Small Business Counselor

Job Description

The Small Business Counselor will support the continued development of the IRC in Phoenix’s Small Business Development Program with a strong focus on supporting the Small Business Administration Community Navigator Program. The SBA’s Community Navigator Program, is a federally funded program, which focuses on providing targeted outreach for small businesses in underserved communities. The Community Navigator Program leverages partnerships with local and ethnic community-based organizations (ECBOs) to connect to specific sectors of the entrepreneurial community. They provide assistance during economic recovery, including: financial assistance and access to capital, contracting and procurement, marketing, operations, business development, and exporting industry-specific training.

Major Responsibilities:

•Assist in the outreach and recruitment of program participants; screen and assess interested small business owners for program eligibility and participation.

•Connect with ECBOs and assist with coordination of technical assistance and trainings, data collection, and other administrative tasks as needed.

•Assist with identifying potential partners and resources available to program participants.

•Assist with coordination of ECBOs partner meetings, agenda development, and creation of meeting materials.

•Ensure that information required for program eligibility and reporting purposes is collected and accurate records are maintained, including case files and client data entry across multiple data bases.

•Ensure necessary steps are taken to obtain relevant data in a timely fashion; follow-up with all clients and partners regularly and record all contacts with case notes.

•Provide one-on-one business counseling and management assistance to new and existing refugee and Low or Moderate (LMI) Income owned-businesses in all areas of business start-up and expansion.

•Assist entrepreneurs to become ready for business financing through preparation of loan applications, business plans, and financial statements.

•Underwrite and package loan applications, and present for review to the IRC’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI).

•Proactively facilitate referrals to outside service providers as necessary to meet the diverse needs of the program participants.

•Assist participants accessing COVID 19 related funding, such as grants and loans.

•Assist in the planning and coordination of training activities and special events.

•Develop outreach materials and assist with communication to partners.

•Attend regularly scheduled meetings with other IRC staff and volunteers as part of the review, evaluation, and program maintenance process.

•Other duties as assigned

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Economic Empowerment Supervisor

Position directly supervises: Interns and volunteers within program

Indirect Reporting: Economic Empowerment Manager

Other Internal and/or external contacts:

Internal: IRC staff, interns, and volunteers

External: Community partners, employers

Job Requirements:

•Undergraduate degree in Business Administration, Finances, Public Administration, or related field. Business experience in lieu of formal business education is acceptable;

•2+ years of experience in small business development counseling and training. Experience operating a small business in lieu of small business development counseling and training may be acceptable;

•Prior experience working with immigrant and refugee entrepreneurs is strongly desired; experience in the non-profit sector strongly preferred;

•Excellent organizational, record keeping, and analytical skills;

•Strong written and verbal communication skills;

•Proven ability to conduct affective instructional sessions to colleagues and entrepreneurs;

•Proficiency in an immigrant language preferred;

•Ability to work independently, be a self-starter and maintain responsibility for multiple tasks.

•Excellent computer skills, including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and the ability to learn the custom computer programs used for the program.

•Experience with CRMs such as Salesforce and ETO preferred

•Familiar with assessing business training needs and analyzing business-related materials, including financial reports, business and marketing plans as well as conduct market research

Working Environment: Standard, professional office work environment combined with some travel throughout service delivery area.

Benefits: We offer our employees phenomenal benefits such as paid parental leave, generous time off, and excellent medical, dental, and vision options.

COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement: In accordance with IRC’s duty to provide and maintain a workplace that is free of known hazards and our commitment to safeguard the health of our employees, clients, and communities, IRC requires candidates who are selected for interview to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for this position.

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