Manager, Strategy + Special Projects job in New York

Note: Applications will not be considered without a thoughtful and relevant cover letter.

Why Next Street?

Want to work at the intersection of impact and business? Looking for a team with big ideas and bold ambitions? Interested in accelerating your career, and getting further faster by working at a scalable small business?

You have found your place – Next Street is a mission-driven, for-profit firm creating a better future for small business. We have audacious goals and we are looking for team members who can dream big with us. Next Street was founded in 2005 with the belief that small businesses are the drivers of economic and community development and the engines of inclusive growth. This philosophy is at the core of everything that we do. Next Street mobilizes capital, customers, and capabilities to small businesses and entrepreneurs that have been systemically held back. We work with foundations, government, corporations, and CDFIs.

We serve as trusted advisors to some of the country’s most dynamic organizations. We equip our clients with strategies and tools to advance small businesses and deliver a more inclusive US economy.

We are an anti-racist and anti-bias institution. Learn more about our commitment here: https://nextstreet.com/racial-equity/.

We believe Next Street is a special place to work:
> We are a group of critical thinkers and problem solvers. We work hard to get our clients the right answer, because we are successful when our clients create more impact.
> We are motivated by mission. We keep small business at the heart of what we do, and agitate for equity and inclusion, day in and day out.
> We respect and challenge each other. Our teammates come from the best professional services and social sector organizations. We learn from each other constantly.
> We push ourselves to innovate. We must think creatively and expansively to solve tomorrow’s economic and community development challenges.
> We take pride in our work, strive for excellence and work with integrity. This is more than just a job to us.

We believe in a better future for small business. Join Us.

Why this role?
The Manager of Strategy + Special Projects will play a critical role in enabling the execution of Next Street’s strategy and helping the firm scale. Next Street had bold ambitions to continue its rapid growth and is looking for mission-driven, strategy and operations generalists excited to lead us into our next phase of growth. This role is a fantastic opportunity for those looking for firsthand experience scaling and managing a business. This role will give you top-to-bottom exposure from high-level strategy discussions to evaluating and implementing the systems needed to enable our growth.

You will have significant responsibility from day one for a dynamic portfolio including (1) strategy and sales enablement, (2) systems and business intelligence and (3) special projects. This role will partner closely with the Chief of Staff and Director of Finance + Administration to execute their priorities and support the senior leadership team.

Join us and you will get unparalleled management training, while working alongside an extraordinary team and accelerating your career.

Your work will consist of:

Strategy + Sales Enablement (50%)
> Execution of Next Street’s new five-year strategy through research, analysis and content development
> Enablement of executive decision-making through research, analysis and content development
> Integration and optimization of NXSTs revenue strategy, including approach, priorities (audiences, offerings, geographies), organizational structure, information flow, metrics and accountability (note: role is not responsible for supporting individual business development processes or execution)
> Identification and deployment of sales enablement strategies and tools to enable the work of NXSTs business development teams

Systems + Business Intelligence (25%)
> Development of forward-looking systems strategy to create an integrated cohesive suite of systems that will enable NXSTs growth
> Evaluation and implementation of new systems, as needed
> Management of systems and tools related to revenue or firm operations (e.g., Salesforce, origination tracking, PowerBI, IT managed service providers)

Special Projects (25%)
> Conceptualization, prioritization, and execution of special projects identified by the Management Team to support the firm’s growth (recent special projects include development of a hybrid work structure model, performance management refresh and IT security improvement)
> End-to-end ownership and project management of special projects

Why you?
> You have a bachelor’s degree with 2-4 years of experience
> You are a maximizer and love thinking “how can we do this better?”
> You see opportunity around every corner
> You think critically to challenge the status quo
> You enjoy flexing between functions and pride yourself on being a generalist
> You have a generalist toolkit, including data analysis, content development and some knowledge of systems
> You want to build your management capabilities and get firsthand experience in a high-growth business
> You are motivated by mission and want to spend your days doing fulfilling work
> You are looking for opportunities to grow and accelerate your career
> You enjoy working with teams and believe diversity of thinking gets to better answers
> You are willing to challenge and be challenged, regardless of seniority

What we offer:
We want our team members to bring their best, true selves to work every day. We will offer you:
> Competitive salary and benefits – We know you work hard, and we want to reward you for it. We offer competitive salaries and generous benefits package (including 401k and paid parental leave) for mission-driven work.
> Generous paid time off – We want to make sure that you have time to recharge and to pursue your many passions. We give our team members 20 days of paid time off per year plus standard federal holidays.
> Mentorship and Sponsorship – You will have frequent access to our diverse and dynamic senior team, given that we are a small firm. They will be committed to your growth and will invest in mentoring you.
> Career development – We take growth seriously. We want to make sure that you have a plan to get where you want to go long term, whether at Next Street or business or graduate school. We give each team member an annual professional development stipend and provide ample coaching.
> Low travel model – We do not like to get on a plane every week and we do not want you to either. We travel when we need to every few weeks.
> Flexibility – It is important to us that you can work when and where you work best. We are flexible with employees to accommodate individual schedules and work preferences.
> Social events and office snacks – We admire and value our teammates. We plan social events throughout the year, so that you have to opportunity to connect outside of the office. We also make sure that you have the fuel you need to perform your best every day.

Next Street is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, or Vietnam era, or other eligible veteran status, or any other protected factor.