Associate State Director – MI-SBDC

Title: Associate State Director MI-SBDC

Position Summary:As a strategic partner to the State Director the Associate State Director (ASD) serves as the operational architect of the Michigan Small Business Development Center (SBDC). This role serves as a bridge between high-level vision and organizational execution working closely with the Executive Team to ensure operational excellence mission alignment and cultural health.

Minimum Starting Salary: $93440; commensurate with experience

• Comprehensive benefits package including medical vision dental life insurance generous employer retirement contributions wellness resources and tuition waiver effective on date of hire.

Primary Duties:

Operational excellence of the Michigan SBDC

• Authors operating guidelines with the State Director to ensure the SBDCs policies procedures and infrastructure scale with its strategic vision.

  • Operationalizes new requirements for programs.

  • Maintains the operations manual procedures and policies.

  • Stewards SBDC employee understanding and execution of grant terms and conditions through proactive training education and communication.

• Manages grant terms and conditions compliance with requirements and annual renewals.

  • Promotes organizational impact communicating the SBDCs value to federal and state stakeholders. Leads semi-annual and annual report generation.

  • Negotiates and manages stakeholder contracts. (State Federal & Host)

    • Synthesizes changes to contractual agreements creates operational procedures goals and communication and then monitors progress.

  • Point person for SBA/MEDC programming or events.

  • Responsible for confidentiality matters affiliated with grant requirements.

• Supports annual and 3-year strategic planning processes and develops implementation progress reports.

Operations Administration

• Empowers and mentors two direct reports.

  • Assistant State Director overseeing Technology Strategy and Operations.

  • Assistant State Director overseeing Human Resources Talent Development and Marketing.

• Collaborates with the Executive Team to enable new programming and communication.

• Leads and oversees processes to develop document communicate and administer policy procedures and operations of the SBDC.

  • Ensures products and services are responsibly managed for compliance through guidance and validation of program impact.

  • Special attention to the guidance verification & validation of reported program impact; develops policies & performance accountability/evaluation.

• Facilitates strategy implementation by leading weekly operations and monthly leadership team meetings.

  • Translates stakeholder (OSBDC / ASBDC / MEDC) updates into collaborative action items for the executive leadership team.

• Supports the development of grant applications and efforts to acquire additional funding aligned with organizational strategies.

Compliance the foundation for Operational Excellence and Administration

• Co-Leads with the State Director the network preparation for accreditation (Next accreditation is in 2028).

• Supports the Director of Finance and Grants on matters affiliated with vendors clients hosts and employees.

• Responsible for tracking grant program progress and preparing action steps to remediate any areas that are not meeting project pace or legal compliance.

• Supports audit requirements.

Other Duties

• Manages the Michigan SBDC Advisory Board.

• Partners with Client Services and Finance on grants aligned with small business technical assistance. Primary grant writer.

• Serves as Interim State Director as needed.

Required Qualifications and Education

• Bachelors Degree.

• 8 years of leadership experience.

• Demonstrated independent problem-solving skills.

• High-level executive presence and the ability to serve as a surrogate for the State Director.

• Experience in developing and tracking strategic plans.

• Experience negotiating synthesizing and implementing changes within a contractual agreement.

• Change management skills.

• Ability and willingness to travel both within Michigan and nationally.

• Experience with compliance and enforcement of stakeholder policies.

Preferred Qualifications and Education

• Master of Public Administration or Master of Business Administration or related field.

• Proven track record of cross-functional team building and consensus-building within a complex multi-stakeholder environment. (e.g. University and Government Partnerships)

• Project/change management certification.

• Experience with Federal Grants reporting and management

• Experience with CRM platforms.

Working Conditions

• Normal office environment with a combination of in-office and state-wide travel.

• Physical Demands:To perform this job successfully an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each essential have the physical stamina to work long hours and/or more than 5 days per accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• The listed requirements are representative of the knowledge skillsand/or abilities required.

• The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (A.D.A.) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position. Additional duties can be performed by the individual currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.

How to Apply

Apply online at GVSU Careers to be considered; applicants must upload the following (in PDF format) to the online application:

• Cover letter

• Curriculum vitae

Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until June 8th 2026. The position may be closed at any time at the universitys discretion.

Sponsorship Disclosure: Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and must not require sponsorship now or in the future.

About the Department/Division

• For details about Seidman College of Business visit details about the Unit visit perform this job successfully an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Must have the physical stamina to work long hours and/or more than 5 days per week. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The information contained in this job description is for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended by the ADA Amendment Act (2008) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and other applicable federal and state laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. GVSU will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon TDD Callers: Call Michigan Relay Center at 711 (in State) or 1- (out of State).

  Grand Valley State University is an Antidiscrimination/Equal Opportunity Employer which includes providing equal opportunity for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. University policy extends protections to additional identities.