Specialist, Economic Sustainability (Business Connector)
City of Fort Collins

Job Info

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POSITION TITLE: Specialist, Economic Sustainability (Business Connector) (Full-Time Regular) (Contractual)
REQUISITION #: req6996
DEPARTMENT: Economic Health Office
LOCATION: 222 LAPORTE
BENEFIT CATEGORY: Contractual View Classifications & Benefits
EMPLOYMENT TYPE: Full-Time Regular
ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: $49,430.00 - 82,382.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
ANTICIPATED HIRING ANNUAL SALARY RANGE: $55,000.00 - 65,000.00 (Salaries are paid biweekly)
SELECTION PROCESS: Application deadline is 3:00 p.m. MT on 4/5/2023.

The City of Fort Collins is a bias-conscious employer. We ask that you please avoid the use of photos when submitting a resume and/or an application for employment. You will receive an email acknowledgment when you have successfully submitted an application. Your completed application will be forwarded to the hiring manager. You will be notified if you are selected for further testing or interviews. Please keep your contact information up-to-date. The status of your application will be updated in your applicant profile. Post-offer background check required.

The Community: The City of Fort Collins sits nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains alongside the banks of the Cache La Poudre River. At 5,000 feet in elevation, residents enjoy a moderate, four-season climate, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year. With 174,800 residents, Fort Collins is Colorado's fourth-largest city and spans 57 square miles. With the 20 year growth projection, the City of Fort Collins is expected to reach 255,000 residents.

The first people who hunted in this region arrived approximately 11,000 years ago, and Northern Colorado remains an integral part of the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations. European-American trappers and traders arrived by the early 1800s but rarely established permanent settlements. Gold and silver discoveries in the Colorado mountains in the mid-1800s and the prospect of land for farming and ranching attracted people from eastern cities and across the globe to the Colorado Territory, including what would become the town of Fort Collins; an agricultural colony that emerged from its founding days as a military fort. The expansion included the sugar beet industry's growth, which brought new residents whose descendants still live here today, including Mexican-American families from southern Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, as well as Germans from Russia. Since 1879, Fort Collins has been the home of the state's land grant institution, Colorado State University, which currently enrolls 34,000 students. Along with the university, the city's major high-tech and manufacturing companies and breweries attract new residents from all over the country and world. The community's overall social diversity continues to grow.

There are abundant outdoor recreation opportunities available to the many residents who enjoy healthy lifestyles. The nearby Horsetooth Reservoir is a key attraction, as is the Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway. The Downtown district provides many venues for live music, shopping, dining, and nightlife within the city. Fort Collins is widely considered the Craft Beer Capital of Colorado. The City has a strong appreciation for arts, culture, and entertainment. Various national organizations and magazines recognize Fort Collins as one of the best places to live in the nation.

The City's long list of acknowledgements includes:

• No. 2 Best Tasting Drinking Water in North America: American Water Works - June 2021
• No. 5 Best Remote-Ready Cities: Livability.com Jan 2021
• Top 30 Creative Small Cities: CVSuite - May 2020
• No. 18 Safest Cities in America: SafeWise - April 2020
• No. 1 Best Place to Live: Livability.com March 2020
• No. 9 Most Fitness Friendly Places: SmartAsset - Dec 2019
• No. 7 Safest Driving Cities: Allstate - June 2019
• No. 4 Best U.S. Cities to Raise a Family: MarketWatch - April 2019
• No. 9 Best Performing Cities: Milken Institute - Jan 2019
• No. 3 U.S. Cities with Highest Economic Confidence: Yahoo - Nov 2018
• No. 2 Brain Concentration Index: Bloomberg - Nov 2018
• No. 1 City in America for Cycling: PeopleForBikes-May 2018
• Outstanding Achievement in Local Government Innovation Award: Alliance for Innovation-April 2018
• The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-Nov 2017
• 18th Best City for Career Opportunities: SmartAsset - Sep 2017
• 3rd Best College Town to Live in Forever: College Ranker - July 2017
• 25 Best Towns Ever: Where to Live Now: Outside Magazine - June 2017
• No. 1 Stable and Growing Housing Market: Realtor.com-June 2017
• 11th Happiest City in America: Yahoo! Finance - March 2017
• No. 9 Top 150 Cities for Millennials Report: Millennial Personal Finance - Feb 2017
• No. 2 Best Cities for Small Business Owners: ValuePenguin - Feb 2017

Why Work For the City of Fort Collins?

• Medical, dental, vision (for self, spouse, children) - eligible on the 1st of the month following date of hire
• Paid vacation, paid holidays, and sick
• Flexible spending: Medical expenses FSA, dependent FSA or both
• Employee Assistance Program: counseling, legal, financial assistance
• Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability
• Wellness program, workout facilities
• Employee/family onsite health clinic
• Personal & professional learning opportunities including supervisory and leadership development; plus career mobility
• Collaborative work environment

SUMMARY

Under the direction of Economic Health leadership and the Small Business Program Manager, the Business Connector will assist in supporting existing businesses and new entrepreneurs to identify resources and access areas of support. This position is part of the new Multicultural Business and Entrepreneur Center (MBEC) funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. The purpose of the program is to:

• Provide entrepreneurs easy access to business service partners, resources, mentorship, and specialty training.
• Connect entrepreneurs with critical resources to create, launch, and grow a business, furthering the commitment that all businesses are privy to the same information.
• Enhance and complement existing business support programs and agencies by providing multilingual workshops and trainings for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
• Foster new relationships and build trust across the business community, especially with BIPOC, non-English speaking, women, and underserved entrepreneurs.
• Expand capacity of business support resources with two to three additional engagement specialists to increase business satisfaction of the 6,000 Fort Collins businesses.
• Business Connector has an understanding of the process necessary to start a business, navigate licenses, permitting, the different business structures, and local services needed.

