• JOB TITLE: VICE PRESIDENT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP & INNOVATION
• REPORTS TO: PRESIDENT & CEO
• PAY GRADE SCALE: $110,000 - $135,000 (DOQ)

CLASSIFICATION: EXEMPT (This is not a City of Brownsville position)

• About BCIC

The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) is a nationally recognized, award-winning Type B economic development organization funded by a ¼ cent sales tax. BCIC’s mission is to enhance the quality of life in Brownsville through innovative and equitable economic development initiatives that foster entrepreneurship, business growth, workforce development, and community vitality.

BCIC’s vision is for Brownsville to represent the nation inclusive innovation and quality of life—where entrepreneurs, small businesses, and emerging industries can start, scale, and thrive, and where economic growth translates into meaningful community well-being and opportunity for all residents.

• Position Summary

The Vice President of Entrepreneurship & Innovation serves as BCIC’s second-in-command and a key member of the executive leadership team. Reporting directly to the President & CEO, this position provides strategic leadership, policy direction, and executive oversight of BCIC’s entrepreneurship, innovation, and small business ecosystem initiatives.

This role is responsible for advancing innovation-led economic development strategies that drive job creation, wage growth, and long-term quality-of-life outcomes, ensuring alignment with BCIC’s Strategic Plan, Board priorities, and the statutory purpose of a Texas Type B corporation.

The Vice President oversees the Business Development & Entrepreneurship Officer and related staff, ensures cross-departmental alignment, represents BCIC at the Board and executive stakeholder level, and serves as a regional and national thought leader on how entrepreneurship and innovation can strengthen community prosperity and livability.

• The Vice President functions in a capacity comparable to a Senior Vice President or Assistant Executive Director, supporting organizational leadership, executive continuity, and strategic coordination as needed.
• This position serves in a senior executive capacity under the direction of the President & CEO. It does not carry independent authority over organizational governance, final budget approval, or board-delegated powers.

• ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
• Executive Leadership & Strategic Direction
• Serve as a senior executive leader and trusted advisor to the President & CEO on entrepreneurship, innovation, and small business economic development strategy.
• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous refinement of BCIC’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Strategy, ensuring alignment with the Strategic Plan, quality-of-life objectives, and Board priorities.
• Translate Board direction into departmental goals, annual work plans, performance metrics, and accountability frameworks.
• Support organizational leadership, executive continuity, and cross-functional coordination as the CEO’s designated second-in-command when appropriate.
• Entrepreneurship & Innovation Ecosystem Leadership

Provide executive oversight of BCIC’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, ensuring programs support business creation, retention, and expansion while contributing to broader quality-of-life indicators such as employment stability, workforce participation, and local wealth creation.

• Identify and recommend target sectors, innovation clusters, and emerging industries that align with Brownsville’s workforce, infrastructure, and long-term livability goals.
• Advance partnerships and initiatives that connect entrepreneurship to education, workforce development, downtown vitality, and neighborhood-based economic opportunity.
• Ensure innovation-led initiatives produce measurable outcomes that enhance residents ability to live, work, and succeed in Brownsville.
• RGV Startup & Regional Innovation Convenings
• Provide executive leadership and strategic oversight for BCIC’s flagship regional entrepreneurship convenings, including RGV Startup, positioning them as platforms for innovation, capital access, workforce exposure, and regional collaboration.
• Establish the vision, strategic objectives, and success metrics for RGV Startup in alignment with BCIC’s Strategic Plan and entrepreneurship priorities.
• Lead the executive-level sponsorship and partnership strategy for RGV Startup, including cultivation of corporate, institutional, philanthropic, and public-sector sponsors.
• Secure or oversee the securing of keynote speakers, headline partners, and high-impact collaborators that elevate the event’s regional and national profile.
• Ensure RGV Startup strengthens BCIC’s role as a regional convener and contributes to long-term economic and quality-of-life outcomes.
• Delegate operational planning, logistics, and day-to-day event execution to staff or partners, while retaining executive accountability for outcomes, alignment, and impact.
• Angel Investment & Capital Network Development
• Lead the strategic recruitment, engagement, and retention of angel investors to expand early-stage capital access for Brownsville-based companies in a manner that supports local job creation and long-term community benefit.
• Leverage RGV Startup as a strategic investor engagement platform, including angel investor recruitment, founder visibility, and deal flow development in coordination with Alamo Angels and other investment partners.
• Serve as BCIC’s executive liaison to the Alamo Angels network, aligning regional investment activity with Brownsville’s economic development and quality-of-life priorities.
• Promote angel investment as a tool for local wealth creation, founder retention, and innovation-driven job growth.
• Coordinate with the Business Development & Entrepreneurship Officer to ensure a strong pipeline of investment-ready companies whose growth contributes to community prosperity.
• Track and report investor participation, capital deployment trends, and resulting economic and quality-of-life impacts to the President & CEO and BCIC Board of Directors.
• Program Oversight, Performance & Impact Measurement

Establish performance metrics that capture both economic outcomes and quality-of-life impacts, including: o Jobs created or retained o Wage levels and career pathways o Business longevity and local ownership o Capital leveraged into the community

• Ensure entrepreneurship and innovation programs demonstrate clear alignment with BCIC’s mission to enhance community well-being and economic opportunity.
• Provide regular, data-driven reports to the Board illustrating how entrepreneurship investments translate into tangible quality-of-life improvements.
• Sponsorships, Partnerships & Regional Collaboration
• Lead the executive-level sponsorship and partnership strategy for RGV Startup and related innovation initiatives, including cultivating corporate, institutional, philanthropic, and public-sector sponsors.
• Represent BCIC in high-level negotiations and partnership discussions related to RGV Startup and other major convenings.
• Board, Policy & External Relations
• Advise the Board of Directors on how entrepreneurship and innovation investments support BCIC’s dual mandate of promoting economic development and enhancing quality of life.
• Represent BCIC in executive-level discussions, positioning Brownsville as a model for inclusive innovation that improves community livability.
• Support policy development and strategic discussions that connect innovation, workforce, and quality-of-life outcomes.

• Master’s degree or advanced certification preferred but not required.
• Demonstrated experience in designing and implementing entrepreneurship support programs, managing innovation initiatives, or leading small business development efforts.
• Proven track record in partnership development, stakeholder engagement, and executive-level collaboration.
• Experience in event management, convening, or conference leadership, particularly in an entrepreneurship or innovation context.
• Familiarity with angel investing, early-stage capital networks, or venture development is highly desirable.
• Strong strategic planning, data analysis, and performance measurement skills.
• Excellent communication, public speaking, and presentation abilities.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish is preferred.
• Must possess a valid Texas driver’s license and be insurable under the organization’s policy.
• Required Experience:
• Required Education:

• Strong strategic planning, data analysis, and performance measurement skills.
• Excellent communication, public speaking, and presentation abilities.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish is preferred.
• Must possess a valid Texas driver’s license and be insurable under the organization’s policy.
• Bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship, Business Development, Public Administration, Economic Development, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum of 5–7 years of progressively responsible experience in economic development, entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystem building, or a related field, with at least 3 years in a leadership or management role.

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