Senior Coordinator Consulting Outreach

Job Description

Salary: $29.85 - $54.71

Job Overview

Performs highly independent managerial and administrative duties associated with providing professional business consulting, providing professional small business/entrepreneur training, special projects, programs, or the operation of an activity. The Senior Coordinator Consulting Outreach, reporting to the Manager of Entrepreneur Services, also performs highly responsible professional duties related to providing customized small business and entrepreneurial consulting services across the County in the form of one-on-one confidential consulting and workshop facilitation. The principle duties of the position include coordinating and implementing projects and programs that support the growth of small businesses, coordination with industry partners and outside consultants, data analysis, program compliance, and development of customer base.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate for the business consultant position with Hillsborough County's Economic Development Department's Entrepreneur Services unit will possess a blend of experience, skills, and personal qualities that enable them to effectively support and guide small businesses to success.

With at least five years of consulting experience working with small businesses, the ideal candidate has a proven track record of helping businesses secure financing, optimize operations, and achieve profitable growth. They are a self-starting, independent professional with strong leadership abilities and a demonstrated commitment to high-quality customer service.

This candidate excels in project management and has a talent for organizing and facilitating workshops that drive business improvements. Their communication skills-both written and verbal-are clear, efficient, and adaptable to diverse audiences, while their organizational skills and ability to manage time effectively ensure they can meet deadlines and deliver high-quality results.

Above all, the ideal candidate upholds confidentiality and impartiality, making decisions that are in the best interest of the small businesses they support. Their ability to maintain professionalism in all interactions, coupled with their strong problem-solving abilities, positions them as an asset to the Hillsborough County team and the small business community they serve.

Core Competencies

• Customer Commitment - Proactively seeks to understand the needs of the customers and provides the highest standards of service.
• Dedication to Professionalism and Integrity - Demonstrates and promotes fair, honest, professional, and ethical behaviors that establish trust throughout the organization and with the public we serve.
• Organizational Excellence - Takes ownership for excellence through one's personal effectiveness and dedication to the continuous improvement of our operations.
• Success through Teamwork - Collaborates and builds partnerships through trust and the open exchange of diverse ideas and perspectives to achieve organizational goals.

Duties and Responsibilities

Note: The following duties are illustrative and not exhaustive. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. Depending on assigned area of responsibility, incumbents in the position may perform one or more of the activities described below.

• Manage the delivery of professional consulting services to small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the County and within assign territory. Meets set goals for hours spent with client businesses and entrepreneurs and achieves defined matric of desired outcomes.
• Analyze small business information provided by clients to determine areas of improvement and connections to appropriate resources. Assists in planning, coordinating and directing overall project activities and communicates issues to management.
• Develop independently customer information, analysis and research needed by customer small businesses and entrepreneurs and assisting them in obtaining the necessary information to start, grow, and expand their businesses. Ability to use appropriate databases and interpret same to client small businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Make recommendations on programs and policies based on analysis of customer needs and learning styles.
• Establish and maintain a collaborative working relationship with other agencies and organizations, and represent the department in meetings, presentations, conferences, and seminars with other agencies, private firms, and individuals.
• Prepare plans and reports relative to assigned area of work. Plans are often detailed and include incorporating researched materials as well as client information and needs. Several reports are expected annually and require ability to complete the report, deliver the findings, and monitor and manage time and outcomes.
• Provide information and assistance to county staff, business organizations, businesses, and citizens. Able to consistently interact with stakeholders to provide up-to-date and relevant information about program offerings.
• Attend and maintain certifications meeting annual requirement for professional development. Ability to maintain current and applicable skills and knowledge through training and certifications to remain relevant and pertinent in the delivery of consulting and training services to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Nature of Work

• Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Working Conditions

• Constantly in a standard, climate controlled office environment.
• Occasionally has exposure to moving machinery and/or vehicles.
• Frequently requires travel, excluding overnight stays.
• Occasionally requires travel, including overnight stays.

