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199863 - Senior Business Advisor/Financial Specialist

Job Details

Clark University

Senior Business Advisor/Financial Specialist

Job Code # 199863

Small Business Development Center

Full-time, 40 hours, 12 months

Clark University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) seeks to fill the position of Senior Business Advisor/Financial Specialist. Reporting to the Regional Director, the successful candidate will work with and support approximately 170 unique (as defined by the SBA) small business clients and entrepreneurial ventures each year amounting to approximately 900 hours of contact time (i.e., face-to-face and preparation); provide management advice on best practices, business development, business planning, access to capital, marketing, operations and other aspects of running a small business (see senior business advisor position description); serve as a financial expert within the SBDC.

The ideal candidate must possess additional credentials or specialized experience that can enhance the skills of the resident staff and offer additional client capabilities (e.g. advanced sales/marketing, business acquisitions, turnarounds, etc.)

Duties and Responsibilities: Included in a range of responsibilities, the Senior Business Advisor/Financial Specialist will:

  • Handle the complex situations that arise in dealing with SBDC clients; handle more complex client situations that may involve advanced business plans for equity/special situations, in-depth financial analysis, restructuring, operational and organizational issues, acquisitions, valuations, alternative sources of capital, troubled businesses, etc.
  • Offer in-depth financial analysis, assist in restructuring, alternative sources of financing and troubled financial situations.
  • Goal to generate approx. $5 million in capital infusion and work as a strong team player.
  • Demonstrate proficiency, advise clients and offer “best management practices” for a broad range of small business topics.
  • Provide specialized expertise for business acquisitions and turnarounds (see attached detail).
  • Cultivate strong working relationships with regional bankers, community leaders, local government officials, and other organizations that may be in a position to support funding, either refer clients or offer assistance/resources.
  • Continually upgrade financial skills.

Additional Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Speak and present (to local businesses, chambers, organizations, etc.) on a variety of small business topics.
  • Maintain a strong network of accountants, bankers, attorneys and other professionals to provide timely client referrals for specialized support, when appropriate.
  • Have a working knowledge of local, state and SBA/federal loan programs, and be in a position to recommend appropriate programs to clients.
  • Provide regularly scheduled counseling hours and support for the MSBDC program at the assigned Chambers of Commerce.
  • Maintain and keep orderly records of client files, expense records and other information required by MSBDC and Clark University.
  • Maintain professional development credits required for this position.
  • Attend and participate in SBDC staff meetings, professional development conferences, presentations, events and programs as time permits.
  • Participate in Clark University events and programs when invited, time permitting.

Qualifications

  • BA/BS required; MBA or equivalent preferred.  
  • Advanced professional development certifications/credits for small business topics is desirable to keep current with best practices. 
  • Training/consulting experience is desirable.
  • 12+ years of management and practical business experience in a client/consulting environment. 
  • 8+ years of Small business and entrepreneurial experience.
  • 8+ years of assisting small businesses in raising capital through loans and/or equity.
  • Must have knowledge, experience and interpersonal skills needed to provide in-depth management assistance and training to a broad spectrum of small business clients and entrepreneurs. 
  • In-depth knowledge of “best management” practices for small business in general, and working knowledge and proficiency for topics needed to advise and support small manufacturing, distribution and service based businesses in Central Massachusetts.
  • Strong counseling and training skills. 
  • Ability to relate to a wide range of diversified clients and teach while advising clients on business related issues.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in financial analysis, business planning and capital formation subjects.
  • Must be able to read and interpret financial statements and help clients prepare loan/financing packages, cash flow projections and pro-forma financial statements.
  • Working knowledge of best practices in major functional areas (i.e. product development, business planning, sales/marketing, financing, operations, organizational development, etc.). 
  • CPA, CMA or Business Valuation certification is beneficial but not required.
  • Ability to teach complex financial subjects to client base.
  • Must be knowledgeable and able to advise professional staff and clients on many practical small business subjects including start-ups, incorporation, insurance, intellectual rights, small business software/systems, sales, marketing, e-marketing, franchising, access to capital, financial restructuring, sales/marketing, small business acquisitions, business planning, strategic development, operations, and numerous other small business areas.

This is a full-time, 40 hours per week, 12 month position with excellent benefits, which include employee and family tuition benefits, 4 weeks’ vacation, generous retirement plan, free use of campus fitness center and many more. 

