Posting number: EDA_SBDC_RegDir_7/24/26
Department: Office of Economic Development and International Trade
Job classification: NON-CLASSIFIED
Posting type: Open
Categories: Economic Development, Grants Administration
SummaryThe 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
Position Overview
This fully remote position offers full-time employment as an exempt, at-will State of Colorado Employee. This position is funded by grants and is contingent upon the renewal of annual grant funding.
The Regional Director (RD) will lead the full operations of the East Colorado SBDC 20-county region. They will manage strategic planning, oversee all grants and fundraising activities, and manage strategic partnerships and stakeholder engagement. They will lead a highly specialized team of staff and contracted advisors and facilitators to deliver business advising, training, and resource connection services to small business clients while ensuring compliance with the Colorado SBDC Network’s mission, vision, and funder requirements. This is done through a combination of direct task management, clear delegation and collaboration with Center staff, and managing contracted advisors and facilitators.
The RD will work with the East Colorado SBDC staff and the Colorado SBDC Lead Center to manage accounting, procurements, compliance monitoring, grant reporting, financial reviews (audits), budgeting and forecasting, fiscal management, and training of SBDC service center staff to advance the success of the Colorado SBDC Network.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Strategic Management & Leadership:
Oversee the selection, training, development, and ongoing executive management of all Center Staff and Contracted Advisors and Facilitators, ensuring excellent coverage of specialized advising needs and high quality programs and services. Manage recruitment and retention of talent based on need, demand, and speciality.
Develop and continually refine organization’s strategic plan in alignment with Federal, State, and other funding regulations, as well as the Colorado SBDC Network’s strategic plan, mission, and values. This includes engaging in network-wide strategic planning and leading regular strategic team meetings for the service center. Must be able to translate high-level vision into daily operational success.
Oversee the establishment and management of all Full Time and Satellite Offices in alignment with local needs, including securing fiscal and in-kind support.
Determine current needs of the local small business communities by communicating with advisors, staff, community small business leaders, and regional stakeholders and partners, ensuring programs are tailored to meet those needs.
Stakeholder & Partner Relations:
Establish and maintain relationships with the SBA, State offices, higher education institutions, counties, municipalities, economic development organizations, small business lenders, and other key stakeholders.
Develop and maintain deep, authentic trust within the 20-county territory. Actively explore strategic partnership and funding opportunities to further support small businesses throughout the service area.
Present to stakeholders, partners, and prospective and current funding entities on SBDC programs and economic impact to strengthen brand recognition and key partnerships.
Grant Management & Fundraising:
Oversee the management of all grants, including applications, budget development, compliance, and reporting with the support of the Financial Specialist.
Secure adequate funding for SBA Core Grant match requirements, securing diverse funding streams to ensure local match is met and federal funds can be fully drawn down.
Manage fundraising through public and private avenues to secure funding to ensure maintenance of robust programs serving small businesses across the full 20-county service area.
Colorado SBDC Network Support & Collaboration:
Assist the Colorado SBDC State Director in the development of statewide private and public sector initiatives to increase and improve services to the small business community.
Actively engage with the larger State Network through meetings and committee involvement to support Network-wide initiatives and improvements.
Explore opportunities for multi-center collaborations to better support programs and initiatives.
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.
QualificationsQualifications, 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.
Experience in small business ownership and/or providing technical assistance to small business owners, with previous SBDC experience preferred.
Experience managing complex projects from concept to delivery and meeting fixed deadlines, with previous project management experience preferred.
Experience organizing and facilitating training sessions, workshops, or events.
Experience managing 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, 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.
Demonstrated ability to lead a hybrid/remote team of staff and contractors with excellent team engagement and morale while meeting tight deadlines.
Ability to accurately and efficiently complete required documentation, status update reports, and grant reports (some with fixed deadlines).
Familiarity with government procurement and contracting processes preferred.
Familiarity with an online learning management system (LMS) is a plus.
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 leadership and change management experience preferred.
Ability to represent the Colorado SBDC and OEDIT in presentations and at events.
Outstanding interpersonal communication skills, including maintaining a positive attitude, actively listening to needs, and calmly responding to requests
Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, able to prioritize multiple initiatives
Must be a creative and strategic thinker with effective oral and written communication
Ability to do detailed work
Ability to work at identified office space, with the flexibility to travel across the region and state as needed
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
5+ years of experience in small business ownership, supporting small businesses, and/or working within an SBDC.
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., business). Related occupational experience or a combination of education and relevant experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
Experience with strategic leadership, training, operations, project management, change management, process improvement, grant management, and/or establishing internal controls.
Proven experience in business advising, preferably in a small business or entrepreneurial environment.
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 government procurement and/or contract management is preferred
Salary Range: $100,000 - $115,000 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.