Description

Program Officer

Are you interested in joining us to build better lives for everyone in the Northwest Minnesota region by:

•        Helping shape access to capital in rural Northwest Minnesota
•        Supporting entrepreneurs and childcare providers
•        Helping turn business ideas into viable enterprises in rural Northwest Minnesota 

Then apply for the Program Officer position at Northwest Minnesota Foundation.  

https://recruitingbypaycor.com/career/SubmitResume.action?id=8a78859f9cd55a16019cf83c296f60d4&source=Council+on+Foundations. 

The ideal candidate will have experience in one or more of the following: 

Case management, life skills coaching, financial coaching, bookkeeping/accounting, small business management, entrepreneurship, and small business finance/lending/underwriting, economic/community development.

-Full job description-

Community Revitalization Program Officer (CDFI/NMCIC)

Job Details

Industry

Community Foundation

Employment Type

Full-Time

Employment Status

Exempt

Job Functions 

Loan/Portfolio/Program Management

Direct Reports

0

Position Reports To

Community Revitalization Senior Program Manager

Career Pathway

IC300

Northwest Minnesota Foundation, Bemidji MN

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) is one of the six Minnesota Initiative Foundations (MIFs) established by the McKnight Foundation in 1986 to assist Minnesota’s rural regions during the farm crisis in the 1980s. As the region’s MIF and the only community foundation in the region, NMF has been serving the vast nonprofit community in northwest Minnesota for more than 30 years.

NMF provides grants and loans to organizations and small businesses and scholarships to individuals within the 12-county region and the two tribal nations. Since its founding, NMF has invested millions to help make the region a better place to live and work. 

In 2023, NMF created a wholly-owned subsidiary, the Northwest Minnesota Community Impact Corporation (NMCIC). NMCIC is an emerging Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) (a certification granted through the federal Department of Treasury).  The NMCIC’s mission statement:  NMCIC builds better lives by revitalizing communities, empowering individuals, and creating economic opportunities.  As a community development organization, we provide capital solutions to projects that may not otherwise receive support from traditional financial institutions.  We help communities and individuals accomplish goals in underserved areas, by bringing expertise and filing gaps in funding.

Position Description

The Community Revitalization (CR) Program Officer (CDFI/NMCIC) is accountable for assisting entrepreneurs and small business owners with financial education, business planning, and personalized support in their journey to successful small business ownership and/or business expansion. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in a field such as small business management, entrepreneurship, financial coaching, life skills coaching, small business finance/lending/underwriting, budgeting and/or bookkeeping/accounting.  This position will also support loan pipeline development for NMF and NMCIC and will perform loan portfolio management in collaboration with the CR team. This position will assist the CR Senior Program Manager with CDFI certification and reporting, strategic planning and execution, financial management of the NMCIC, revenue development, and marketing, through the lens of supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs.   This position will also support childcare providers in accessing loan opportunities.

Duties & Responsibilities

•         You will develop programming designed to support underrepresented and under-resourced entrepreneurs. 
•         You will establish a training/educational program that can be customized to meet individual entrepreneurs’ needs. This may include developing partnerships with organizations that provide these services, and/or designing and delivering trainings internally.
•         You will provide robust, one-on-one assistance to the entrepreneurs, and refer them as appropriate to other local resources.
•         You will remain a constant support and guide from business idea through knowledge building to business launch. 
•         You will be a resource to clients, providing guidance, referrals, and accurate information as they seek potential small business financing.
•         You will meet with clients and partners by traveling across the region, and you will utilize virtual meetings to strengthen these connections.
•         You will assist with CDFI certification compliance and reporting, and other reporting requirements of state, federal, or private funders.
•         You will develop expertise in regional small business loan products and resources.
•         You will maintain confidentiality and discretion for the protection of small business clients/borrowers and for NMF and NMCIC.
•         You will maintain accurate client data.
•         You will collaborate with the CR team to develop the loan pipeline and provide loan servicing activities.
•         You will process childcare loan applications and collaborate with CR staff members and utilize existing processes to originate, underwrite, approve, and service these loans.
•         You are responsible for all other duties as assigned.

What success looks like:

•         You can “meet people where they are” in terms of their small business management experience, and work with them to set and achieve their financial goals. 
•         You have experience working with people of diverse backgrounds, and you have cultural sensitivity to the demographics of northwest Minnesota.
•         You will have a good understanding of the principles of rural economic development, including business finance and/or entrepreneurship.
•         You will take the initiative to learn about best practices amongst CDFIs, loan products, loan servicing, and technical assistance, and evaluate and implement these best practices to support NMCIC’s mission.
•         You are a person who demonstrates a high level of initiative and collaboration in working partners to implement solutions to support underrepresented and under-resourced entrepreneurs and small business owners.
•         You have the ability to work collaboratively with internal and external partners.
•         You nurture a culture of high operational excellence and lead others in the organization through your example of courteousness, prompt resolutions, and answers to inquiries and requests from external and internal sources. You are a person who is curious about the organization and the region we serve and seek to know the breadth and depth of the organization to better serve our communities. 
•         The Northwest Minnesota Foundation is committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve. You actively seek opportunities to grow your skills and strengthen our work across the region.                                                                                                          

Obligations 

Ownership of:

•         Program creation and implementation.
•         Client management.

Will collaborate in:

•         CDFI certification and compliance reporting.
•         Marketing and promotion of NMF and NMCIC loan programs and products.
•         Revenue development and financial management to support the long-term success of the NMCIC.
•         Successful management of the NMF and NMCIC loan portfolios.

Qualifications

Required:

•         Associate Degree (A.A.) from two-year college or technical school or higher educational achievement in business finance, economic development, social work or a related field. 
•         Minimum of 3 years of experience in small business finance, consumer loans, mortgage lending, or other lending or financial management and in working with individuals who may be underrepresented or under-resourced.
•         Demonstrated ability to manage budgets, grants, or loan portfolios.
•         Proven ability to engage individuals in order to assess their financial knowledge.
•         Successful record of guiding individuals to meet their goals.
•         Excellent verbal and written communication skills, strong problem-solving skills, and leadership abilities.

Preferred:

•         Bachelor’s degree in business, economic development, social work, or a related field.
•         Experience with CDFIs, small business lending, rural economic development, consumer loans, mortgage lending, or other lending or financial management.
•         Case management experience.
•         Passion for rural small business ownership and entrepreneurship, community revitalization, and economic development.
•         An understanding of rural Minnesota, the people who live and work here, and the challenges and opportunities in this economic landscape.
•         Certification in project management or nonprofit management.
•         Passion for the missions of the Northwest Minnesota Foundation and Northwest Minnesota Community Impact Corporation.

Job Information

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation follows an equal opportunity employment policy and employs personnel without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, pregnancy, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status. This policy applies to hiring, wages, internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, and terminations.

•          This position offers a competitive salary (minimum $52,775 to a maximum of $85,759), commensurate with experience and qualifications.
•         The primary location for this position is the Foundation’s headquarters in Bemidji, Minnesota.  However, a flexible/hybrid option is available where the employee is expected to be physically at the headquarters for an agreed upon number of days and has the option to work from a remote work location the other days.
•         This position will require travel locally, regionally, state-wide, and potentially nationally.

Requirements

•         You will develop programming designed to support underrepresented and under-resourced entrepreneurs. 
•         You will establish a training/educational program that can be customized to meet individual entrepreneurs’ needs. This may include developing partnerships with organizations that provide these services, and/or designing and delivering trainings internally.
•         You will provide robust, one-on-one assistance to the entrepreneurs, and refer them as appropriate to other local resources.
•         You will remain a constant support and guide from business idea through knowledge building to business launch. 
•         You will be a resource to clients, providing guidance, referrals, and accurate information as they seek potential small business financing.
•        You will meet with clients and partners by traveling across the region, and you will utilize virtual meetings to strengthen these connections.
•         You will assist with CDFI certification compliance and reporting, and other reporting requirements of state, federal, or private funders.
•         You will develop expertise in regional small business loan products and resources.
•         You will maintain confidentiality and discretion for the protection of small business clients/borrowers and for NMF and NMCIC.
•         You will maintain accurate client data.
•         You will collaborate with the CR team to develop the loan pipeline and provide loan servicing activities.
•         You will process childcare loan applications and collaborate with CR staff members and utilize existing processes to originate, underwrite, approve, and service these loans.
•         You are responsible for all other duties as assigned.