OEN NewsNow Hiring! OEN Hillsboro/Washington County Venture Catalyst

OEN is seeking a Venture Catalyst to support entrepreneurship in City of Hillsboro/Washington County, and to coordinate the statewide network of Venture Catalysts, with the aim of connecting entrepreneurs to the best programs and services available in Oregon.

To execute the plans and programs of the Venture Catalyst (VC) position in support of entrepreneurship in City of Hillsboro/Washington County, the Venture Catalyst will be located physically with the Economic Development Department of the City of Hillsboro.

The Venture Catalyst has three major responsibilities within the Washington County region including:

• Supporting scalable startups in the traded sector to access financial, programmatic and human resources;
• Assisting in the leadership/running of designated regional assets such as PubTalks, etc.;
• Serving as a catalyst for the development of new or improved infrastructure in support of the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem.

In addition, the Washington County/City of Hillsboro Venture Catalyst or VC will be responsible for providing in coordination with other regional Venture Catalysts’ support of state-wide initiatives, best practices and access to resources, in collaboration with outreach partner Oregon BEST. The position is a contracted position reporting to the Executive Director of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN).  Approximately 50% of this position will serve as a statewide coordinator responsible for:

• Managing a statewide network of Venture Catalysts, including monthly meetings, trainings, and sharing of best practices;
• Developing and managing a shared database of resources;
• Working with statewide partners such as Oregon BEST to enhance industry cluster/sector efforts that connect startups with resources and investors;
• Helping to raise awareness about resources such as SBIR services which help startups access federal R&D funds;
• Participating as needed in regional and multi-regional events.

 

Application Deadline:
Please apply by Friday, March 30.

Salary Range:
$70,000 – $95,000

Description of Duties & Responsibilities:

• Coordinate assistance to early stage companies including connection with needed professional expertise and mentoring, programmatic support, and sources of capital. Includes active contact and follow up with entrepreneurs and linked assets to gauge progress and corrective action as required.
• Maintain active database of regional, scalable, traded sector, early stage companies and track key metrics including revenues, jobs generated and capital attracted.
• In Washington County and the City of Hillsboro the VC will focus on specific industry clusters including: high tech manufacturing, software and media services, biotechnology and medical devices, digital health, clean tech and related traded sector industries with high levels of manufacturing, software, data analytics and advanced materials
• Oversee the development and execution of entrepreneurial events as directed by OEN’s Executive Director and in coordination with the City of Hillsboro. The VC will help to coordinate such events in partnership with OEN staff and other key regional partners, specifically Oregon BEST.  For each event the VC’s role will be to provide strategic direction and support as well as coordination of its execution with OEN staff.
• Provide strategic direction and be a catalyst for positive change in the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem as appropriate. Such strategic elements in the past have included the development of regional accelerator programs and development of new pools of capital.  In developing strategic initiatives the VC will work closely with OEN’s Executive Director as well as the City of Hillsboro and other regional and state organizations and the broader entrepreneurial community to better understand the needs of the region.
• The VC is a contracted position that reports to the Executive Director (ED) of Oregon Entrepreneurs Network (OEN) but physically located in the City of Hillsboro. It is expected that performance metrics and reviews will be done with major partners including the City of Hillsboro and Oregon BEST.
• The VC will be expected to ensure ongoing communications across their network of VC counterparts in other parts of the state, to share best practices and develop inter-regional strategies as well as provide access to state wide resources. In this role as state-wide coordinator the VC will work closely with Oregon BEST and other partners as identified to help these partners better communicate their capabilities and resources across the state.
• The VC, as noted, will be a contractor to OEN. OEN will also serve as the lead entity for the state-wide proposal for funding the network of regional VC’s.
• The VC is expected to help in the fund-raising for their position. As such, outreach efforts with key partners will be necessary as well as management of relevant budgeting.

Preferred Experience/Skill Base:

• Experience with the entrepreneurial community either as an entrepreneur, investor or preferably both
• Extensive regional and statewide connections with entrepreneurial resources, investors, and business organizations
• Effective communicator with strong verbal, written, and presentation skills and good follow-up
• Interpersonal skills; especially the ability to work well in teams and engage partners.
• Leadership and visioning skills that can develop results-oriented strategies and measurable work plans
• Program management skills for both self-directed efforts and efforts involving other organizations.
• The ability to be agile; quickly identify opportunities and deal with multiple and shifting priorities
• Budgeting/reporting skills
• The ability and comfort level to raise funds.

To apply:
Please email a cover letter and a resume to OEN Executive Director Maggie Finnerty at maggie@oen.org. No phone calls, please.