Program Director

• Location:
  
  Northwest Arkansas, hybrid (3 days per work week at a Bentonville innovation center)
• Reports to:
  
  SEED SPOT's VP of Programs
• Position type:
  Full time, fixed-term, at-will, grant-funded position through September 30, 2027
• Salary: $85,000 to $92,000 annualized, prorated from start date through September 30, 2027
• Renewal:
  Designed to continue beyond the program pilot, with potential renewal based on program outcomes, continued funding availability, organizational need, and performance
• Travel:
  Local within Northwest Arkansas

SEED SPOT is seeking a Program Director to lead a new initiative in Bentonville Arkansas. Delivered with regional partners, the program connects Northwest Arkansas's business community with a broader, more diverse pipeline of entrepreneurs, from homegrown founders to international companies choosing the region as their next home.

The Program Director will lead the program across two connected tracks: early-stage ideation and scale-ready companies in the retail value chain. This role owns program delivery, partner relationship management, and grant administration, supported by SEED SPOT's national program team. It's ideal for a connector and builder who wants to shape what comes next for entrepreneurship in Northwest Arkansas.

The program is built on a simple belief:
Northwest Arkansas should be a place where great companies take root, whether their founders grew up here or are discovering the region for the first time. Entrepreneurs here are building with energy and ambition. What they need next is a clear path to the customers, partners, and investors who can help those businesses last.

By combining tailored venture support with direct access to industry leaders, the program helps homegrown founders turn early momentum into lasting companies and gives founders from outside the region a reason to put down roots. The goal is to build an ecosystem where founders don't just pass through or start here. They stay, grow, and build here.

How the program works:

• Ecosystem Immersion Weeks:
  Week-long experiences that introduce founders to the region's anchor industry partners and business networks.
• Launch Camps:
  Intensive workshops that help local founders and aspiring founders move their ideas toward launch.
• Industry and Connection Workshops:
  Recurring sessions that bring industry partners and investors into direct engagement with founders.

SEED SPOT was founded in 2012 to empower entrepreneurs to launch and scale ventures that positively impact lives. Through tactical education, expert networks, culturally responsive mentorship, and capital connections, SEED SPOT helps entrepreneurs start, grow, and scale.

Since 2012, SEED SPOT has served over 4,600 entrepreneurs, who have generated $447 million in revenue, raised $229 million in capital, and created about 11,000 jobs. SEED SPOT delivers programming in Phoenix, Washington D.C., Chicago, New York, and Bentonville.

Program Delivery

• Plan and run three Launch Camps (1 to 2 day bootcamps) for local small businesses and new entrepreneurs.
• Support delivery of Ecosystem Immersion Weeks and Industry Education Workshops with local partners.
• Serve as the main point of contact for participants and alumni across both tracks.
• Coach early-stage founders on customer discovery, go-to-market strategy, pitching, and fundraising.
• Recruit, train, and manage volunteers, including speakers, mentors, and content experts who support programming.
• Manage logistics for in-person and virtual sessions.
• Connect 40+ founders to an average of three high-leverage connections each across industry partners, investors, and mentors, and track participant progress.
• Collect feedback, lead post-program debriefs, and help strengthen the curriculum.
• Manage consultants and contractors supporting delivery, including scope, timelines, and deliverables.

• Serve as the main point of contact for the partner team.
• Build relationships with anchor industry partners and investors to create pilot, contract, and capital opportunities for founders.
• Coordinate with existing Northwest Arkansas entrepreneur support organizations so the program complements local resources rather than duplicating them.
• Set the partnership's operating rhythm, including meetings, communications, and project management systems.
• Own grant administration, compliance, and reporting.
• Manage the program budget in line with funder expectations.
• Lead…