Manager – Small Business

Fort Worth chamber; Fort Worth, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Fort Worth Chamber seeks a Manager for the Small Business Development Program to lead small business support, retention, and growth across Fort Worth. You will connect owners to grow th resources, including counseling and financing, and coordinate with partner chambers and City staff to advance local business climate.

The role requires driving outreach, workshops, and reporting on KPI and contract deliverables, while building strong relationships with small businesses and stakeholders across the

Qualifications

• 3–5 years in economic development, small business support, procurement, or chamber/nonprofit program management
• Proven experience planning and executing workshops, forums, or convening events
• Strong written and verbal communication with multi-channel outreach
• Ability to build and manage relationships with small business owners, primes, subcontractors, and peer organizations

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead retention and expansion efforts for Fort Worth's small businesses
• Guide clients through City vendor registration and SBE certification processes
• Maintain relationships with Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber and Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber
• Design and run workshops, engagement forums, and matchmaking events with primes
• Track workshop attendance, introductions, and contract awards for reporting
• Develop and lead access-to-capital workshops and connect to lenders
• Own messaging calendar for procurement opportunities and coordinate with City staff
• Produce stories and case studies showing program impact
• Provide succession planning resources and maintain referral networks
• Ensure compliance with City contract deliverables and KPI tracking

Skills

Workshop planning

Communication

Relationship management

Detail orientation

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/public administration/economic development or related field

Job description

JOB TITLE: Manager - Small Business
DEPARTMENT: BUSINESS ADVOCACY
TITLE OF SUPERVISOR: SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT - BUSINESS ADVOCACY

BASIC FUNCTION:

The Manager of the Small Business Development Program is the Chamber's Business Advocacy Department lead for small business support, retention, and growth in Fort Worth. The focus is making sure Fort Worth's small business community is well-positioned to support the city's growing, valuable business climate - work that extends beyond Chamber membership to the small business community citywide. The role deepens small business engagement; connects business owners to growth resources like technical counseling and financing; supports small business retention and expansion (BRE) outreach in coordination with the Business Advocacy department; and maintains relationships with the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber, Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber, and City of Fort Worth Economic Development and Procurement staff. The manager also serves as the day-to-day link between small businesses and the Chamber on business climate issues.

KEY ACTIVITIES:

Essential duties and responsibilities will include, but are not limited to:

Small Business Retention & Expansion (BRE)

• Develop and lead retention and expansion efforts focused specifically on small businesses, in coordination with the Business Advocacy department's broader BRE program
• Support proactive outreach to small businesses to collect business climate data — barriers, growth plans, workforce needs, satisfaction with city services — feeding the Chamber's BRE survey and reporting process

Procurement Support, Registration & Certification

• Guide small businesses of any industry through City vendor registration and SBE certification processes by connecting them with the certifying agencies and connecting small businesses directly to City contracting opportunities
• Track registration and certification volumes and outcomes as a reportable deliverable under the City contract

Strategic Partnerships & Relationship Management

• Maintain regular contact and working relationships with the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce to extend program reach and avoid duplicated effort
• Maintain regular contact with City of Fort Worth Economic Development and Procurement Department staff to stay current on opportunities, policy changes, and reporting expectations
• Represent the Chamber at select partner chamber and City events relevant to small business development

Contractor Connection & Convening

• Design and run workshops, engagement forums, and matchmaking events that connect small businesses and subcontractors with prime contractors bidding on City projects
• Cultivate relationships with primes doing business with the City to surface subcontracting needs and introduce them with qualified local firms
• Track workshop attendance, prime-sub introductions made, and resulting contract awards for City reporting

Access to Capital

• Develop and lead efforts connecting small businesses to growth-oriented and access-to-capital workshops, lenders, and funding opportunities
• Build a referral network of banks, CDFIs, SBA lenders, and other capital providers serving Fort Worth small businesses
• Track number of businesses engaged in capital-readiness programming and, where available, capital secured as a result

Outreach & Communications

• Own the messaging calendar that promotes City contracting opportunities, resources, and bid notices to the small business community
• Collaborate with Chamber Communications staff to grow and maintain distribution channels — newsletter, social, member comms, partner networks — to widen reach of city procurement information
• Coordinate with City of Fort Worth Economic Development and City Procurement staff to ensure timely, accurate dissemination of RFPs and bid opportunities
• Produce success stories and case studies documenting program impact for City and Chamber reporting

Succession Planning Support

• Develop and deliver succession planning workshops and resources for local business owners nearing transition or exit
• Build and maintain a referral network of succession planning professionals (attorneys, CPAs, wealth advisors, business brokers)
• Track number of business owners engaged and outcomes tied to businesses remaining locally owned or operated post-transition

Program Administration & Reporting

• Manage the Chamber's compliance with City contract deliverables, including quarterly and annual reporting

Track KPIs against the contract's scope of work and flag risks to deliverables early

KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE:

Required Qualifications

• 3–5 years in economic development, small business support, procurement, or chamber/nonprofit program management
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing workshops, forums, or convening events
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including multi-channel outreach and coordination with public-sector partners
• Proven ability to build and manage relationships with small business owners, prime and subcontractors, and peer organizations across the public and private sectors

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with procurement processes, including guiding clients through registration or certification requirements
• Bachelor's degree in business, public administration, economic development, or related field, or equivalent experience
• Experience managing a grant- or contract-funded program, including KPI tracking and formal deliverable reporting
• Working knowledge of business succession and transition planning
• Prior survey or direct outreach experience, with the ability to translate findings into program recommendations
• Existing relationships with the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber, Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber, and City of Fort Worth Economic Development/Procurement staff

DECISION-MAKING AND ACTION TAKING:

• Detail-focused with a commitment to accuracy and excellence, particularly in tracking and reporting program deliverables
• Team player with a flair for building and nurturing relationships across the business and nonprofit community
• Proactive and self-driven with the ability to work autonomously across multiple concurrent programs
• Strong time management skills with the ability to meet quarterly and annual contract reporting deadlines
• Proven effectiveness working with all levels of stakeholders and staff, from small business owners to City officials

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Some domestic travel
• Some lifting of boxes of up to 25 pounds
• Long periods of sitting
• Early morning meetings and evening functions