Economic Development Program Manager

Date Opened:
Thursday, March 05, 2026 12:00 AM. Close Date:
Thursday, March 19, 2026 12:00 AM. Department:
Economic Development Department. Salary: $83,208.00 - $ Commensurate with Experience.

Welcome to the City of Charlotte Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.

• Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce
• Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development
• Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services
• Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems
• Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions

The City of Charlotte’s Economic Development Department takes great pride in our success with bringing together public and private resources to create places that attract a diversity of talent, job opportunities, and businesses. We are driven to make Charlotte competitive in the global market and facilitate an environment through which all residents and businesses have opportunities for economic success. Areas of focus include development/redevelopment, entrepreneurship and small business support, business recruitment and retention and talent development.

Through active and strategic collaborations with other City departments and community partners, the team fulfills its purpose of helping businesses and residents thrive.

The Economic Development Department is seeking a Program Manager whose primary responsibility is leading the City’s Skilled to Build Small Business Readiness programs, with additional responsibilities supporting implementation of the Small Business Strategic Framework and Implementation Plan. This role will manage the coordination and ongoing delivery of small business initiatives that prepare businesses to access opportunities associated with major transportation, transit, and capital infrastructure projects.

The position works closely with internal City departments, small business ecosystem partners, training providers, and private-sector partners to operationalize, market, measure, and continuously improve these efforts.

• Lead the implementation, coordination, and ongoing management of the Skilled to Build Small Business Readiness programs/projects
• Coordinate with internal and external stakeholders to support effective program/project implementation
• Develop and manage a comprehensive KPI and performance measurement framework
• Coordinate with internal and external partners to support outreach and communication efforts that raise awareness of small business readiness pathways, procurement opportunities, and other related small business programs/tools/resources
• Regularly assess program performance, identify capacity gaps, and recommend systems improvements and partner alignment strategies
• Support implementation of the Small Business Ecosystem Strategic Framework with a focus on coordination, alignment, and collaboration across the small business ecosystem
• Assist with outreach, engagement, and referral strategies that connect businesses to technical assistance, capital readiness, and workforce resources
• Develop and lead special assignments/projects as needed

• Strong understanding of small business ecosystems, capacity-building strategies, and entrepreneurship development
• Knowledge of procurement and government contracting ecosystems
• Ability to translate complex program, policy, and infrastructure information into clear, actionable guidance for small businesses
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple project/programs work streams simultaneously
• Excellent stakeholder coordination, facilitation, and relationship management skills
• Strong strategic planning and project management skills
• Ability to use data for storytelling, performance measurement, and reporting
• Ability to thrive in a…