COMMUNICATIONS & EVENTS COORDINATOR

Central Virginia Small Business Development Center (CV SBDC) is seeking a communications and events professional for a 40 hour/week, full-time position (Monday-Friday) to work out of our Charlottesville office with one work from home day. A successful candidate will possess project management and communications skills.

Virginia SBDC Mission:
To advance Virginia’s diverse economy by providing small businesses the expertise and resources to succeed.

Community Investment Collaborative (CIC) is the employer and host of Central Virginia SBDC.
CIC’s mission is to strengthen our community and contribute to economic development by fueling the success of under-resourced entrepreneurs through education, mentoring, financing, and networking. CIC is the host and fiscal agent of CV SBDC.

Virginia Small Business Development Centers are supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration and are accredited members of America’s SBDC.
Regional SBDC offices, including CV SBDC, are supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration, George Mason University, Virginia SBDC, and regional sponsors and donors in the communities in which they serve. Our team is dedicated to serving entrepreneurs throughout the life cycle of business, from startup through international expansion.

The Communications & Events Coordinator will:

• Project manage events and communications following SBDCs branding guidelines
• Professionally represent and promote the SBDC brand in our office and in public venues
• Interact effectively and professionally with a diverse group of people
• Possess excellent oral and written communication skills
• Demonstrate a strong emphasis on personal service and responsiveness
• Be able to work independently within a team environment
• Respect and maintain confidentiality in all interactions
• Be detail oriented with responsibility for precise reports and public facing materials
• Work closely with office management and client service team members, providing back up as necessary

Follow Virginia SBDC Core Values:

Integrity: Demonstrate honesty, confidentiality, accountability and conduct above reproach

Trustworthy: Provide quality service, innovative approaches, practical advice and objective guidance

Respect: Recognize the views and opinions of all clients, stakeholders, partners and colleagues, and be responsive to their needs regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability or national origin

Continuous Improvement: Expand our effectiveness through professional accreditations, increasing impacts, implementing effective and innovative programs, and developing staff’s skills and expertise

Other Responsibilities:

• Assist with communications from social media and newsletters to client stories and our annual report
• Support and/or design flyers, programs, rosters, name tags, etc. for events
• Collecting attendee event evaluations and preparing reports related to attendees, and preparing other post-event reports and electronic training files
• Work with SBDC leadership team to ensure events are scheduled, supported and promoted
• Coordinate services for events such as accommodation and transportation for speakers/instructors, facilities, catering, signage, displays, special needs requirements, printing and event security
• Maintain the SBDC Calendar of Events, events related SBDC data management, and external calendars regarding events
• Use computers for various applications, such as database management, word processing, website events/calendars, social media postings, reports and other documents
• Provide back-up to the Client Services manager position (when CSC is off or unable to greet callers or visitors). These responsibilities include:
  • greet callers and visitors, handling their inquiries and/or direct them to the appropriate persons according to their needs;
  • work with student interns by involving them in the activities related to SBDC events;
  • operate office equipment, such as fax machines, copiers, or phone systems, troubleshoot problems and arrange for repairs when equipment malfunctions.

Key Skills

• Project Management — Track and keep events moving forward with adequate time for design completion, promotion, execution and reporting and recordkeeping while facilitating timely execution of communications.
• Clerical, Creative and Written Expression— Knowledge of word processing, managing files and records, designing forms, flyers and event descriptions and reporting.
• Customer and Personal Service—Customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing — Ability to follow principles and methods for communicating and promoting events. Includes marketing tactics and following SBDC professional and brand standards.
• Active Listening— Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, clarifying at appropriate times.
• Speaking— Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Time Management— Managing one’s own time and the time of others to perform duties.
• Organization – using and prioritizing resources and activities needed for a variety of assignments, and the ability to perform work in a manner to meet deadlines.
• Service Orientation— Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Judgment and Decision Making— Considering the relative costs and benefits of
  potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

This is a full time, 40 hour per week, salary range is $40,000- $45,000. This position reports to the Central Virginia Small Business Development Center Director and is an employee of Community Investment Collaborative (CIC), CV SBDC’s host. As such, this position receives full-time employee benefits and a 401K match as described in the CIC employee handbook.

This position works out of the Charlottesville VA office at 300 Preston Avenue, at the end of the historic downtown mall with free parking. The service territory includes the City of Charlottesville and Counties of Albemarle, Culpeper, Orange, Greene, Rappahannock, Madison, Louisa, Fluvanna and Nelson. Reliable transportation is required with some anticipated travel. Mileage is reimbursed for travel beyond commute to and from the Charlottesville office. Occasional flexible hours are required with some evening or weekend events.

SBDC will provide training and professional development. A successful candidate will be capable of using tools to manage their time and tasks efficiently to keep multiple projects moving forward in a timely manner. This position is supported by and/or collaborates with interns, contractors, and the CIC/CV SBDC team.

How to Apply:
Please send resume and cover letter to people@cicville.org. Applications will remain open until the job is filled. Please direct questions to the above email or call 434-295-8198.