance steps for prospective clients and SBDC clients.

8. Work within the regional host institution, a contractual center of the Indiana SBDC, to meet organizational goals and objectives and to serve students, faculty, and staff.

9. Travel throughout the geographic area served, with occasional travel throughout Indiana. Early morning, evening, or weekend hours may occasionally be required.

10. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution in business, public education, communication, program development, public relations, or other relevant fields.

In lieu of a bachelor's degree, candidates with an associate's degree from an accredited university and a minimum of 2 years of experience in economic development, entrepreneurship support, community engagement, business assistance, workforce development, chamber of commerce operations, nonprofit management, grant-funded programs, or a related field will be considered.

Demonstrated experience working with leaders in the private and public sectors.

Must live or be willing to relocate to the East Central Indiana Small Business Development Center service region which includes the counties of Blackford, Delaware, Fayette, Grant, Henry, Jay, Madison, Randolph, Rush, Union, and Wayne.

Must possess and maintain a valid Driver's License and be insurable under the university's auto fleet policy.

Must have reliable transportation for work-related travel throughout the region.

Experience assessing needs, identifying opportunities, and connecting individuals, entrepreneurs, businesses, or organizations to appropriate resources, partners, programs, and support services.

Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build working relationships with partners and stakeholders.

Experience with customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking and presentation skills.

Experience with computer hardware and software, including Microsoft Office Suites.

Must be able to work independently, be self-motivated, goal-oriented, meet deadlines, and work as a team member on projects.

Preferred Qualifications:

Master's degree in business, public education, communication, program development, public relations, or other relevant fields.

Small business ownership or business management experience; ability to work effectively with leaders in the private and public sectors.

How to apply:

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

Please apply via the online Ball State University job portal.

Please list three professional references within the online application.

Supporting Documents Upload Instructions:

Important:Donotuse the Autofill feature when uploading your resume.

Required Documents:

• Resume

• Cover Letterdetailing your qualifications for the position.

Application Deadline: Applicants must complete the online application and submit a cover letter and resume by 12:01 a.m. (ET) on July 27, 2026.

What we offer:

At Ball State University, we understand the importance of balancing professional responsibilities with personal well-being. That's why we offer paid 24 vacation days, 12 sick days and 10 holidays a year. Plus, our paid parental leave (6 weeks) is there for life's most significant moments. We offer affordable health and dental insurance, robust long-term disability and life insurance plans, as well a range of retirement benefits to provide financial security to you and your family. These benefits ensure that you can focus on your work and personal growth without worrying about the unexpected.

When you work for us, you are family. And to show our support of your family, we will cover 90 percent of your child's (or children's) undergraduate college tuition at Ball State. We do the same for you. In fact, we'll cover 100 percent of the tuition costs for you to earn your undergraduate degree and 80 percent of your graduate tuition. This offer is good from the very first day you start. It's just one way we do our part to uplift you.

Let's fly together toward a secure and prosperous tomorrow.

Curious about our excellent benefits package?

We have developed a calculator that shows you the value of our core benefits. Select the Total Compensation Calculator - Professional and download the spreadsheet. If you are applying for a 10-month position or one with Burris or Indiana Academy, please select the corresponding calculator.