Director, Client Engagement and Business Support

Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) is Philadelphia’s public-private economic development corporation. Our mission is to spur investment, support business growth, and foster developments that create jobs, revitalize neighborhoods, and drive growth to every corner of Philadelphia. We achieve our mission through a diverse range of financing products, real estate solutions, and business support services. You can learn more about PIDC at pidcphila.com.

PIDC is committed to driving transformative growth for Philadelphians with a human-centered approach by directing our financial and real estate services, knowledge, and networks toward creating a vibrant and sustainable Philadelphia. To achieve this mission, PIDC focuses on five areas:

• CAPACITY: Create and sustain internal capacity and external partnerships to scale the availability and breadth of economic development resources and solutions.
• CAPITAL ACCESS AND SERVICES: Expand financing and business support services to benefit under-resourced communities and marginalized populations.
• LAND USE: Catalyze development of projects that create quality jobs, advance equity, and promote sustainability.
• KNOWLEDGE AND NETWORKS: Share knowledge and networks to respond to clients, partners, and market needs.
• EMPLOYEE WELL-BEING: Elevate the physical, mental, and financial well-being of PIDC employees and provide opportunity for each to thrive and grow professionally.

PIDC is governed by a thirty-member Board of Directors, appointed by the Mayor of Philadelphia and the President of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. The staff includes approximately 60 full-time employees, and PIDC’s current 12-member senior leadership team has a combined 150+ years of experience at PIDC. The organization’s annual budget of approximately $12M is funded by a combination from fees generated by PIDC’s transaction activities, service and management contracts, and contributed revenue.

Over the past 65+ years, PIDC has settled over 13,500 transactions with a diverse range of clients — including nearly $21 billion of financing and 3,400+ acres of land sales — which have leveraged tens of billions of dollars in total investment and assisted in retaining and creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in Philadelphia.

Client Engagement is dedicated to empowering small businesses through comprehensive business education and advisory services that drive improved managerial and organizational efficiencies. Our mission is to foster stability and sustainable growth by delivering practical, tailored strategies and actionable solutions. As a trusted advisor and strategic partner, our priority is collaboration to ensure businesses not only survive but thrive in a constantly evolving economic landscape.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:

The Director of Client Engagement and Business Support contributes to the overall mission of Client Engagement in delivering high-quality business education and coaching support to PIDC’s growing client base during the term of the PIDC loan aimed at improving efficiencies of the client’s management infrastructure and operations and positioning the company for success.

The Director promotes the business support services and business development efforts of PIDC by increasing the visibility of PIDC with business organizations, economic development partners, private sector corporations, small business events and activities, and small business owners and leveraging our reputation as a trusted advisor.

The Director of Client Engagement and Business Support is responsible for identifying and assessing client capacity and matching client needs with the inventory of current internal and external business growth initiatives. The Director of Client Engagement also serves as a trusted advisor, coach, and resource to PIDC clients throughout the term of the loan to help hone effective management skills and strengthen areas critical to company growth. Responsibilities for the Director include, but are not limited to, the following responsibilities and duties:

Client Support:

• Coordinate with Portfolio Management to meet clients at loan closings and introduce them to the role of Client Engagement.
• Coordinate with Business Lending and Portfolio Management for recommendation of clients as potential candidates of Client Engagement initiatives.
• Schedule meetings with clients to perform assessments of client companies and identify key strategies for areas of improvement and increased efficiencies, including Success Measures.
• Maintain and nurture relationships and communications with clients through email, telephone calls, and site visits.
• Coordinate with clients to resolve complex financial and operational challenges.

Program Development and Implementation:

• Develop new initiatives to address trends or changing market conditions with opportunities for partnership with other organizations.
• Identify business topics that are fundamental to small business growth that can be presented in the Business Builder Workshop Series and develop new business education programming with recommendations on subject matter experts as presenters.
• Identify topics for our Executive Leadership series (EXELs) that pose unique challenges to our middle market clients and address unmet business needs.

Business Development, Outreach, and Partnerships:

• Coordinate with Strategy, Communications and Government Affairs for representation on annual MEDWeek Planning Committee and the development of PIDC MEDWeek activities.
• Work with Impact Reporting and IT to input data, track, and generate reports through Portfol and Salesforce on business support hours for all clients.
• Develop a framework for outreach to entrepreneurs in immigrant and non-English speaking business communities (i.e., Spanish, Asian, African, Southeast Asian, etc.).
• Liaison with the Commerce Department to identify small business initiatives and participate, as reasonable, with existing programming and representing PIDC on committee assignments for market outreach. This includes coordination with the Mayor’s Business Action Team and Office of Economic Opportunity.
• Liaison with other governmental and quasi-governmental entities, as well as private organizations, for opportunities to coordinate business support initiatives, technical assistance services, and contract opportunities, particularly for minority, women, and LGBTQ businesses. This includes representing PIDC at trade fairs, project outreach meetings, and other opportunities that support DEI efforts.
• Participate in meetings with select private sector companies, partner organizations (i.e., diverse Chambers of Commerce), and non-profit organizations (i.e., Community Development Corporations, etc.) to assist with improving and developing diversity initiatives. This includes representing PIDC at trade fairs, project outreach meetings, and other opportunities that support DEI efforts.
• Enroll in professional development classes/courses per year to increase industry knowledge and expertise. This provides opportunities to improve communications, learn new outreach methodologies for small businesses, network with other economic development professionals. Preference is for coursework that leads to the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) certification offered by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), though not limited to IEDC.
• Assisting the Senior Vice President as directed.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s Degree or Graduate Degree (Business Administration, M.B.A., Community and Economic Development, Economics).
• 7-10 years of professional experience working for an economic development organization, small business lending within a financial institution, management consulting firm, and procurement/purchasing division with a focus on small business growth.
• Experience working one-on-one with small business owners.
• Experience planning outreach events.
• Familiarity with Salesforce, Microsoft Office 365, and video conferencing platforms.
• Must be a resident of the City of Philadelphia or willing to relocate within six (6) months of employment.