Business Counselor - St. Louis City and St. Louis County

University of Missouri (MU) Office of Extension and Engagement

MU Extension's Business Development Program

MU TITLE: Extension Instructor

LOCATION: St. Louis, Missouri, primarily serves St. Louis County along with St. Louis City, Jefferson, and

St. Charles counties, with additional service across the state as needed.

HEADQUARTERED: Missouri Small Business Development Center - St. Louis, MO

MU Extension's Business Development Program is an important component of the state's economic development strategy and the University of Missouri's economic development mission by providing education and assistance to entrepreneurs throughout Missouri. This includes serving as the Lead Center for the Missouri Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network, as well as operating centers in St. Louis and Columbia. For more information about the Missouri Small Business Development Center network, visit https://sbdc.missouri.edu/ For more information about MU

Extension, visit https://extension.missouri.edu/

Educator Emphasis

The primary purpose of an SBDC counselor is to transform Missouri business and industry through education, technical assistance, and collaboration by working with entrepreneurs in small to medium size companies to improve bottom-line performance. As a Business Counselor, you will plan, implement, and evaluate educational programs and services for entrepreneurs utilizing research-based knowledge on a range of topics, including business growth, strategic planning, technology development, government contracting, marketing, management, finance, capital formation, operations, human resources, business start-up and business growth/sustainability, as well as in other timely topics relating to entrepreneurship and business growth.

This position primarily serves as a business educator and counselor for entrepreneurs and business owners in the St. Louis region. Counselors should have an emphasis in finance, management, marketing, product commercialization, product development, and/or growth management. Successful business counselors are able to transform this expertise into practical knowledge and solutions for their clients and students.

This position is a 12-month unranked academic position. This position will have a MU Title of Extension Instructor with the working title of Business Counselor.

As a Business Counselor, your workload distribution at appointment will be 90% Extension Teaching and 10% Traditional Service.

This appointment is renewable annually at the discretion of the University and workload distribution may change at the discretion of Extension leadership. Circumstances affecting continued employment

include, but are not limited to, work performance, fund availability, and educational priorities.

Program Specialization: A Business Counselor is responsible for providing educational programming and business coaching to entrepreneurs and new companies in starting, growing, and operating business ventures that result in economic and societal outcomes. Develop and provide high-quality educational programs that are consistent with the MU Extension mission, are research-and evidence-based, and resulting in learning and behavioral changes that positively impact the economy and society.

Key responsibilities of a MU Extension Business Counselor include:

Client Consultation and Technical Assistance

• Provide business coaching to entrepreneurs and new companies, while also developing and providing high-quality educational programs that are consistent with the MU Extension mission, are research-and evidence-based, and foster learning and appropriate behavioral changes.
• Serve as a critical link between Missouri companies and the faculty, research staff, and students in regional and statewide higher-education institutions.
• Facilitate significant economic impact by achieving or exceeding goals in new sales, new jobs, business investments, quality and quantity of stakeholder relations, revenue generation, and well as other program-specific metrics.
• Regularly collect qualitative and quantitative data to evaluate the impact of educational programs and services.
• Conduct in-depth research and provide technical assistance to support clients; serve as a mentor on complex topics; perform a lead role in analyzing client needs and assessing the effectiveness of client action plans; and provide technical feedback to clients.

Program Support and Administrative Leadership

• Participate in interdisciplinary teams, committees, and task forces and work with faculty and staff throughout Missouri to carry out the mission of MU Extension and the Missouri Small Business Development Centers.
• Develop and maintain external strategic partnerships to ensure effective program outreach in support of organizational goals and objectives.
• Serve on various ad hoc committees, task forces and teams engaged in product development planning or process implementation for the Missouri SBDC. Participate in regional planning efforts and assist in the implementation of a plan for the Missouri SBDC in St. Louis.
• Travel to client sites, events, and training activities as budget allows. Attend outreach events to build awareness of SBDC services. Actively work to build awareness of SBDC services through speaking engagements, collaboration of regional training initiatives, or other events.

CORE DUTIES OF MU EXTENSION EDUCATORS

MU Extension Educators deliver the University of Missouri to all Missourians. They serve all Missourians by bringing research-based solutions to work on local problems. MU Extension Educators teach new and foundational concepts, link people to resources, support partner organizations, participate in research, train volunteers, evaluate programs, foster innovation, and serve communities. MU Extension Educators work as a team to expand educational attainment, foster economic development, and improve health outcomes. These core duties fall into three major areas:

Educate, Create, and Connect.

• Educate. MU Extension educators design, conduct, and evaluate educational programs. MU Extension educators teach research-based information via meetings, in-person and online courses, continuing education classes, technical assistance, volunteer training, media, websites, consultation, and other educational methods. They provide inclusive educational programs that support Missouri's learners and clients' individual, organizational, and community goals.
• Create. MU Extension educators develop innovative and research-informed educational products, services, materials, and other scholarly works. These include curricula, publications, presentations, educational tools, websites, and similar resources. MU Extension educators obtain and use extramural funding to support creative works. MU Extension educators contribute to the scholarship of Extension and Engagement by evaluating programs that result in learning and behavior changes that impact individuals and communities.
• Connect. MU Extension educators engage with learners, stakeholders, volunteers, and communities, including county extension councils, government officials and agencies, partners, and University and professional organizations. MU Extension educators listen and respond with care. MU Extension educators intentionally engage partnerships and robust connections to the vast array of programs offered by the University of Missouri System.

Professional Expectations

• Engage with stakeholders in all counties to identify educational needs and then collaborate with appropriate internal and external partners to meet those needs.
• Create an annual plan of work that reflects local needs and aligns with statewide program area efforts. Provide a monthly report to county extension councils, supervisors, county commissioners, and others regarding programmatic efforts. Attend at least one county extension council each month and provide an oral update on program efforts at that meeting.
• Collaborate with campus-based specialists on research projects and then deliver findings from those efforts via demonstrations, field days, courses, workshops, consultations, publications, and appropriate media.
• Effectively work with supervisors, specialists, and local leaders to complete administrative tasks as needed.
• Demonstrate competency in communication, educational programming, subject matter knowledge, educational delivery, volunteer management, grant acquisition, teamwork, interpersonal relations, organization knowledge, leadership, and professionalism.
• Offer timely, research-based information during times of natural disasters or similar events.
• Represent the University of Missouri on boards and committees as assigned.
• Participate in professional development events to improve both technical and leadership skills.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support the mission of MU Extension.

Additional Expectations

• MU Extension Educators regularly travel throughout Missouri and occasionally to out-of-state locations. MU Extension requires educators to have a valid Missouri driver's license, a legally operating vehicle, and wireless telephone/data service for University use. MU Extension Educators receive reimbursement for approved travel expenses, per University of Missouri policy.
• MU Extension programs often occur outside of regular business hours. MU Extension educators should expect to attend these events as needed to meet the needs of learners, clients, and stakeholders.

LEADERSHIP RECEIVED AND EXERCISED

The Senior Program Director for Business & Community provides overall programmatic leadership.

Programmatic supervision comes from the Business Development Education Director and administrative oversight from the Missouri SBDC in St. Louis Regional Director.

MU EXTENSION INFORMATION

The University of Missouri (MU) Office of Extension and Engagement's distinct land-grant mission is to improve lives, communities, and economies by producing relevant, reliable, and responsive educational strategies throughout Missouri. Our dedicated and knowledgeable specialists and staff collaborate with researchers and community leaders to develop and deliver programs that address the needs of Missourians, including educational attainment, economic development, and healthy people. For more information about MU Extension and Engagement, please visit https://extension2.missouri.edu/.

UNIVERSITY INFORMATION

The University of Missouri, also known as Mizzou and MU, is the Flagship University of the four-campus University of Missouri system. It is the state's land-grant university and one of the most comprehensive universities in the United States. MU's broad undergraduate programs and its' graduate, professional and research programs attract annual enrollment of more than 30,000 students. MU is centrally located in Columbia, MO, which is consistently ranked as one of America's most livable cities. MU Extension programs are located on all four campuses and in 114 counties and St. Louis city.

An earned bachelor's degree in business, engineering, business education, or related area with appropriate coursework exhibited is required at the time of appointment.

Candidates will be evaluated on:

• Degree in business, engineering, business education, or related area with appropriate coursework exhibited.
• Years of experience in business management, marketing, or finance. Related areas include government procurement, marketing, finance, accounting, management, human resources, operations management, e-commerce, or entrepreneurship.
• Demonstrated ability in applying and transferring research-based knowledge in the above subject matter areas.
• The ideal candidate will also have successful experiences in operating and managing a business, providing consulting, and/or owning a business, sales, banking and/or lending experience.
• Ideal candidates will also hold a master's degree from an accredited institution in business, engineering, business education, or related areas.
• A knowledge of financial analysis and comparisons and the ability to communicate those reports is desired.
• Effective and innovative teaching strategies that engage others, including strong listening, written, and oral communication skills. Must be able to integrate new and emerging technology into teaching strategies.
• Experience in designing, conducting, and evaluating educational programs, and applying research-based knowledge in subject matter areas related to community cooperation and collaboration, capacity assessment and action planning, needs assessment, citizen participation, leadership, resource management and volunteerism is desired.

This position offers a minimum starting salary of $60,000, with the final salary determined based on the candidate's qualifications and experience.

Complete the brief online application and be prepared to upload:

• Cover Letter
• Resume/CV
• Copies of all academic transcripts, and
• a list of 3-5 references

For questions regarding the online application process contact MUHR@missouri.edu or call 573.882.7976. For technical problems with the online application process contact Helpdesk@missouri.edu or call 573.882.5000.

Employment visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

This position is eligible for University benefits. As part of your total compensation, the University offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental and vision plans, retirement, and educational fee discounts for all four UM System campuses. For additional information on University benefits, please visit the Faculty & Staff Benefits website at https://www.umsystem.edu/departments-staff/human-resources/benefits-retirement

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

To request ADA accommodations, please call the Director of Accessibility and ADA at 573-884-7278.