Consultant, Capital Access Focus

Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; Duluth (MN); On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Northspan is seeking a Consultant with underwriting and financial analysis experience who also has relationships with Native Nations to support capital access initiatives across Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin. The role includes loan fund underwriting, business valuations, and DAO/DAWN program work, while building relationships with Indigenous communities region-wide.

We value cultural fluency and community engagement skills; technical finance can be developed on the job, with a

Qualifications

• Requires a rare combination of underwriting and financial analysis with experience working with Native Nations.
• Strong relationships and cultural competency with Tribal communities are essential.
• Ability to communicate technical information clearly to diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Access resources for clients and assist with loan fund underwriting.
• Research client organizations and industries; conduct interviews and workshops.
• Identify issues, develop hypotheses, and present actionable recommendations.

Skills

Underwriting

Financial analysis

Relationship building

Indigenous relations

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/finance

MBA or advanced degree

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Job description

Position: Consultant, Capital Access Focus Status: Full Time Reports to: Vice President FLSA: Exempt, Open to Full or Part Time Flexibility

Join our team! Northspan is seeking a Consultant with experience working in and with Indigenous communities and Native Nations, along with a background in underwriting and financial analysis. We recognize this is a distinctive combination of skills and if you bring deep relationships and cultural fluency with Tribal communities but are still building your technical finance background, we still want to hear from you.

This position will focus on Capital Access, including underwriting, loan and grant packaging, and business valuation, while also supporting Northspan's DAWN (Driving Access to Wealth & Networks) program by building relationships with entrepreneurial clients and Indigenous communities across Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin, including the following Native Nations:

• Bois Forte Band of Chippewa

• Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

• Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

• Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe

• Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe

• Red Lake Nation

• Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

• Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering systems that provide voice and opportunity for all, especially for those most marginalized in our society. We strongly encourage applications from those marginalized by society and/or who are members of marginalized communities.

Northspan is a Duluth, Minnesota-based community and economic development consulting firm. We build connections, strengthen capacity, and unlock access to capital for the entrepreneurs, communities, and Tribal Nations we serve, providing solid and dependable research services, professional technical support, and financial assistance to advance their projects.

VISION

Engage & Elevate

MISSION

To be expert navigators, transforming ideas into accomplishments.

CORE VALUES

• Inclusive: We facilitate intentional engagement of stakeholders and seek common solutions to community, business, and organizational challenges.

• Trustworthy: We earn the loyalty of our clients by operating ethically, reliably, confidentially, and with integrity.

• Stewards: We carefully manage the resources entrusted to us and focus on the long-term well-being of our clients and programmatic service areas.

• Adaptable: We offer a broad range of expertise which enables us to seize new opportunities and tailor our offerings to meet our clients' needs.

• Diligent: We provide satisfaction to our clients by delivering excellent customer service and clear results.

As full-service, contracted consultants, we engage communities, embrace complex challenges, identify opportunities for growth, and chart a clear, strategic, and customized path forward, forging strong relationships, facilitating impactful conversations, and sparking innovative insights and actions. As a private, nonprofit consulting firm, we work quietly and confidentially to move projects forward on time and on budget, providing critical, gap capacity support that exceeds client expectations.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Consultant General Description

If you are an ambitious business school graduate, advanced degree holder, or experienced professional with underwriting and financial analysis experience who also brings relationships with and cultural understanding of Native Nations, we want to work with you. We know few candidates will check every box. Technical underwriting and financial skills can be developed on the job. The trust, relationships, and cultural competency required to work effectively with Tribal communities cannot be built quickly and are essential to how we do this work well. If you bring the latter, we encourage you to apply even if your finance background is still developing.

Your analytical, interpersonal, creative thinking, business management and leadership skills will be called upon from day one. You'll be in the thick of the action as you work side by side with some of the best in the business to create change.

Every day is different, but here's a sample of what you can expect to experience and accomplish:

• Work with businesses to help them access resources and assist clients with the creation of and underwriting for loan funds to support businesses.

• Research the client's organization and industry, including interviewing, conducting focus groups and facilitating workshops with client employees, management teams and other stakeholders

• Identify issues, develop hypotheses, and execute analysis, translating data into meaningful insights and presenting recommendations to key decision makers

• Move the client to action with a plan to implement the strategic recommendations and manage the execution

• Build and maintain relationships with Tribal governments, Indigenous-led organizations, and Native-owned businesses across the region

Consultant Major Roles, Responsibilities, and Essential Duties

PROJECT & CLIENT MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT

Northspan Management, Support & Coordination

• Formatting, preparing, coordinating, proofreading, and editing contracts, proposals, reports, applications, and other documents

• Mentors and supports associate consultants

Northspan Consultants co-manage and develop skills across three areas of work: forming connections, building capacity, and accessing capital. While this position focuses on accessing capital, consultants can also build skills and support Northspan work across all areas:

FORM CONNECTIONS

We identify, develop, and collaborate on projects to strengthen communities, attract and retain businesses, and enhance the quality of life for those who live and work there. Our consulting services include:

• Community Engagement
• Research & Analysis
• Policy Development
• Strategic Support & Gap Capacity

BUILD CAPACITY

We improve the health and vitality of boards, councils, committees, groups, and collaborations through practices and methods that build capacity, improve decision-making, and enhance effectiveness. Our consulting services include:

• Economic Impact Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Growth & Change Management
• Crisis & Readiness Planning

ACCESS CAPITAL

We integrate seamlessly with a network of public and private partners to provide essential support, helping you secure the resources needed to transition, expand, and drive economic growth. Our consulting services include:

• Loan Fund Design & Maintenance
• Valuations & Succession Planning
• Feasibility Analysis
• 3rd Party Underwriting

Driving Access to Wealth & Networks (DAWN) Program: Co-manage and develop skills in the following:

FORM CONNECTIONS

We strengthen connections between people and communities to create a supportive and inclusive ecosystem.

We facilitate conversations that build trust across sectors and work towards shared goals. Examples include:

• Inclusive Leadership Circles (ILCs)
• Regional Business-Focused Conferences
• Idea Accelerator Workshops
• Equity & Inclusion Summits

BUILD CAPACITY

We help to streamline initiatives, making our regional ecosystem more efficient and effective. We create a supportive environment that provides valuable tools and grows skillsets for entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive. Examples Include:

• Elected Leadership Circles (ELCs)
• Entrepreneurial Training Cohorts
• Regional Job Marketplace
• Site and Building Development Information

ACCESS CAPITAL

We help remove barriers to funding for startups and offer educational programs for skill development, training, networking, and opportunities to pitch business concepts. Examples include:

• Business Resource Summits & Pitch Competitions
• Non-Traditional Lender Forums
• Credit Building and Recovery Workshops
• Personal Finance & Business Cash Flow Workshops

III. Qualifications and Skills

A note on qualifications: This role requires a rare combination of technical and relational expertise. While we value both, we prioritize candidates with genuine, established relationships and experience working with Tribal governments and Indigenous communities. Financial and underwriting skills are important and teachable. The trust and cultural fluency needed to do this work will take much longer to develop. We encourage candidates who are strong in the relationship-building and community engagement side, even without a traditional finance background, to apply.

REQUIRED SKILLS

We require a combination of skills below. Given the nature of this role, we place particular weight on demonstrated relationships and experience with Tribal communities and economic development; we are able to support growth in technical underwriting and financial analysis skills over time.

• We require 5+ years' of progressively responsible experience in relevant fields such as banking, underwriting, finance, business, accounting, consulting, statistics/analytics, community or economic development AND/OR that you hold a business degree (i.e., management, economics, finance, marketing, accounting, or other business field) and/or a Master of Business Administration (MBA) or higher business degree from an accredited college or university.

• Experience related to underwriting loans

• Experience working in and with Indigenous communities, including Tribal governments, in areas of community engagement and economic development

• Apply basic accounting principles in the interpretation of customer financial statements

• Combination of analytical, decision making, and interpersonal skills

• Interact with public and private clients and present technical information precisely and clearly

• Ability to work as a part of a team and under minimal supervision

• Good problem-solving ability and organization skills

• Good analytical, numerical, and research skills

• Microsoft Office 365 Suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Forms, and Outlook, and video conferencing (Zoom)

• Internet browser and search engine use on handheld and desktop devices

• Ability to prioritize and organize a daily workload

• Must be able to meet deadlines in a fast-paced quickly changing environment

• A proactive approach to problem-solving with strong decision-making skills

• Professional level verbal and written communications skills

• Timely, detailed, and process oriented

• This position requires access to a vehicle for travel to Tribal communities and partner meetings across the region

SKILLS OF INTEREST

• Monday.com CRM and Survey Monkey, which are regularly used in our organization

• Digital social platforms including LinkedIn

• Interest in becoming a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA)

PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS OF INTEREST

• ABV - Accredited in Business Valuation

• ASA - Accredited Senior Appraiser

• CA - Chartered Accountant

• CEcD - Certified Economic Developer, International Economic Development Council (IEDC)

• CEPA - Certified Exit Planning Advisor

• CFA - Chartered Financial Advisor

• CFD - Certified in Fraud Deterrence Analyst

• CFE - Certified Fraud Examiner

• CFF - Certified in Financial Forensics

• CFP - Certified Financial Planner

• CIRA - Certified Insolvency and Reorganization Accountant

• CM&AA - Certified Merger & Acquisition Advisor

• CMA - Certified Management Accountant

• CPA - Certified Public Accountant

• Cr.FA - Certified Forensic Accountant

• EDFP - Economic Development Finance Professional, National Development Council (NDC)

• MAI - Member (Accredited) with Appraisal Institute

• MBA - Master in Business Administration

• PhD - Doctor of Philosophy (Higher Education Degree)

IV. Physical Demands

This position works at a computer for long periods of time and involves standing, sitting, bending and lifting of at least five pounds. This position also requires travel to Tribal communities and partner locations across Northeast Minnesota and Northwest Wisconsin.