SENIOR ADVISOR, INDIGENOUS ENTREPRENEURSHIP - Across the Province of Ontario

BDC; Markham; Hybrid; CAD 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Senior Advisor for Indigenous Entrepreneurship to enhance support for Indigenous communities. This role emphasizes relationship-building and understanding community needs, ensuring BDC's offerings align with Indigenous entrepreneurs' aspirations. You'll engage with various stakeholders, promote economic empowerment, and contribute to tailored solutions. If you're passionate about fostering growth and have a deep understanding of Indigenous issues, this position offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact.

Benefits

Flexible benefits

Employee Savings and Investment Plan

Defined Benefit Pension Plan

$750 wellness and health care spending account

Paid vacation

Personal days

Sick days

Offices closed from December 25 to January 1

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in financial services or business development.
• Deep understanding of barriers and opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Responsibilities

• Build relationships with Indigenous communities to support entrepreneurs.
• Guide entrepreneurs to appropriate resources and offerings.

Skills

Relationship-building

Communication

Presentation

Financial analysis

Leadership

Knowledge of economic development policies

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience

Job description

We are banking at another level.

Choosing BDC as your employer means working in a healthy, inclusive, and skilled workplace that fosters the best conditions for diverse teams where employees are empowered to act. It also involves being at the heart of ambitious economic and financial projects to innovate and support the success of Canadian entrepreneurs.

Choosing BDC as your employer also means:

• Flexible and competitive benefits, including an Employee Savings and Investment Plan with employer matching, a Defined Benefit Pension Plan, a $750 wellness and health care spending account, among others.

• In addition to paid vacation, five personal days, sick days as needed, and our offices closed from December 25 to January 1.

• A hybrid work model promoting work-life balance.

• Opportunities for learning, training, development, and more...

*This role can be located anywhere in Ontario.

About BDC

At BDC, we support over 1,000 Indigenous clients coast to coast. We have a longstanding commitment to working with Indigenous entrepreneurs, respecting their unique histories, cultures, and contributions to Canada.

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 18 years and as a top diversity employer for 14 years, we strongly encourage Indigenous individuals to apply. We also have an Indigenous employee resource group available to support all employees.

POSITION OVERVIEW

To better serve Indigenous entrepreneurs, BDC is expanding its presence in Indigenous communities. Our new engagement model aims to remove barriers to access capital, mentorship, networking, and business education for Indigenous entrepreneurs.

We seek to hire a Senior Advisor, Indigenous Entrepreneurship who will be deployed regionally to strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities and align our efforts with their needs and expectations.

This role involves building relationships and positioning BDC as a trusted partner for Indigenous communities, working closely with entrepreneurs and partners to foster economic empowerment.

Reporting to the Inclusive Entrepreneurship team, you will guide entrepreneurs and partners to appropriate resources, sharing your expertise to ensure BDC's relevance and value to Indigenous communities.

Main responsibilities

Supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs to achieve their ambitions

• Develop and maintain relationships with organizations involved in Indigenous entrepreneurship to understand community needs.
• Enhance BDC’s credibility and visibility within Indigenous communities.
• Serve as a referral point for Indigenous businesses, leveraging market activities and relationships, and guiding entrepreneurs to the right BDC offerings.
• Collaborate with account managers to identify support opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs.
• Ensure geographic coverage and support Indigenous business growth.
• Foster trust-based relationships with Indigenous entrepreneurs, understanding and addressing their specific needs.

Enrich BDC’s understanding of Indigenous communities

• Communicate effectively across all organizational levels.
• Act as a subject matter expert in Indigenous community research and understanding.
• Educate and engage BDC staff on Indigenous issues and strategies.
• Contribute to developing tailored solutions for Indigenous entrepreneurs.
• Disseminate information and coordinate actions related to diversity initiatives.
• Support project teams in training development.

Conduct business development to support Indigenous entrepreneurs

• Work with partners to identify new opportunities.
• Use your network to pursue business growth.

Stay informed on Indigenous needs and trends

• Participate in regional Indigenous conferences and events.
• Monitor economic trends affecting Indigenous entrepreneurs.

What we are looking for

Main qualifications:

• Excellent relationship-building, communication, and presentation skills.
• Deep understanding of barriers and opportunities for Indigenous entrepreneurs.
• Commitment to economic empowerment in Indigenous communities.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
• Over 5 years of experience in financial services or business development.
• Ability to analyze financial statements and communicate insights.
• Strong leadership and influence skills.
• Passion for supporting small and medium entrepreneurs and knowledge of economic development policies.
• Self-identified Indigenous individual.
• Fluent in English; French skills are an asset.

Valid driver’s license required

We are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. If you require accommodations during the application process, please contact us at [e-mail].

We thank all applicants; only those selected for interviews will be contacted.