Challenge Program Assistant

SCOPE OF WORK AND ROLE DESCRIPTION

CHALLENGE PROGRAM ASSISTANT

Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, Inc. (“MDIA”) works to strengthen the relationship between the institutions, including local government, and technology companies with innovative solutions that improve the quality of life for Miami-Dade county residents.  

MDIA de-risks capital investments as well as accelerates the discovery and commercialization of technologies through our Public Innovation Challenge, which connects private innovators to the public sector through strategic investments and a test-and-validate program designed to help companies successfully deliver market-ready solutions along with accompanying jobs in Miami-Dade County.

Founded as an outcome of a collaboration among Miami-Dade County and key technology leaders and established with seed commitments from the public, private, and philanthropic sectors, MDIA’s mission is to scale solutions for people most affected by critical public challenges, improve economic and social outcomes, and make the County a world class capital for high growth technology companies.  

Title: Challenge Program Assistant

Start Date: Immediately

Target Compensation: $70,000

Hours: 40 hours a week

Location: Hybrid

Level: Salaried

THE ROLE

The Challenge Program Assistant will play a vital role in supporting the Public Challenge Manager by handling applicant inquiries, scheduling critical meetings, and creating SOPs to streamline operations. They will also assist with project management and file organization, contributing to the success of MDIA’s programs.

The ideal candidate is organized, proactive, and detail-oriented, with a passion for ensuring smooth workflows and timely communication. Familiarity with nonprofit or startup environments is a plus.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Respond to applicant support emails during an open challenge, using pre-approved canned replies to ensure consistent and professional communication.

• Schedule due diligence calls between the MDIA team, selection panel members, and applicant companies, coordinating calendars and confirming attendance.

• Support the creation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to help operationalize the Program Manager’s workflows and improve efficiency.

• Assist with day-to-day project management, ensuring tasks are tracked and progress is maintained across all program activities.

• Organize and maintain digital files to ensure all program-related documents are up-to-date and easily accessible.

• Build and maintain HubSpot workflows to automate outreach to partners and potential applicants to strengthen the Public Challenge pipeline.

EXPECTATIONS

• Our work, mission and purpose resonates with you.  You believe in our core values: inclusion, diversity, connectivity, access to opportunity, and racial equity.
• Exercises discernment, considering all situational context and factors to make good decisions
• Embodies steadiness/groundedness in the middle of uncertainty, competing priorities, and gray areas
• Embodies a growth mindset, thirsty for learning new things and trying to improve themselves and the organization constantly. Wants to learn about all aspects of the organization, with opportunities to dive deeper into subject areas of interest
• Has developed a high emotional intelligence, embodying compassionate empathy with other team members, using creativity and ingenuity to put it into action
• Embodies a proactive attitude, anticipating what needs to be done without waiting around to be told what to do
• Has a service oriented heart, seeking to be of service to the purpose and mission of MDIA
• Demonstrates reliability/trustworthiness through providing consistent quality of work delivered when promised
• Asks “Why?” not “Who?” when trying to solve problems, and enjoys the process of problem solving
• Asserts themselves when needed to get things done and done with excellence, overcoming organizational bottlenecks. At the same time, maintains personal boundaries and avoids “Yes man” behavior to avoid burnout.
• Maintains a high level of efficiency and self-direction - devotes appropriate amount of time to each situation (sometimes shorter, sometimes longer)
• Understands the big picture of each project and the company, but also able to drill deep into each project to establish what needs to be done and when
• Passionate about working with others (being collaborative) and helping our team members grow and learn. At the same time, knows when to stand alone, take the lead, and drive things to a close when it’s needed.
• Seeks to understand and to be understood, listening wholeheartedly to others and communicating needs, expectations, and perspectives clearly
• Maintains excellent attention to detail and is adept at juggling multiple priorities

YOU’D BE A GOOD FIT IF YOU:

• Resonate with our work, mission and purpose.  You believe in our core values: inclusion, diversity, connectivity, access to opportunity, and racial equity.
• Strive for a high-impact, low-ego working style, have a passion for working with others (being collaborative) and a deep commitment to mission and team.
• Are goal-oriented, driven, determined, highly energetic, hard-working, an out-of-the-box thinker and unfailingly dependable.
• Have a passion for working with startups and patience for working with large enterprises
• You have developed an aptitude for learning new technologies, able to navigate new tech quickly and efficiently
• Have a willingness to learn new skills and adapt to the needs of the organization.
• Are a good listener. You know when it is pertinent to speak and when it is better to be quiet. Highly developed self-awareness.
• Deliver well ahead of deadlines.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong organizational and research skills with a demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities efficiently.
• Preferred 2+ years of experience in administrative roles, including scheduling, task coordination, and digital file management.
• Technologically savvy, with the ability to adapt quickly to new tools and processes as needed. Proficiency with tools such as Google Suite, Slack, Canva, Asana, ChatGPT, GoodGrants, and HubSpot is a plus.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to create professional materials and correspondence.
• High attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in all aspects of work.
• Ability to work independently in a self-paced, remote environment while maintaining responsiveness to team needs.

MDIA reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This scope of work and role description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment. MDIA’s hiring and employment policy is to provide equal opportunity to all persons without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, marital status, veteran status, physical or mental disability, or other  protected classes prohibited by applicable law. Further, we take special and intentional consideration to ensure that applicants are evaluated equally without regard to any of these characteristics. We do not tolerate discrimination of any type or form.