About The Organization

The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is a social enterprise driving economic prosperity in rural America through entrepreneurship and tech job creation. Focused on the 500 U.S. micropolitan communities with populations between 10,000 and 50,000, our Rural Innovation Network spans 40 regions across 25 states. At CORI, we believe rural America can lead in the innovation economy. Our 35-person team works alongside local leaders to build thriving, tech-enabled ecosystems, combining community strategy, research, and talent development with the CORI Innovation Fund, our venture arm investing in scalable rural startups. Together, our programs and capital create a powerful model for unlocking innovation and inclusive growth across rural America.

The Opportunity

The Program Division is dedicated to serving and expanding the Rural Innovation Network, ensuring rural America thrives in the tech and AI era. Our work enables learners, leaders, and founders to access equitable pathways to skills and quality jobs, and build venture-ready startups.

Our north star is a more inclusive and resilient tech economy—one where rural people benefit from the economy of the future. The Program Division will play a vital role in advancing CORI's strategic goals: Growing the Rural Innovation Network while deepening engagement and peer connections; Accelerating the startup pipeline by expanding innovation spaces, founder support, and access to capital; and Leading AI skilling in rural America. We will achieve these goals by accelerating our delivery model through better use of technology, AI, and data to deliver greater value and impact for the communities we serve.

Requirements

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer, the Director of Entrepreneurship leads CORI's entrepreneurship portfolio, accelerating startup creation, founder development, and ecosystem capacity across the Rural Innovation Network.

The Director oversees a team of senior program managers focused on startup support and ecosystem development, strengthening local entrepreneurship infrastructure through innovation hubs, partnerships, and community capacity-building, while directly supporting founders to launch, grow, and scale startups. By equipping founders with the skills, networks, and capital they need to thrive, and by working closely with the CORI Innovation Fund (CIF) to connect promising startups to investment opportunities, the Director ensures rural entrepreneurs have the resources and pathways to succeed.

Success is reflected in stronger founder capabilities, durable local capacity, and scalable models that can be replicated nationwide.

Essential Job Responsibilities

Startup Engagement and Program Delivery (70%)

Lead the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of CORI's entrepreneurship and startup-support programs
Equip local leaders to design and sustain startup-support programs such as accelerators, bootcamps, ideation workshops, and hackathons
Manage the design and delivery of national founder-support programs and events, including the Small Towns, Big Ideas pitch event
Build partnerships with investors, mentors, higher education institutions, and community organizations to strengthen rural startup ecosystems
Support communities to launch local investment vehicles and angel networks, and connect founders to aligned investors/funds and CORI Innovation Fund as possible
Integrate AI tools and practices into entrepreneurship programs to enhance founder learning, mentoring, and business development outcomes
Support the development and performance of Innovation Hubs that combine physical space with programming for startup growth
Apply an equity lens to expand access for women, BIPOC, Latinx, and underrepresented rural entrepreneurs
Track and share program outcomes—such as startups supported, innovation hubs launched, and investments secured—working with the Community Learning & Engagement and Growth teams to communicate impact
Facilitate workshops and peer learning that align partners, share insights, and strengthen program quality

Team Leadership and Portfolio Development (30%)

Provide strategic direction and leadership for the Entrepreneurship team, fostering collaboration, accountability, and professional growth
Oversee a portfolio of entrepreneurship ecosystem-building and founder support initiatives, ensuring clear goals, efficient delivery, and measurable impact
Shape entrepreneurship strategy, impact frameworks, and annual priorities in partnership with the Chief Program Officer
Collaborate with the CPO, Growth, and Project Management teams on proposals, budgets, and communications that advance visibility and funding
Partner with the CORI Innovation Fund (CIF) to align programming with investment criteria and accelerate qualified deal flow from Network communities
Build and maintain relationships with funders, ecosystem partners, and industry collaborators to expand CORI's reach and influence in rural entrepreneurship
Represent CORI and the Network at conferences, panels, and national events, highlighting success stories and innovations through thought leadership, case studies, and digital media in collaboration with the Growth team

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following professional and personal qualities, skills and characteristics:

Skills & Experience

Proven experience in entrepreneurship program design and ecosystem development
Strong background in founder support, startup acceleration, and investment readiness
Expertise in partnership management and program facilitation across diverse stakeholders
AI fluency and ability to apply digital tools in program and founder-development contexts
Strategic project management skills and an entrepreneurial mindset
Excellent communication, relationship-building, and collaboration abilities
Comfort using data to inform decisions and measure impact

Personal Qualities

Mission-driven and passionate about rural entrepreneurship and inclusive innovation
Collaborative and empathetic leader who builds trust and momentum across communities
Strategic yet hands-on, balancing vision with operational excellence
Creative problem solver with a learning orientation and continuous-improvement mindset
Confident communicator and visible ambassador for CORI and the Rural Innovation Network

Location

This role is fully remote, but will require travel 20-30% of the time to rural communities across the United States and/or 3-4 times a year for in-person staff / team meetings.

Benefits

Competitive salary - $120,000 - $130,000 - DOE
Annual professional development allowance
Employer paid dental, vision, life and short-term disability insurance
5% employer matched 401k after 90 days
Home office set-up allowance
Employee Assistance Program
Fifteen days accrued PTO, plus eight floating holidays

Center on Rural Innovation

Open Positions

Director Entrepreneurship