Review of applications will begin December 17, 2018. Salary will be commensurate with skills and experience.  Please email résumé and cover letter to resumes@clarku.edu. Applicants must reference Job code 199863 in the subject line to be considered for this position.

Clark University embraces equal opportunity and affirmative action as core values: we believe that cultivating an environment that embraces and promotes diversity is fundamental to the success of our students, our employees and our community. This commitment applies to every aspect of education, services, and employment policies and practices at Clark. Our commitment to diversity informs our efforts in recruitment, hiring and retention. All positions at Clark share in the responsibility for building a community that values diversity and the uniqueness of others by exhibiting integrity and respect in interacting with all members of the Clark community to create an atmosphere of fairness and belonging. We strongly encourage members from historically underrepresented communities, inclusive of all women, to apply.

Organization

Working at Clark University
 

A relentless force for positive change

Founded in 1887, Clark University is a liberal arts-based research university committed to scholarship and inquiry that addresses social and human imperatives on a global basis. It is the place where Robert Goddard invented the modern rocket, where Sigmund Freud delivered his only lectures in the United States, and where current students stake their claim to the Clark motto, “Challenge Convention. Change Our World,” which is the rallying cry that inspires our community every day.

Located in the heart of New England — Worcester, Massachusetts — Clark University educates its approximately 2,200 undergraduate and 1,100 graduate students to be imaginative and contributing citizens of the world, and to advance the frontiers of knowledge and understanding through rigorous scholarship and creative effort.

A university on the cutting edge of higher education

Clark is a world-class research university that is small by design, giving students the rare opportunity to contribute to pioneering research projects and to benefit from hands-on experience, close collaboration with peers, and the individual mentorship of faculty.

LEEP (Liberal Education and Effective Practice) is Clark’s pioneering model of higher education,  compelling students to thrive in authentic world and workplace settings, and preparing them for lives and careers of consequence. Clark is the only university to make the development of “capacities of effective practice” an explicit learning requirement for its undergraduates. Critical to success in today’s world, these capacities include imagination, self-directedness, resilience, and the ability to manage diversity and uncertainty. A Clark education reflects a belief in the enduring value of liberal education, as well as the University’s efforts to more deeply attune students’ learning experiences to the profound changes underway in our economy, our society, and our democracy.

The Clark graduate experience reflects the importance of “engaged scholarship” — an innovative educational approach that connects students to the people and organizations intimately familiar with (and working to address) the issues they are passionate about, and that places a premium on effecting measurable outcomes.

Committed to research that advance knowledge and impacts society

The Clark University faculty is composed of world-renowned researchers who foster a culture of excellence in the next generation. At Clark, faculty and students are given the freedom and flexibility to pursue projects that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries.

The University’s focused areas of research excellence are backed by strong Ph.D. and master’s degree programs that engage graduate students from around the world in such areas as biology, chemistry, economics, geography, psychology, urban education, management, environmental science and policy, Holocaust and genocide studies, and international development and social change. Clark faculty, students, and staff continually develop new ways of thinking and acting that have a positive impact on the lives — and livelihoods — of people throughout the world.

Clark's research profile is enhanced by the presence of a variety of research institutes and centers that build on a foundation of interdisciplinary scholarship: the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise, the George Perkins Marsh Institute, the Higgins School of Humanities, the Jacob Hiatt Center for Urban Education and the Strassler Family Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Redefining our place in the world by immersing our community in it

Clark has redefined what it means to be a university in today’s interconnected world, forging robust partnerships with universities, educators, researchers, and business and community leaders at home and abroad, enabling its faculty and students to conduct in-depth research, work collaboratively to take on global concerns, and make a tangible difference. This diverse community of educators, researchers, and scholars challenge and inspire each other with their perspectives, insights, and determination. They are creative thinkers eager to defy conventional wisdom, devise inventive solutions to complex problems, and roll up their sleeves to get things done.

Clark itself plays a critical role in the health and well-being of its urban community, known as Main South, through the University Park Partnership — a national model for neighborhood revitalization. Working in tandem with the city of Worcester, Clark has been a change agent in the areas of housing and physical rehabilitation, education, economic development and social and recreational opportunities for residents. The University Park Campus School, which Clark operates in collaboration with the Worcester Public Schools, boasts an estimable record of high achievement and was recognized by President Barack Obama for its record of academic success.

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