Central Virginia SBDC Business Advisor

Description

Opportunity:
Central Virginia Small Business Development Center (CV SBDC) is seeking a part-time Business Advisor. The CV SBDC Business Advisor will be responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations with an emphasis on business advising to entrepreneurs in the designated Counties.
The position will provide assistance, coaching, and strategic direction for new business startups and growing businesses in Central Virginia. The Business Advisor will deliver professional training classes; represent the Central Virginia SBDC at regional professional events and associations; and work with other directors and management within CV SBDC and CIC to support services and offerings to small business owners. The position reports to the Central Virginia SBDC Director and will conduct outreach in rural and underserved communities while supporting existing and incoming small businesses owners.

The Central Virginia Small Business Development Center (CV SBDC) is an energetic and dedicated team of business professionals that work together to support small business success. We and our host organization, Community Investment Collaborative (CIC), collaborate with state, federal and local partners to bring confidential, one-on-one assistance and resources to entrepreneurs, free of charge. Our CIC / CV SBDC family is seeking a Part Time (20 hours per week) Business Advisor to join our team. This role will primarily serve in the counties of Louisa, Orange and Fluvanna, but may also include limited assistance in Charlottesville / Albemarle.

About Central Virginia Small Business Development Center (CV SBDC):
Started in Charlottesville VA in 2002, CV SBDC is a leading SBDC in Virginia and recognized for best practices nationally. In 2020 CV SBDC joined the Community Investment Collaborative, and has expanded to serve 10 Counties plus the City of Charlottesville. CV SBDC is an accredited member of America’s SBDCs and manages two Virginia SBDC regional centers in Charlottesville and Culpeper. CV SBDC is supported by the Small Business Administration, George Mason University, Virginia SBDC, and regional sponsors and donors in the communities in which it serves. Our team is dedicated to serving entrepreneurs throughout the life cycle of business, from seed stage to exit.

Our Values
– Integrity: Demonstrate honesty, confidentiality, accountability and conduct above reproach.
– Trust: Provide quality service, innovative approaches, practical advice and objective guidance.
– Respect: Recognize the views and opinions of all clients, stakeholders, partners and colleagues, and be responsive to their needs regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin.
– Continuous Improvement: Expand our effectiveness through professional accreditations, increasing impacts, implementing effective and innovative programs, and developing staff’s skills and expertise.

Our Mission
To advance Virginia’s diverse economy by providing small businesses with the expertise and resources to succeed.

Our Vision
To be the premier business support provider and a leading partner in economic development in Virginia.

What we do:
We offer 1:1 assistance, connection to curated research, access to technical experts and professionals, and timely events and training. We work to level the playing field for small businesses, generating foundations for success to grow strong communities and businesses.

How we do it:
It works because it’s local. Our team is connected to the communities we serve and supported by local municipal and private organizations. Housed with Community Investment Collaborative and connected to other regional business resource providers, we work collaboratively to find the right resources to give entrepreneurs what they need to survive and thrive.

Our host and partner, Community Investment Collaborative (CIC):
CIC’s mission is to strengthen our community and contribute to economic development by fueling the success of under-resourced entrepreneurs through education, mentoring, financing, and networking.

Position is part-time with a rate up to $35/hr based on experience. The Business Advisor will need to commit to 20 hours per week in the role

Job Duties

Operations support:
– Ensure that organizational goals and objectives are accomplished in a timely and thorough manner.
– Support grant applications that are relevant to entrepreneurship and business development to support the CV SBDC’s continued operations and growth.
– Document client advising and training activities via Center IC (CV SBDC’s CRM) in a timely, accurate, and comprehensive manner. Collect and transmit consolidated client data. Maintain adequate client files as per Virginia SBDC Network Lead Office and SBA guidelines.
– Counsel prospective and existing small business owners/managers and coordinate delivery of services throughout the service region.
– Analyze situations, make recommendations, and educate clients with regard to business plans, market feasibility, financial viability, operations management, disaster response and recovery, and legal structures, to name but a few topics.
– Maintain an appropriate level and mix of clients as noted by annual deliverables and strategic plan objectives.
– Develop and deliver high-quality, business training programs that are responsive to the needs of the business community served in collaboration with community members and technical experts.
– Assist the Events Coordinator to determine topics, agendas, instructors, instructional materials, location, time, and other resources required.
– Serve as an instructor of business training programs as needed.
– Provide support for the SBDC/SBA required annual site visits, quarterly meetings, monthly conference calls, and reports as required throughout the service area.
– Collaborate with CIC Director of Lending and Operations to assist applicants for CIC micro-loans as needed.

Outreach:
– Collaborate with the Events and Communications Coordinator to support coordinated media and publicity initiatives.
– Support the maintenance of the Central Virginia SBDC’s information on websites.
– Maintain relationships and resources in government/public and private business sectors to assist SBDC clients.

Skills Required

– Bachelor’s degree in business administration, marketing, and/or management, or, an equivalent combination of education and experience.
– Background in small business consulting, mentoring, and/or counseling; minimum of 5 years is preferred.
– Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
– Proven leadership and an understanding of issues impacting small business owners.
– Ability to establish rapport and provide business advice to starting or developing companies.
– Comfortable working collaboratively while advancing multiple projects simultaneously.
– Strong desire to learn and ability to research to identify resources and solutions.
– Organizational skills in electronic systems and personally to ensure follow-up and milestone achievement on multiple projects.
– Financial literacy and comfort with accounting (cash flow, balance sheet, P&L and projections) or willingness to learn.
– Possesses exceptional business acumen, analytical and problem-solving abilities.
– Reliable self-transportation to rural regional locations to meet with entrepreneurs (mileage is reimbursed).
– Flexibility in working hours to fulfill travel and event requirements.

Leadership Skills
– Ability to respectfully listen and ask appropriate questions to quickly establish rapport with a wide range of people.
– Demonstrated experience using technology, preferably in driving business growth.
– An entrepreneurial mindset; able and interested to pursue new business opportunities.
– Customer-service oriented (listening to professionally and efficiently responding to customers).
– Excellent management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
– A team player who favors collaborative approaches when working with internal and external partners.

Communication Skills
– Able to work collaboratively with diverse leaders, communicate a strategy across all levels of the organization, and build consensus around key initiatives and projects.
– Ability to understand the customer experience and communicate from a customer perspective, across diverse groups of customers.
– Possesses exceptional organizational, interpersonal and communication skills, both oral and written; able to articulate ideas to both technical and non-technical audiences.
– Comfortable with ambiguity; can handle the unexpected with flexibility.

Preferred Qualifications
– Degree in Finance, Business, or Marketing
– Experience in owning, growing, and managing a small business
– Experience with Microsoft and GSuite products
– Residence in Louisa, Orange or Fluvanna County

Work Schedule

Work hours will vary based upon candidate availability and client needs.

Additional Info

HOW TO APPLY
Email resume, cover letter and three references to people@cicville.org.

We don’t expect all applicants to have every listed qualification. If you would like to explore in a conversation if you might be a good fit, please contact Mesa McMurtrey at mmcmurtrey@cvsbdc.org or 434-214-4556. We are happy to discuss the minimum qualifications to succeed in the role before you take the time to submit your application.

Priority will be given to applications received by May 9th.

For more information, please visit: https://cvsbdc.org/jobs/