Business Advisor

Be an Agent of Change

Help Small Business Owners Build Dreams, 

Communities, and Economic Opportunity with CEDF

Can you envision yourself working with a dynamic, dedicated team to help small business owners pursue their dreams and help grow their communities as they earn greater economic success?

The Community Economic Development Fund continues to expand its ambitious mission of support through small business lending, advising and educating.

We’re a nonprofit 501(c )3 economic development organization, serving Connecticut for more than 30 years. CEDF is a U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) focusing its efforts for low- and moderate-income business owners and in underserved communities.

Our immediate plans include identifying talented individuals with values and experience aligned with our needs who can contribute to these objectives.

If you think your career journey places you on a path to thrive in this role, please let us know how you can assist our organization.

Business Advisor – Your Response

You’ll serve our borrowers as a dedicated coach and consultant to improve the results of the client’s businesses while tracking performance, and as liaison to the organization. You’ll monitor the financial condition of clients through review of financial statements and/or dialog about business conditions and sales trends and help devise plans to address problems.

We encourage applicants to learn more about us at our job link and answer the required questions. https://form.jotform.com/251986387969181. OR submit your resume through Linked in along with a response to those questions below:

1. Explain your experience managing, owning or consulting for a small business or business unit. What key lessons did you learn that would help you advise other business owners?
2. Describe your experience with financial statement analysis. How have you used this skill to identify and address risks or opportunities in a business?
3. This role requires building trust with a diverse client base. How do you establish rapport and credibility with people from different cultural educational, or professional backgrounds?
4. This position requires extensive in-state travel and the ability to manage your time independently. How would you structure your schedule to balance multiple client meetings, documentation tasks, and internal collaboration?
5. Do you have any level of fluency in Spanish? If so, please characterize it, and tell how you have used it in a professional setting.
6. Please share any additional information about yourself that would help us understand your qualifications as described in the job description.
7. Please indicate your salary requirements.

BUSINESS ADVISOR - JOB DESCRIPTION

A Business Advisor for CEDF serves our borrowers as a liaison to the organization, and as coach and consultant to improve the results of the client businesses while monitoring performance to reduce risk to CEDF.

DUTIES AND RESPONSBILITIES:

Business Coaching and Consulting

• Builds rapport with clients to maximize compliance with borrower obligations and openness to acceptance of business advice.
• Investigates, diagnoses or research business problems and opportunities to identify paths to improved results.
• Coaches clients on matters of leadership, accountability, action planning, idea generation, motivation, implementation, follow up, time management, vision, management of emotional components of business ownership, etc.
• Provides technical consulting on best practices in business management, marketing, accounting/financial controls.
• When urgent, expedient and in the best interest of CEDF due to limitations of client budget, education, abilities, etc., assists with implementation of technical advice in order to reduce borrower risk.
• Summarizes findings and details of meetings for organizational files.

Borrower Relationship Manager

• Monitors financial condition of clients through review of financial statements and/or dialog about business conditions, sales trends, problems, etc. Reports risks to CEDF management.
• Administers loan draws by clients: executes internal documentation to initiate payments, generates consensus approval with CEDF management, monitors draw deadlines and pay down requirements.
• Monitors and ensures periodic submission of documents by clients to maintain loan covenant compliance: tax returns, financial statements, evidence of insurance, etc.
• Collaborates with asset management dept. as needed to oversee timely payment of loans or fees and assists with collection of delinquent amounts; provides early intervention regarding client payment issues to reduce chronic problems. Implements special consulting assistance.
• Coordinates interaction with the lending department when opportunities for new lending emerge.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Spanish and English language fluency preferred
• Five or more years of ownership and/or P&L management of a small business or similarly sized business unit or business consulting.
• Extensive knowledge of related management processes, typical administrative procedures, bookkeeping and financial reporting, and sales and marketing approaches.
• Ability to effectively apply personal business experience to a wide variety of industries and situations.
• Ability to quickly and effectively identify problems and devise viable strategies to assist clients to improve business operations.
• Communication skills suited for building effective rapport with a wide variety of personalities and cultural and educational backgrounds.
• Superior time management skills: Schedule and efficiently coordinate monthly meetings with an assigned group of clients
• Proficiency is MS Outlook, Work and Excel with ability to learn new software programs
• Written communication skills
• Bachelor’s degree helpful

Working Condition and Physical Requirements

• Full time hours
• Suitable transportation and willingness to drive extensively to client locations in communities across the state. 75% or more in-state travel. (Mileage reimbursement provided from Meriden office.)
• Ability to lift at least 25 pounds.

Benefits

• Salary/bonus commensurate with experience.
• Outstanding benefit package including major medical, dental, disability, life and 401(k) with company match.
• Generous PTO/holiday package.
• Congenial small-organization, teamwork environment
• The satisfaction of helping improve the lives of our clients, their families and their communities.