Small Business Financials Specialist

Background
The Small Business Financials Specialist will work alongside entrepreneurs to help them develop the financial acumen needed for long-term business success. This position will empower clients to understand their business finances, establish sound practices, and build financial management capabilities. The specialist will guide potential borrowers through the loan process, helping them build financial models and cash flow projections that both demonstrate viability to lenders and enable entrepreneurs to make informed business decisions.

Purpose
The overarching goal of the Small Business Financials Specialist is to help Mountain BizWorks’ prospective and existing borrowers attain fundamental small business financial management capabilities and systems through providing high-quality, accessible technical assistance and tools. These services should aim to increase clients’ loan readiness and support their overall business success.

Key Responsibilities

Prospective & Existing Borrower Financial Support

Work collaboratively alongside lenders when requested to improve prospective borrowers’ financial- and loan-readiness
Assess clients’ current financial health (performance, systems, and practices) and provide recommendations and resources for improvement
Assist clients with generating comprehensive financial models and projections (typically required for loan applications) with an emphasis on cultivating clients’ understanding of their own financials including key concepts such as unit economics, break-even point, managing cash flow variability (e.g., seasonality), industry/peer benchmarks, and debt-service coverage ratio.
Help clients gather, organize, and clean up financial records in a manner that supports their loan applications and can be sustained post-loan. Often, this will include assisting a client with engaging a bookkeeper or similar.
Assist clients with defining and setting up appropriate chart-of-accounts and financial controls.
Support clients through selecting and implementing suitable financial software systems (e.g., QuickBooks, POS) and establishing best practices.
Support clients in developing financial reporting practices that enable them to provide required financial reports in a timely fashion.
Educate clients on financial statement preparation, interpretation, and informing business decision-making
Where prospective or existing borrowers have financial risk factors, be a resource to help define an improvement plan in conjunction with the client including clear monitoring requirements
Aid clients in defining realistic financial goals, milestones, and KPIs, and the accountability practices to support monitoring and achievement
Conduct business valuations to support business sales and succession planning (professional development support available if needed)
Foster clients’ self-sufficiency and confidence in managing their own finances independently.
Additional Financial Education Support

Provide input on development of financial training for Mountain BizWorks Learning Programs including the Financial Series, Foundations, Alpine, ScaleUp, Catalyst, and online training modules.
Conduct individual and group coaching sessions focused on business financial management.
Help provide or arrange continuing financial education for MBW staff, coaches, and facilitators.
Develop educational resources for clients at various stages of business development, which may include but are not limited to financial spreadsheet templates, financial ratio analysis guides, bookkeeping system setup instructions, etc

Qualifications and Experience

Commitment to Mountain BizWorks’ vision, mission, and values
Must live in Western North Carolina, or be willing to relocate here
Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or related field preferred
Minimum 3-5 years of demonstrated experience with small business financial management
Possess a wide range of financial proficiency, capable of assisting both startups and established businesses.
Experience setting up and maintaining business accounting systems
Strong understanding of business financial statements and financial analysis
Experience supporting businesses in securing debt financing
Excellent ability to explain complex financial concepts in accessible terms
Be adept at multitasking and managing various client needs simultaneously
Self-driven and organized, with keen attention to detail
Empathy and the ability to engender trust among clients and colleagues
Advanced proficiency with spreadsheets and suitable proficiency with technology more broadly, including but not limited to: Google Suite, Microsoft Office, email, customer relationship management (CRM) system, or similar database tools
Excellent communication skills, both verbally and written
Ability to work independently with a minimum level of direction; skill in effective planning, prioritization, and organization of workload
Spanish language fluency is a significant plus

Other (Supervisory Responsibilities, Schedule, Travel)

This position has no supervisory responsibilities.
Normal business hours are Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm with opportunities for flexibility; however, this position may require some weekend and/or evening work to accommodate the services offered by Mountain BizWorks.

Reports to: Business Coaching Manager

Position type: Full-time, Salary, Exempt

Location

Mountain BizWorks serves the mountains region of North Carolina with offices in Asheville and Boone. We have a hybrid work environment which enables remote work opportunities throughout the WNC region. This position has flexibility to be based out of our fixed offices or to use a hybrid approach.

Compensation & Benefits

Anticipated starting salary of $70,000, with the opportunity for a higher base salary depending on skills and experience.

Medical insurance plans
– 80% of employee medical paid
by employer
– family coverage paid by employee
Dental, vision & supplemental insurance options
– 100% employee paid
Retirement plan
10 paid holidays

Paid Time Off (PTO):
– Earn 18 days/year the 1st year of employment
– Earn 24 days/year after 1st year of employment
Professional Development Fund
Sabbatical Leave Program
Self-Care Fund
Flexible schedule opportunities, as permitted by the role and workload

About Mountain BizWorks

Mountain BizWorks (www.mountainbizworks.org) is passionate about serving Western North Carolina as a non-profit community development financial institution (CDFI) providing tailored small business lending and peer learning services. Our mission is to build a vibrant and inclusive entrepreneurial community in Western North Carolina by helping small businesses to start, grow, and thrive. When small businesses succeed, we all prosper.

Mountain BizWorks is seeking to create a diverse work culture that closely matches the diversity of our client base and the communities we support. Our seven core values are modeled by our team and incorporated throughout business operations: equity, inclusivity, collaboration, stewardship, sustainability, entrepreneur-centric, and local.

How to Apply

Mountain BizWorks is committed to fostering an environment of diversity and inclusion. We strongly encourage individuals from all backgrounds, cultures, and experiences to apply. If you are passionate about our mission and believe in our values, but don’t meet every qualification outlined below, we still encourage you to apply. We value diverse life experiences and the unique perspectives they bring to our team. We understand that proficiency comes in different forms and we are committed to helping our staff grow, both personally and professionally.

Qualified/interested candidates should email their resume and cover letter to careers@mountainbizworks.org with the subject line “Small Business Financials Specialist”. Initial applications are requested by April 30. 2025. Thereafter, the position will remain open until filled.