The mission of the Asian Pacific Islander Small Business Program (API SBP) is to assist the development of small- and micro-businesses in Los Angeles, especially those of low-income immigrants, with a particular focus on Chinatown and parts of the San Gabriel Valley, Koreatown, Little Tokyo, Historic Filipinotown and Thai Town business communities. API SBP, established in 1999, is a collaboration of Chinatown Service Center, Koreatown Youth & Community Center, Little Tokyo Service Center CDC (LTSC), Search to Involve Pilipino Americans and Thai Community Development Center.

The purpose of the Little Tokyo Business Assistance Program is to assist Little Tokyo businesses that are impacted from the construction of the Metro Regional Connector Transit Corridor Project (“Regional Connector”). The proposed transit station at 1st Street and Central Avenue in Little Tokyo represents an important opportunity for neighborhood businesses to reach new markets and more customers – however, local businesses will need assistance to withstand construction impacts so that they may reap the benefits of the new station.

Summary of Duties:

• Under the supervision of the API SBP Director, responsible for assisting API SBP and LTSC’s Small Business Program with the daily operation of the Little Tokyo Business Assistance Program and related technical assistance efforts that may be funded in part or whole by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan transportation Authority (Metro).

• Assist with conducting a needs assessment and financial assessment of local businesses.

• Prepare reports and share findings and recommendations with Metro and Little Tokyo stakeholders.

• Organizing workshops and seminars conducted in English, Japanese and Korean to address issues derived from the needs assessment.

• Oversee program data collection and preparation of monthly and annual reports; analyze program performance.

• Prepare and distribute general public relations and marketing materials.

• Help organize and participate in special events for small businesses.

Qualifications and Experience:

Demonstrated small business and project management experience; undergraduate degree and minimum 3 years work experience in community economic development, small business assistance programs and/or equivalent private/public/non-profit sector management experience; dedication to micro and small business development/community economic development; strong writing and interpersonal skills; strong Information Technology and computer skills including MS Office, QuickBooks, data management, Excel, Photoshop, Web Development/HTML. Fluency in Japanese and/or Korean languages is preferred but not essential; experience with and/or understanding of cultural nuances of Japanese/Japanese American or Korean/Korean American business practices is preferred.

How to apply: