About the job

As a Business Support Coordinator, your job is to assist aspiring and current entrepreneurs and small business owners. These people are often experts in a skill, trade, or profession that provides the foundation of their business. You will assist them in becoming more familiar with business financing, marketing strategies, pricing models, HR, and the myriad of skills a new business needs to be successful.

The Business Support Coordinator will assess business owners’ needs, provide direct assistance when possible, make referrals to expert service providers, and discover new opportunities to enable success for a portfolio of local small businesses. This is a new position, so building the process for conducting assessments, prioritizing assistance, engaging partners, tracking and documenting progress will be the first responsibility of the role.

Primary Duties

  • Evaluate a provided portfolio of businesses, establish a rapport with business owners, conduct an initial needs assessment, and prioritize services based on the urgency of the business owner’s needs

  • Provide confidential one-on-one consulting services to business owners

  • Analyze business problems, developing solutions, and providing access to resources

  • Help clients to develop business plans, sales & marketing strategies, cashflow forecasts, and similar fundamental business documents

  • Educate clients on financing options and credit practices appropriate to their stage of business development

  • Help clients grow sales, improve margins, stabilize operations, and guide them through various stages of their business life cycles

  • Conduct demographic, market, finance, and other research as necessary to assist clients

  • Maintain an awareness of and relationships with specialized business service providers and economic development partners to effectively connect business owners with required resources

  • Maintain documentation of business services provided and related impact

  • Perform other duties as required to accomplish the purpose of the role and/or as assigned

Required Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

  • Familiarity with common business practices surrounding

    • Business plan creation

    • Bookkeeping

    • Accounting

    • Labor laws

    • Marketing strategies

    • Financing and capital formation

  • Prove ability to analyze business challenges and develop solutions

  • Knowledge of Erie’s economy, culture, and business community

  • Proficient in Google tools (docs, sheets, forms, gmail, etc.)

  • Strong communication and presentation skills

  • Empathy, kindness, and wit

Desired Qualifications

  • Experience owning/operating a small to mid-size business

  • Experience in the local economic development ecosystem

  • Knowledge of economic development programs in Erie and Pennsylvania

  • Retail and/or hospitality experience

Work Environment

The Business Support Coordinator will work from the EDDC offices within Radius CoWork. Most of the work will be conducted on-site, Monday through Friday, between 9:00a-4:00p, but some travel to client sites and for partner meetings will be required to achieve the desired outcomes. The schedule for this role is negotiable, both total hours per week and daily start/end time.

You’ll work alongside the staff of the EDDC and Radius CoWork, benefitting from the resources and support of both teams and organizations.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a grant-funded position and is fully funded for the first two years with additional funding anticipated.

Various employment models can be designed based on the needs and experience of the candidate.

W2 employee and 1099 contract options are available. Benefits are available for W2 employees.

Compensation rate is equivalent to $48,000-75,000 annual full time position.   

The role includes a full time, Dedicated Desk membership with Radius CoWork, Parking Pass to the EPA garage at 10th & French.

How to Apply

Applicants can expect either a timely notification that they are not in consideration, or an invitation to a brief phone conversation. This first conversation will serve to answer the applicants’ questions about the role and answer our questions based on your application. From there, candidates may be invited to an in-person interview. A last interview will include both the executive directors of the EDDC and Radius CoWork.

Interviews will be ongoing until the position is filled.

About Radius CoWork

Radius CoWork is a private community and economic development organization that operates Erie’s coworking space and business incubator located in the historic Renaissance Centre in downtown Erie, PA. It provides facilities, equipment, programming, social networking, and direct services to support Erie’s startups, small business owners, freelancers, and remote workers.

About the EDDC

The Erie Downtown Development Corporation is a 501(c)3 organization focused on the revitalization of commercial, retail, and residential properties in the urban core of Erie, PA. It is responsible for developing real estate, attracting businesses, supporting and enhancing public spaces, and creating cultural programming in the downtown area, centered around the 5th & State district.