Ascension LLC is seeking a Senior CDFI Planning Consultant / Project Manager to lead a 12-month regional planning initiative focused on expanding access to capital for rural entrepreneurs in Western Maryland. This role will support Allegany College of Maryland’s Appalachian Business Builders: Expanding Capital Access for Rural Entrepreneurs in Western Maryland initiative, an ARC-funded planning project designed to develop the framework for a sustainable, community-rooted Community Development Financial Institution serving Allegany, Garrett, and Washington Counties.

The ideal candidate is a senior-level consultant with demonstrated experience in CDFI planning, rural economic development, community development finance, small business lending ecosystems, stakeholder engagement, strategic planning, and business plan development. This person must be comfortable leading a complex planning effort that involves multiple counties, public-sector partners, lenders, chambers, economic development organizations, entrepreneurs, and community stakeholders.

This role is critical because the consultant will serve as the primary technical and project lead responsible for turning stakeholder input, financing gap analysis, governance planning, and capitalization strategy into a practical CDFI business plan and future ARC implementation-phase proposal support materials. The RFP specifically requires leadership across project planning, ecosystem mapping, stakeholder engagement, governance and sustainability planning, business plan development, and reporting/documentation.

Summary of the Contractor Role

The Senior CDFI Planning Consultant / Project Manager will provide hands-on leadership for the full planning lifecycle, from project kickoff and workplan development through final business plan and implementation proposal support. The consultant will work closely with Allegany College of Maryland, project partners, and regional stakeholders to assess rural capital access needs, identify financing and service gaps, recommend a sustainable governance model, and develop the roadmap for a future regional CDFI.

The ideal candidate should be a strategic, organized, and self-directed planner who can operate with limited supervision while managing ambiguity, competing stakeholder priorities, and evolving project inputs. This role requires the ability to translate complex economic development and community finance concepts into clear, actionable recommendations. The consultant should be highly skilled in facilitation, research, writing, project controls, relationship management, and executive-level reporting.

The contractor will be expected to solve practical planning questions, including how the proposed CDFI should be governed, capitalized, staffed, partnered, sustained, and positioned for future implementation funding. The role will require strong use of project management tools, structured meeting documentation, stakeholder tracking, research frameworks, needs assessment methods, and professional report-writing processes.

Anticipated Day-to-Day Activities

The contractor’s activities will vary by project phase, but may include the following:

• Lead the 12-month regional planning process and maintain accountability for project execution, milestones, and deliverables.
• Develop a detailed project workplan, timeline, task tracker, meeting cadence, and deliverable schedule aligned to the RFP’s four-quarter timeline.
• Coordinate regularly with Allegany College of Maryland staff, project partners, advisory workgroups, and regional stakeholders.
• Conduct research on the entrepreneurial finance ecosystem in Allegany, Garrett, and Washington Counties.
• Analyze financing barriers, capital access gaps, lending needs, rural entrepreneurship conditions, service gaps, and partnership opportunities.
• Review relevant public, regional, economic development, and lending data sources to support the written needs assessment and financing gap analysis.
• Organize county listening sessions, stakeholder interviews, lender discussions, entrepreneur conversations, and regional roundtables.
• Facilitate stakeholder meetings in a professional, inclusive, and structured manner that produces usable findings and clear next steps.
• Document meeting notes, stakeholder themes, recommendations, decisions, risks, action items, and follow-up requirements.
• Develop a governance framework for the proposed regional CDFI, including board structure, advisory participation, operational roles, and partnership responsibilities.
• Prepare a sustainability and capitalization roadmap identifying potential revenue streams, investment opportunities, leverage strategies, and future funding pathways.
• Draft the regional CDFI business plan, incorporating findings from engagement, data analysis, ecosystem mapping, and partner consultations.
• Support preparation of future ARC implementation-phase proposal materials, including measurable outcomes, partner commitments, and leverage strategy.
• Prepare regular progress reports and final project summary materials for Allegany College of Maryland.
• Maintain documentation needed for grant compliance, project reporting, and institutional recordkeeping.
• Anticipate project risks, stakeholder concerns, scheduling challenges, and information gaps before they affect delivery.
• Present clear findings and recommendations to client leadership, partners, and regional stakeholders.