East Colorado SBDC Financial Specialist.

Department Information

The Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) fosters a positive business climate and encourages quality economic development through the support of local and regional economic development activities across the state.

A comprehensive slate of programs within OEDIT’s divisions work together to offer economic development services for all Colorado businesses – new and expanding, traditional and emerging, small and large. The service offerings include retention programs to ensure continued competitiveness of Colorado’s economic base and job training to keep Colorado’s workforce the best in the nation.

As a U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Resource Partner, the Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) empowers entrepreneurs and business owners to successfully navigate their full business lifecycle—from launch through growth to exit—by delivering business advising and other technical assistance (e.g., training) as well as connecting them to community resources.

The Colorado SBDC consists of a network of 14 Service Centers across the state hosted by institutes of higher education, city and county governments, economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, and incubators.

The East Colorado SBDC Is One Of The 14 Service Centers And Supports 20 Counties In The Eastern Half Of The State Divided Into Northeast And Southeast Regions

• Northeast Region: Adams (partial), Arapahoe (partial), Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma.
• Southeast Region: Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, and Prowers

This position will work under the East Colorado SBDC, but will also provide support with similar tasks to the Colorado SBDC Lead Center financial team as a portion of their regular duties.

Description Of Job

Position Overview

This fully remote position offers full-time employment as an exempt, at-will State of Colorado Employee. This position is funded by a federal grant and is contingent upon the renewal of annual grant funding.

The Financial Specialist (FS) will manage grant compliance, expense and budget monitoring, incoming/outgoing invoices, and will also support the East Colorado SBDC Regional Director (RD) with budget and data analysis for strategic planning and community and stakeholder engagement.

Daily tasks include accounting and budgeting, procurement management, compliance monitoring, report creation, funder relationship management, financial analysis, and general fiscal oversight while ensuring compliance with the Colorado SBDC Network’s mission, vision, and funder requirements.

The FS will work collaboratively with East Colorado center staff, Lead Center staff, OEDIT accounting and procurement, and the larger Colorado SBDC Network to support the SBDC’s mission and programs. They will manage relevant financial and compliance training of SBDC service center staff and contracted vendors to advance the success of the Colorado SBDC Network.

Key Duties And Responsibilities

Grant Management Support

• Oversee the financial aspects of grant management, including budget development (in collaboration with RD), expenditure monitoring, deposits, and compliance with grant requirements to support the East Colorado SBDC’s ~$800K annual budget. Funding sources can include Federal (e.g. SBA), State, County/City Government, and Private Sector.
• Coordinate with Center staff to ensure accurate financial reporting and timely submission of grant-related documents.
• Prepare financial reports for grant funders and assist with grant audits as necessary.
• Prepare and review quarterly reimbursement reports with Lead Center/OEDIT accounting and submit them to RD for signatures.
• Initiate journal entries and labor redistributions as needed.
• Forecast and reconcile complex program and project budgets including preparing annual cost studies and financial projections.

Financial Reporting And Analysis

• Generate financial reports and provide analysis to support decision-making processes.
• Assist in the preparation of budgets and forecasts.
• Collaborate with the Lead Center/OEDIT accounting team to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting.
• Assist with accreditation tasks, SBA audits, and financial reviews.

Donor Relations

• Send invoices to stakeholders for annual and event-specific support funds and track the donations from invoice to deposit.
• Track fundraising efforts, amounts raised, and invoices sent to stakeholders.
• Identify potential sponsors, partners, and grant opportunities.
• Assist in preparing grant proposals and track fundraising results under the guidance of the RD.
• Develop and maintain relationships with current and prospective funders, providing support as needed.

Contractor Invoice Management

• Support the refinement and oversight of standardized invoicing systems for accurate reporting and timely payment processing.
• Develop/generate activity reports for contractor invoices and send for approval.
• Review and process contractor invoices, ensuring accuracy and adherence to contract terms.
• Maintain organized records of contractor invoices and related documentation.
• Collaborate with Lead Center/OEDIT accounting to resolve any discrepancies or issues related to contractor billing.
• Assist with onboarding new contractors with paperwork and training alongside other staff.

Procurements & OEDIT Processes

• Work alongside Lead Center/OEDIT procurement to arrange and manage purchase orders for goods and services.
• Ensure compliance with organizational procurement policies and procedures.
• Work closely with vendors and internal stakeholders to resolve purchase order-related issues.
• Assist RD with statements of work (SOW) and purchase order (PO) development.
• Manage the submission and adherence to official function forms (OFF) for applicable travel, events, or programs.
• Assist staff with expense reports and commercial card submissions.
• Manage submission and tracking of internal action requests (IAR), including venue and vendor agreements.

Data Management & Reporting

• Assist in reviewing advising and event data in Salesforce on a monthly basis to ensure compliance with grants, SOWs, POs, and guidelines.
• Develop data reports for key metrics such as economic impact data, client satisfaction rates, and small businesses served to support grant reporting, fundraising, and strategic planning efforts.
• Ensure strict confidentiality of client data, including ensuring all data reports shared externally provides adequate anonymity and data cannot realistically be traced to an individual client.
• Manage impact verification processes to ensure accurate impact reporting.
• Support client success story collection by identifying high-performing businesses based on impact surveys and session notes

Disclaimer: This posting provides a high-level job definition. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive or exclusive list of job duties. As such, job duties and/or responsibilities within the context of this job posting may change at the discretion of the employee’s direct supervisor.