Physical Effort

• Constantly sitting at a desk or table.
• Occasional standing and/or walking.
• Occasionally drives and/or operates heavy equipment.
• Occasional intermittent sitting, standing, or stooping.
• Occasionally uses equipment requiring high dexterity.
• Occasionally requires good hearing.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in economic development, education, economics, business administration, planning, engineering, public administration, research, or a related field that provides knowledge necessary for small business development services; and
• Three (3) years of work experience in economic development, planning, small business development, engineering, real estate, or a related field; or
• An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience that would reasonably be expected to provide the job-specific competencies noted.

Job-Specific Competencies

• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and handle assignments directed from a variety of clients.
• Thorough knowledge of the functions, activities, requirements, and objectives of the specific programs/functions/areas to which assigned.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local regulations pertaining to assigned functional area.
• Experience interacting with businesses and creating contact reports.
• Ability to maintain records and prepare reports.
• Ability to anticipate and meet needs of clients with a commitment to improving services.
• Ability to communicate both orally and in writing.
• Skills in presenting professional training courses to adult classes.
• Skills to design training program to achieve objectives.
• Ability to collect, organize and evaluate data and to develop logical conclusions.
• Ability to accomplish projects with little supervision.
• Critical Thinking: High complexity entailed with work program. Work is broad in scope covering one or more technical business areas. A high degree of analytic ability and inductive thinking is required for the position. Problems are sometimes complex, varied and frequently involve research. Very frequently requires strong reasoning skills and individual effort. A high degree of analytical ability and inductive thinking is required to solve technically complex problems. Must be able to adapt to new approaches and innovative research techniques. Knowledge and understanding of policy implications and an understanding of the impact on the County. Consultation with others is sometimes required to solve technically complex problems.
• Decision Making: Requires that data assessments and research programs be well conceived and properly executed. Day-to-day self-initiative required to move work program forward with appropriate supervisory guidance. Able to use independent judgment to assess small business needs and to make recommendations that are often technical in nature and complex with far reaching implications. Able to make decisions within a short time frame, limited information and resources. Able to adopt various innovative approaches to bring most tasks/problems to resolutions.
• Communication: Requires developing and maintaining ongoing relationships with internal and external clients. This calls for strong interpersonal skills and involves regular communication of program and/or project status. Detailed explanation and interpretation of policies, rules and procedures also may sometimes be required. Will also require occasional contact with external stakeholders, which would require tact and discretion.
• Strategic Planning: Four to twelve months. Plan events that will occur during the year. Able to assist clients to formulate clear strategies and maps steps that show a connection between vision and action and that will clearly accelerate the small business towards its strategic goals.
• Managerial/Operational Skills: Responsible for coordinating multiple functions while attending to additional duties and responsibilities as required by the Manager. Manages conflict and change. Fosters teamwork among the team. Manages complex situations, readily distinguishing between what's relevant and what's unimportant.
• Leadership: Makes decisions and final recommendations that routinely affect the activities of others. Able to influence others by gaining other's support for ideas, proposals, projects, and solutions. Able to build relationships with others who can provide information, support, and other forms of help.
• Analytical Ability: The ability to visualize, articulate, conceptualize, or solve both complex and uncomplicated problems by making decisions that are sensible given the available information.
• Managing Complexity: Manages complex situations, readily distinguishing between what's relevant and what's unimportant. The ability to make difficult decisions in a timely manner. Manages multiple complex situations and projects simultaneously. Manages complex changes that impact multiple stakeholders and conflicting priorities and needs.
• Other: High level of time management and accountability to multiple stakeholders including County, client small businesses, and entrepreneurs' chambers of commerce and other non-profit organizations.

Emergency Management Responsibilities

In the event of an emergency or disaster, an employee may be required to respond promptly to duties and responsibilities as assigned by the employee's department, the County's Office of Emergency Management, or County Administration. Such assignments may be for before, during, or after the emergency/disaster.