The posting
Location: South Bend - Elkhart, IN region,None,None
Who We Are enFocus, a non-profit organization, brings an entrepreneurial focus to communities in the South Bend - Elkhart, Indiana region by recruiting top talent, providing mentorship and cohort-based programming, and executing innovation projects for community partners, called sponsors, in the Civic (education, government, healthcare, nonprofit, etc.) and Industry (manufacturing, technology, private business, etc.) sectors.
Before You Apply Please note that enFocus is currently recruiting exclusively for our Summer Cohort. If positions open between now and May, we expect to fill them from our existing applicant pool, so we ask that you apply to this posting only if your ideal start date is summer 2027. If you are hoping to start earlier, we encourage you to watch for future position postings.
Submitting multiple Fellowship applications will not improve your chances of selection and may negatively impact your candidacy. If our recruiting team determines that another Fellowship opportunity is a better match for your background, we may consider you for that opportunity without requiring an additional application. If you're unsure which Fellowship is the best fit, please contact [email protected] before applying.
What You’ll Do Throughout this salaried, two-year Fellowship, enFocus will provide you with meaningful work responsibilities, continuous professional development, and access to a network of mentors to assist you as you progress in your career.
As a Fellow, you'll work with enFocus Project Managers to discover, design, and implement innovative solutions for project sponsors. Due to variation in project size and scope, you'll execute between one and three consulting-like innovation projects at any given time. Simultaneously, you'll also conduct applied research and/or pursue entrepreneurial endeavors by supporting team members of existing enFocus incubations or by spearheading your own founder project to launch a startup, technology, or social impact initiative in the region. In the second year, you may have the possibility to take on further management and leadership responsibilities.
Each project will require different work activities, though all Fellows will be expected to:
- Develop and execute a project management plan for all projects
- Share opportunities and coordinate with various stakeholders, community leaders, and business executives
- Conduct discover activities, such as customer/stakeholder interviews, strategic research, and data collection and analysis
- Conduct design activities, such as program design, business model and/or marketing campaign development, process mapping, technology/software requirements definition, grant-writing, and strategic planning
- Conduct implement activities, such as technology/software implementation, employee training, project/stakeholder management, marketing strategy execution, and data collection/evaluation
- Contribute to at least one self-directed or existing enFocus Research, Development, & Entrepreneurship project
- Communicate regular project updates to enFocus staff and sponsors via meetings, email, and well-organized presentations
- Positively represent enFocus through all project engagements and any other enFocus events
Though some Fellows may work across our Civic and Industry portfolios, most Fellows are assigned to either Civic Innovation or Industry Innovation projects.
On Civic Innovation projects, you might:
- Partner with government officials to design a city-wide sustainable food system
- Develop and deploy a community needs assessment for a non-profit hospital
- Build strategic and financial plans for a grant-funded, community ride-sharing initiative
- Create and implement a Google Ads campaign and a marketing strategy for a local workforce development agency
On Industry Innovation projects, you might:
- Use business problem-solving methodologies to examine processes, data, and financial flows to identify efficiency gains and optimize value streams for a manufacturer
- Design and pilot research studies regarding products, markets, and supply chain dynamics for an existing business or emerging startup
- Analyze and visualize data for a private business using tools such as PowerBI and Tableau, as well as programming languages such as Python, R, and SQL
Regardless of their primary project portfolio, all Fellows will contribute to Research, Development, & Entrepreneurship initiatives. On these types of projects, you might:
- Advance your own novel social or business venture
- Collaborate with company representatives on federal research grant proposals (SBIR/STTR)
- Develop social programs to address disparities in the community
- Work with a promising startup to achieve an important business milestone
Requirements & Expectations
- Bachelor’s degree (all majors are considered)
- Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA
- Ability to work full-time in the South Bend - Elkhart region for the duration of the Fellowship
- Must be able to use personal or public transportation for frequent travel to the enFocus and/or sponsor offices across the South Bend - Elkhart Region and Southwest Michigan
What we look for in a candidate:
- Passion for building better communities through innovation and entrepreneurship in a fast-paced environment
- Comfortability in taking initiative and ownership over project activities, priorities, and recommendations amidst ambiguous situations
- Excellent presentation and written and verbal communication skills
- Clear demonstration of leadership experience and/or project management capabilities in work or academic settings
- Ability to provide strategic insights through problem-solving and research
- Adaptability to learn new skills and industries quickly
- Familiarity and/or interest in one or more of the following: business/data analytics, community development, manufacturing, market or production strategy, product development, social impact, supply chain, and/or technology/software implementation
Job Type Full-Time, Two-Year Fellowship Program (~40-45 hours per week)
Location enFocus Fellows are expected to move to the South Bend - Elkhart, Indiana Region to work in-person at enFocus offices in South Bend, IN, Elkhart, IN, and Niles, MI, and on-site at community sponsors; however, Fellows will also have the flexibility to work remotely on occasion. Since projects may require travel in the region, a car or reliable transportation is required for the position.
Benefits
- Year 1 Starting Salary Range: $53,000 - $55,000 with Performance-Based Increases
- $1,500 Technology Stipend per Fellowship
- Two Weeks Paid Time Off, 14 Paid Holidays + 4 Paid Floating Holidays, & 5 Paid Sick Days Annually
- Health, Vision, & Dental Insurance with Health Savings Account Option
- Retirement Contributions After 1 Year
- Workmans Compensation Coverage
- Research, Development, & Entrepreneurship Time (approx. 30% of your work hours)
- Dedicated Mentor Aligned with Career Interests
- Continuous Professional Development
Application Deadlines & Interview Timelines enFocus accepts applications for our Summer Fellowship Cohort on a rolling basis. Applications are reviewed in scheduled waves throughout the year and selected candidates are invited to interview as part of each review cycle.
Our interview process typically takes 6–8 weeks. Beginning in November, qualified candidates may receive offers on a rolling basis as hiring decisions are made. We encourage applicants to apply early, as positions may be filled by the spring.
All Fellows selected through this process will begin the program together as part of the Summer Fellowship Cohort.
Contact Information Applicants should receive an automated email immediately after submitting this application. If you do not find this email in your inbox, please check your junk and spam folders to ensure that you will be notified of any application status updates. Any questions can be directed to [email protected].
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