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions Of Employment & Appeal Rights

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities preferred.

• Knowledge and demonstrated skills in accounting, finance, budgeting, forecasting, budget reconciliations, preferably of federal grant funds
• Ability to rapidly learn technology platforms used by the State of Colorado and SBDC (Salesforce, CORE, VSS, GrantSolutions)
• Experience collaborating with numerous internal and external stakeholders to meet performance metrics and deadlines, with previous grant management experience preferred
• Ability to effectively work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; prioritize and support multiple projects and/or work tasks/initiatives; and apply effective problem-solving skills
• Ability to effectively communicate with all stakeholders (e.g., staff members, clients, donors, vendors) and provide a high-level of customer service as well as apply conflict resolution
• Must be detail oriented and possess exceptional organizational skills, with demonstrated time management and analytical abilities
• Strong oral and written communication skills that include demonstrated ability to write and edit reports
• Ability to meet and keep deadlines
• Excellent time management skills to ensure production of high-quality work within budget and time constraints
• Familiarity with government procurement and contracting processes preferred
• Must be honest, trustworthy, and demonstrate a high degree of integrity and ethical behavior
• Must be a self-motivated team player who is a creative and strategic thinker, with previous change management experience preferred
• Ability to accurately and efficiently complete required documentation, status update reports, and grant reports (with cyclical and adhoc deadlines).
• Outstanding customer service skills, including maintaining a positive attitude, actively listening to needs, and calmly responding to requests
• Ability to work at a home office and/or an identified office space in the service area, with the flexibility to travel across the region and state as needed.
• Must be a full-time resident of Colorado. Residence within the service area preferred.

Competencies

• Communication: Is understood by and understands others; effectively persuades and influences others; clearly articulates key points when writing and speaking; active listener
• Teamwork: Builds and supports effective teams; encourages a spirit of participation and belonging; enhances group cohesiveness by emphasizing team objectives and reinforcing cooperation
• Problem Solving and Adaptability: Identifies and defines a problem; gathers and analyzes information; determines potential solutions and decides on course of action(s); accountable for and learns from decisions; responds to new information and/or situation and adapts to updated priorities and/or requirements.
• Relationship Management: Builds collaborative relationships and effectively manages relationships within OEDIT, with the SBDC network (includes SBDC Service Center Directors and staff statewide), and with external community partners

Education / Experience

• 3+ years of experience in financial accounting, budgeting, reporting, compliance and monitoring, and/or forecasting as well as grant compliance
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field preferred (e.g., business, accounting, finance). Related occupational experience or a combination of education and relevant experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
• Demonstrated acumen and excitement to work at the convergence of public sectors at the local, state, and federal levels supporting private sector businesses
• Experience with training, operations, project management, change management, process improvement, and/or establishing internal controls is preferred
• Experience with government procurement and/or contract management is preferred

Supplemental Information

Salary Range

$63,000 - $70,000 Annually

This position is considered non-classified, which means the position is not part of the Colorado State Personnel System. Therefore, the individual appointed to this position is considered at-will, and is not covered by the State Personnel Rules or the State Classification System.

However, this position does come with the same benefits (retirement, insurance, etc.) as every other State employee, and with the same opportunities, pride and passion that comes with working for the great State of Colorado. Even though employment is at-will, non-classified positions have protections against discrimination and retaliation in state and federal employment laws.

“At-will” employment means that either the employee or the State may terminate the employment relationship at any time for any reason or no reason, with or without notice or cause, as long as no federal or state law is violated.

A wide salary range is posted for this position and any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work.

While all offers are compliant with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, there is no guarantee an offer will be at the top of the posted range based on the salary analysis.

Benefits

The State of Colorado/Office of the Governor offers generous benefits to full-time employees including:

• Annual leave accrued at 13.33 hours per month
• Sick leave accrued at 6.66 hours a month
• 11 paid holidays per year
• Medical plans - choice of Cigna or Kaiser; several plan options (including High Deductible Health Plan with HSA); most plans offered with significant state contribution towards premium
• Dental and vision plans
• Flexible spending accounts
• State-paid life insurance policy of $50,000
• Choice of 2 retirement plans (defined contribution or defined benefit) with generous state contribution
• Optional 401(k) and 457 plans for additional retirement savings
• State-paid short-term disability coverage
• Additional optional life and disability plans
• Access to the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program
• Membership opportunity with the Credit Union of Colorado
• RTD (transit) EcoPass
• Training and professional development

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits, please visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them.

Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

To learn more about the “State of Colorado For All”, visit our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion website .

ADAAA Accommodations

The Office of the Governor is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals.

As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship.

If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Staffing Coordinator, the Director of Human Resources: jennifer.salvatore@state.co.us

Application

Your application must provide sufficient detail about your background and experience to allow the screening panel to properly assess your experience in the required elements, including your experience and achievements.

Due to the large volume of resumes we receive, we do not acknowledge receipt of each application and are unable to give status updates. If a strong match is found between your qualifications and the requirements of the position, a member of the recruiting staff will contact you to further discuss the career opportunity.