Small Business Specialist At International Rescue Committee

Job Overview: Under the direction of the Small Business Program Manager, the Small Business Specialist will provide support to the Small Business Program Team in assisting refugee entrepreneurs and small business owners with opportunities for business training, technical assistance, and access to business capital. The position is tasked with fulfilling objectives of 2 primary grants: a Small Business Administration (SBA) Community Navigators Project, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) Microenterprise Development (MED) Program. This position will be responsible for initial intakes and screening of clients, referring clients to appropriate IRC Small Business staff and other community resources, data management and reporting for team activities, and coordination of workshops and events. This is a full time, regular team position.

Major Responsibilities:

• Provide initial client intakes which include assessing their service needs and making referrals out to small business staff and community resources.
• Coordinate with the IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) on the submission and approval status of loan applications as well as with borrowers with payment challenges.
• Coordinate events and workshops. This includes working with the team to identify workshop needs, recruiting facilitators, finding locations, marketing the workshops and events, and coordinating all details of the workshop/event.
• Collect, maintain, and enter data into the program’s information data systems. Pulling reports and identifying gaps in reporting.
• Support IRC SLC Small Business Team in developing in providing one-on-one training technical assistance in small business development, finances, and outreach to clients.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:

Education: Undergraduate degree, or equivalent professional experience, in Economics, Business, Small Business Development.

Work Experience:

• Professional experience working in: financial education, marketing, management, finance, entrepreneurship, business counseling, or small business development.
• 1 year experience with small business lending, or 1 year experience owning a small business.
• Demonstrated understanding of U.S. businesses and U.S. business development systems and laws, with experience in business counseling, banking, entrepreneurship, or related endeavors.
• Familiarity with or association with refugee communities in Salt Lake City highly desirable.
• Previous experience working with individuals from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and varying levels of literacy and numeracy.
• Experience working in a direct service role preferred.
• Experience and training in trauma-informed and person-centered services.

Demonstrated Skills & Competencies:

• Strong organizational skills, including multi-tasking, prioritizing, planning, and effective time management.
• Ability to work independently as well as on a close, collaborative team.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, with bi-lingual ability in a language commonly spoken by refugees in Salt Lake City, such as Arabic, Swahili, Kirundi, or Somali preferred.
• Ability to communicate with limited-English speakers and demonstrated multicultural experience.
• Ability to work with refugee participants, community leaders, community partners and volunteers from a variety of backgrounds.
• Competency in Microsoft Office required; experience in web-based data entry systems, preferred; additional technical skills an asset.
• Valid driver’s license, active insurance policy and access to reliable transportation.

Working Environment:

• Standard office work environment along with travel in and around the service delivery area.
• Flexibility to work some Saturdays and some weekday evenings as needed to support programming.

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 new hires to furnish proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to be considered for any in-office or hybrid positions. All IRC US offices require full vaccination to attend any in-office functions (e.g., meetings, trainings).

Commitment to Diversity and Inclusivity: IRC is committed to building a diverse organization and a climate of inclusivity. We strongly encourage applications from candidates who can demonstrate that they can contribute to this goal.

Equal Opportunity Employer: We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

US Benefits: We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $120 per month, dental starting at $7 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.