This position is housed in the Economic Health Office within the Sustainability Service Area.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES

The following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive:

• Provide enhanced services to businesses who are traditionally underserved and may not have a clear path to available resources.
• Meet with local businesses to identify needs and make referrals to resources and services that meet those needs.
• Identify gaps, lessons learned, and potential resources that could be provided that may not exist with a specific emphasis on minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses.
• Support the Economic Health Office with additional engagement and business support opportunities as needed.
• Conduct research to identify emerging needs, trends and services related to the City's Economic Health activities, as needed.
• Represent the department at internal and external meetings as needed, including Sustainability Assessments and EHO review of City plans and policies.
• Establish and maintain cooperation with appropriate public and private businesses and community organizations, departments, agencies, and individuals involved in economic and related development activities.

MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES

None

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

CITY COMPETENCIES

• Demonstrated cultural competence to effectively interact, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of diverse identities, perspectives, and cultural backgrounds.
• Strong learning orientation. Leverages all resources and is creative in ways of learning for self to continue adapting to changing issues and trends.
• A desire and ability to understand the diverse needs of internal and external customers, and to create experiences and deliver services that exceed their expectations.
• A desire and ability to utilize digital tools for organizational information, individual, and teamwork.

QUALIFICATIONS

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the necessary functions of this position.

• Thorough knowledge of the department's goals, objectives, and services.
• Have familiarity with the Fort Collins business community
• Ability to work with limited supervision and exercise independent judgment.
• Knowledge of and experience in working with underrepresented populations.
• Knowledge of standard office software including word processing.
• Experience in business engagement and working with diverse populations.
• Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing, especially one-on-one with businesses and group presentations.
• Ability to effectively communicate and coordinate meetings through virtual conferencing platforms.
• Effective interpersonal skills and experience managing relationships; especially business relationships both within and outside of the organization.
• Bilingual abilities are a plus.

EDUCATION and EXPERIENCE

Minimum of one year of economic development or business engagement and development experience.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals that conform to prescribed style and format. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups or managers, clients, customers, and the public. Bilingual abilities are a plus.

CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Valid driver's license. Certification in translation and translation preferred but not required; if applicant does not have this certification training will be provided to obtain this required certification.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully per- form the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle or feel, and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. The position requires the ability to drive and a valid driver's license.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. This position will work physically from both the Poudre River Public Library, Old Town location, the Economic Health Office, virtually, and will make frequent business visits. This position can include occasional weekend and evening hours.

The City of Fort Collins will make reasonable accommodations for access to City services, programs and activities and will make special communication arrangements for persons with disabilities. Please call (970) 221-6535 for assistance.

Notice Regarding Medical and/or Recreational Marijuana Use:
Because the possession and use of marijuana, whether for medical use or otherwise, constitutes a federal offense and because the City is a drug free workplace, the City will not accommodate the medical use of marijuana and enforces written policy prohibiting working for the City while marijuana is in the body. The fact that state law recognizes medical marijuana as a prescribed, or otherwise permitted, medication does not alter or otherwise change this policy.

The City of Fort Collins is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Applicants are considered for positions for which they have applied without regard to gender (regardless of gender identity or gender expression), race, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age 40 years or older, marital status, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy or other characteristics protected by law. For the purpose of this City policy "sexual orientation" means a person's actual or perceived orientation toward heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality.

BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIRED.

Note: Some information in your application may be public information under the Colorado Open Records Act.

SUMMARYUnder the direction of Economic Health leadership and the Small Business Program Manager, the Business Connector will assist in supporting existing businesses and new entrepreneurs to identify resources and access areas of support. This position is part of the new Multicultural Business and Entrepreneur Center (MBEC) funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. The purpose of the program is to: Provide entrepreneurs easy access to business service partners, resources, mentorship, and specialty training. Connect entrepreneurs with critical resources to create, launch, and grow a business, furthering the commitment that all businesses are privy to the same information. Enhance and complement existing business support programs and agencies by providing multilingual workshops and trainings for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Foster new relationships and build trust across the business community, especially with BIPOC, non-English speaking, women, and underserved entrepreneurs. Expand capacity of business support resources with two to three additional engagement specialists to increase business satisfaction of the 6,000 Fort Collins businesses. Business Connector has an understanding of the process necessary to start a business, navigate licenses, permitting, the different business structures, and local services needed.This position is housed in the Economic Health Office within the Sustainability Service Area.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIESThe following duties and responsibilities are illustrative of this position and are not intended to be all inclusive:Provide enhanced services to businesses who are traditionally underserved and may not have a clear path to available resources.Meet with local businesses to identify needs and make referrals to resources and services that meet those needs.Identify gaps, lessons learned, and potential resources that could be provided that may not exist with a specific emphasis on minority, women, and veteran-owned businesses.Support the Economic Health Office with additional engagement and business support opportunities as needed. Conduct research to identify emerging needs, trends and services related to the City's Economic Health activities, as needed.Represent the department at internal and external meetings as needed, including Sustainability Assessments and EHO review of City plans and policies.Establish and maintain cooperation with appropriate public and private businesses and community organizations, departments, agencies, and individuals involved in economic and related development activities.MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES None

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