What are the responsibilities and job description for the Small Business Financials Specialist position at Mountain BizWorks?
BackgroundThe Small Business Financials Specialist will work alongside entrepreneurs to help them develop the financial acumen needed for long-term business success. This position will empower clients to understand their business finances, establish sound practices, and build financial management capabilities. The specialist will guide potential borrowers through the loan process, helping them build financial models and cash flow projections that both demonstrate viability to lenders and enable entrepreneurs to make informed business decisions.
PurposeThe overarching goal of the Small Business Financials Specialist is to help Mountain BizWorks’ prospective and existing borrowers attain fundamental small business financial management capabilities and systems through providing high-quality, accessible technical assistance and tools. These services should aim to increase clients’ loan readiness and support their overall business success.
Key Responsibilities
Prospective & Existing Borrower Financial Support
- Work collaboratively alongside lenders when requested to improve prospective borrowers’ financial- and loan-readiness
- Assess clients’ current financial health (performance, systems, and practices) and provide recommendations and resources for improvement
- Assist clients with generating comprehensive financial models and projections (typically required for loan applications) with an emphasis on cultivating clients’ understanding of their own financials including key concepts such as unit economics, break-even point, managing cash flow variability (e.g., seasonality), industry/peer benchmarks, and debt-service coverage ratio.
- Help clients gather, organize, and clean up financial records in a manner that supports their loan applications and can be sustained post-loan. Often, this will include assisting a client with engaging a bookkeeper or similar.
- Assist clients with defining and setting up appropriate chart-of-accounts and financial controls.
- Support clients through selecting and implementing suitable financial software systems (e.g., QuickBooks, POS) and establishing best practices.
- Support clients in developing financial reporting practices that enable them to provide required financial reports in a timely fashion.
- Educate clients on financial statement preparation, interpretation, and informing business decision-making
- Where prospective or existing borrowers have financial risk factors, be a resource to help define an improvement plan in conjunction with the client including clear monitoring requirements
- Aid clients in defining realistic financial goals, milestones, and KPIs, and the accountability practices to support monitoring and achievement
- Conduct business valuations to support business sales and succession planning (professional development support available if needed)
- Foster clients’ self-sufficiency and confidence in managing their own finances independently.
Additional Financial Education Support
- Provide input on development of financial training for Mountain BizWorks Learning Programs including the Financial Series, Foundations, Alpine, ScaleUp, Catalyst, and online training modules.
- Conduct individual and group coaching sessions focused on business financial management.
- Help provide or arrange continuing financial education for MBW staff, coaches, and facilitators.
- Develop educational resources for clients at various stages of business development, which may include but are not limited to financial spreadsheet templates, financial ratio analysis guides, bookkeeping system setup instructions, etc
Qualifications and Experience
- Commitment to
- Must live in , or be willing to relocate here
- Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business, or related field preferred
- Minimum 3-5 years of demonstrated experience with small business financial management
- Possess a wide range of financial proficiency, capable of assisting both startups and established businesses.
- Experience setting up and maintaining business accounting systems
- Strong understanding of business financial statements and financial analysis
- Experience supporting businesses in securing debt financing
- Excellent ability to explain complex financial concepts in accessible terms
- Be adept at multitasking and managing various client needs simultaneously
- Self-driven and organized, with keen attention to detail
- Empathy and the ability to engender trust among clients and colleagues
- Advanced proficiency with spreadsheets and suitable proficiency with technology more broadly, including but not limited to: Google Suite, Microsoft Office, email, customer relationship management (CRM) system, or similar database tools
- Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written
- Ability to work independently with a minimum level of direction; skill in effective planning, prioritization, and organization of workload
- Spanish language fluency is a significant plus
Other (Supervisory Responsibilities, Schedule, Travel)
- This position has no supervisory responsibilities.
- Normal business hours are Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm with opportunities for flexibility; however, this position may require some weekend and/or evening work to accommodate the services offered by Mountain BizWorks.
Reports to: Business Coaching Manager
Position type: Full-time, Salary, Exempt
Location
Mountain BizWorks serves the mountains region of North Carolina with offices in Asheville and Boone. We have a hybrid work environment which enables remote work opportunities throughout the WNC region. This position has flexibility to be based out of our fixed offices or to use a hybrid approach.
Compensation & Benefits
Anticipated starting salary of $70,000, with the opportunity for a higher base salary depending on skills and experience.
- Medical insurance plans- 80% of employee medical paidby employer - family coverage paid by employee
- Dental, vision & supplemental insurance options- 100% employee paid
- Retirement plan
- 10 paid holidays
- Paid Time Off (PTO): - Earn 18 days/year the 1st year of employment- Earn 24 days/year after 1st year of employment
- Professional Development Fund
- Sabbatical Leave Program
- Self-Care Fund
- Flexible schedule opportunities, as permitted by the role and workload
About Mountain BizWorks
Mountain BizWorks () is passionate about serving Western North Carolina as a non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI) providing tailored small business lending and peer learning services. Our mission is to build a vibrant and inclusive entrepreneurial community in Western North Carolina by helping small businesses to start, grow, and thrive. When small businesses succeed, we all prosper.
Mountain BizWorks is seeking to create a diverse work culture that closely matches the diversity of our client base and the communities we support. Our seven core values are modeled by our team and incorporated throughout business operations: equity, inclusivity, collaboration, stewardship, sustainability, entrepreneur-centric, and local.
How to Apply
Mountain BizWorks is committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, cultures, and experiences to apply. If you are passionate about our mission and believe in our values, but don't meet every qualification outlined below, we still encourage you to apply. We value diverse life experiences and the unique perspectives they bring to our team. We understand that proficiency comes in different forms and we are committed to helping our staff grow, both personally and professionally.
Qualified/interested candidates should email their resume and cover letter to careers@mountainbizworks.org with the subject line “Small Business Financials Specialist”. Initial applications are requested by April 30. 2025. Thereafter, the position will remain open until filled.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From $70,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Vision insurance
Schedule:
- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Asheville, NC 28801
Salary : $70,000