Small Business Counselor

Small Business Counselor

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Job Overview:

Under the direction of the Senior Small Business Coordinator and Economic Empowerment Program Manager, the Small Business Counselor will provide refugees and new Americans with opportunities for business training, one-on-one technical assistance, and support in accessing capital. The position focuses on helping entrepreneurs strengthen and grow their businesses, build personal credit, and develop financial skills to achieve long-term financial stability and success. They are responsible for direct client services, managing client pipelines, community engagement, and supporting program reporting.

Major Responsibilities:

• Provide one-on-one business counseling and technical assistance in small business development, finances, marketing, and outreach to refugee and other new American entrepreneurs, making outside referrals when needed.
• Support entrepreneurs in building personal credit and improving overall financial wellbeing as part of their business development.
• Manage a client pipeline by tracking prospective entrepreneurs, ensuring timely intake, consistent follow-up, and ongoing post-launch support to help businesses sustain and grow.
• Deliver services in a culturally responsive manner, adapting approaches to the cultural, linguistic, and educational needs of each client.
• Engage with community partners to share information about IRC UT's small business services, learn about other available resources, and make high-quality referrals. Attend at least 12 community partner meetings each month and actively participate in community events to expand program visibility.
• Assist the Senior Small Business Coordinator with pulling program data, preparing reports, and providing accurate numbers for grant and donor reporting.
• Develop loan applications, including business plans, cash flow projections, and other required documentation; underwrite loans to ensure alignment with IRC's loan policies prior to submission.
• Provide credit-building and small business loans to eligible participants.
• Assist entrepreneurs with developing branding, online presence, and marketing strategies to help grow their businesses.
• Develop and coordinate group training workshops as needed, including arranging guest speakers/trainers and identifying/purchasing appropriate incentives.
• Maintain comprehensive client case files, including required eligibility documentation, progress notes, and service outcomes.
• Conduct participant surveys, including post-workshop feedback forms.
• Collect, maintain, and enter data into the program's information systems in a timely and accurate manner.
• Provide ongoing resources to ethnic community-based organizations, community partners, and other community leaders to recruit qualified entrepreneur candidates for services.
• Identify and help build partnerships with lenders, vendors, and other small business ecosystem partners to increase resources available to clients.
• Participate in program meetings, weekly staff meetings, staff development activities, and national skills-building trainings, calls, and communities of practice, while fully engaging as a member of the team.
• Support general office logistics, such as office support and front desk coverage, as applicable and feasible.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Senior Small Business Coordinator

Position Directly Supervises: None. May guide AmeriCorps members, Summer Associates, Interns, and Volunteers as needed.

Job Requirements:

• Education: Undergraduate degree, or equivalent professional experience, in Economics, Business, Small Business Development, Finance, Entrepreneurship, Education, or related field.
• Work Experience: 2 years of professional experience working in entrepreneurship, business counseling, or small business development. Demonstrated understanding of U.S. businesses and business development systems and laws, with experience in business counseling, banking, entrepreneurship, or related endeavors. Experience with adult education, training, community building, and/or community development. Previous experience working with individuals from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds and varying levels of literacy and numeracy. Experience working in a direct service role preferred. Experience and training in trauma-informed and person-centered services.

Demonstrated Skills & Competencies:

• Strong organizational skills including multi-tasking, prioritizing, planning, and effective time management.
• Ability to work independently as well as on a close, collaborative team.
• Fluency in written and spoken English, with bi-lingual ability in a language commonly spoken by refugees in Salt Lake City (Arabic, Spanish, French, Dari, Pashto, Swahili, Kirundi, Somali, etc.) preferred.
• Ability to communicate with limited-English speakers, and demonstrated multicultural experience.
• Ability to work with refugee participants, community leaders, partners, and volunteers from a variety of backgrounds.
• Competency in Microsoft Office required; experience with web-based data entry systems preferred.
• Valid driver's license, active insurance policy, and access to reliable transportation.

Work Environment:

• Standard office work environment along with travel in and around the service delivery area.
• Flexibility to work some Saturdays and some weekday evenings as needed to support programming.

Compensation:

Posted pay ranges apply to US-based candidates. Ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, internal equity, and budget. Exact offers are calibrated by work location, individual candidate experience and skills relative to the defined job requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

IRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IRC considers all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

US Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive and highly competitive set of benefits. In the US, these include: 10 sick days, 10 US holidays, 20-25 paid time off days depending on role and tenure, medical insurance starting at $143 per month, dental starting at $6.50 per month, and vision starting at $5 per month, FSA for healthcare and commuter costs, a 403b retirement savings plans with immediately vested matching, disability & life insurance, and an Employee Assistance Program which is available to our staff and their families to support counseling and care in times of crisis and mental health struggles.

Standard of Professional Conduct: The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.