East Colorado SBDC Project & Training Coordinator (Remote)

State of Colorado; Denver (CO); Remote; USD 34,000 - 39,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual leave (10.66 hours/month)

Sick leave (5.33 hours/month)

Health/dental/vision insurance

Retirement plans

RTD EcoPass

Professional development

Job summary

State of Colorado seeks a highly organized project manager to support the East Colorado SBDC region. The role focuses on leading complex projects, planning regional events and conferences, and delivering high-quality training programs for small businesses across 20 counties.

Expect frequent travel within the region and occasional travel beyond it. The position is fully remote and part-time, funded by a federal grant, with at-will employment and grant renewal contingent funding.

Qualifications

• High-level project management experience with grant cycles and budgets.
• Experience delivering training programs or workshops for adults.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage projects and events from initiation to completion.
• Develop project plans with scope, deliverables, and risk management.
• Plan regional events, coordinate speakers, venues, and vendors.
• Input event details into Salesforce/EventSpark and monitor registrations.

Skills

Project management

Salesforce

Event planning

Communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Tools

Salesforce

EventSpark

Job description

OEDIT Mission

Empower all to thrive in Colorado’s economy.

OEDIT Vision

We envision a future where our quality of life continually improves, great jobs & affordable housing are readily available, economic mobility & resiliency exist, environmental stewardship is valued by all and international visitors abound.

Department Information

The Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) fosters a positive business climate and encourages quality economic development through the support of local and regional economic development activities across the state. A comprehensive slate of programs within OEDIT’s divisions work together to offer economic development services for all Colorado businesses – new and expanding, traditional and emerging, small and large. The service offerings include retention programs to ensure continued competitiveness of Colorado’s economic base and job training to keep Colorado’s workforce the best in the nation.

As a U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Resource Partner, the Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) empowers entrepreneurs and business owners to successfully navigate their full business lifecycle—from launch through growth to exit—by delivering business advising and other technical assistance (e.g., training) as well as connecting them to community resources. The Colorado SBDC consists of a network of 14 Service Centers across the state hosted by institutes of higher education, city and county governments, economic development agencies, chambers of commerce, and incubators.

The East Colorado SBDC is one of the 14 service centers and supports 20 counties in the eastern halfof the state divided into Northeast and Southeast regions:

• Northeast Region: Adams (partial), Arapahoe (partial), Cheyenne, Elbert, Kit Carson, Lincoln,Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, and Yuma.
• Southeast Region: Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, and Prowers

Position Overview

This fully remote position offers part-time employment as an exempt, at-will State of Colorado Employee. This position is funded by a federal grant and is contingent upon the renewal of annual grant funding.

The East Colorado SBDC Project & Training Coordinator (Coordinator) is a dynamic, highly specialized role responsible for leading, managing, and executing complex projects, planning regional events and conferences, and responding to the ever evolving needs of Colorado small businesses. This role ensures strict adherence to grant cycles, budgets, and quality standards while requiring advanced proficiency in project management methodologies, specialized software, and the development and delivery of professional-level training programs for small businesses. The position supports small businesses across the 20-county region of Eastern Colorado, and requires frequent travel throughout the service territory, as well as occasional travel throughout Colorado or out-of-state.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Project Management and Oversight

• Lead and manage all assigned projects and events supporting small business owners and SBDC operations from initiation through completion, ensuring timely adherence to grant cycles, budgets, and quality standards.
• Develop comprehensive project plans, including defining scope, objectives, deliverables, resource allocation, and risk management strategies.
• Manage, update, and monitor project progress using project management software, holding regular project status meetings to address issues and provide updates.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather requirements, develop solutions, and ensure stakeholder alignment.

Training, Event, and Conference Planning and Management

• Gather feedback from community partners and clients to understand and stay on top of the areas of greatest need for small business owners.
• In coordination with the Colorado SBDC Program Committee, design, develop, and deliver comprehensive, high-level training programs, workshops, and webinars for small businesses, including creation of accessible materials, presentations, and assessments.
• Plan and organize regional events and conferences, managing all logistics, including venue selection, agenda development, speaker coordination, and vendor/attendee relations.
• Input all event details into Salesforce/EventSpark software, monitoring registrations and troubleshooting issues for clients
• Work collaboratively with other staff to manage event budgets, track expenses, and develop event reports for specialty grant funding submissions.
• Track and ensure completion of event sponsorship deliverables.
• Provide technical support to facilitators and speakers during workshops and troubleshoot day-of event issues such as attendee registrations.

Marketing and Community Engagement

• Contribute to and assist in creating and implementing marketing campaigns for events and conferences across various channels, including social media, email marketing, and digital platforms.
• Represent the organization at networking events, conferences, and community gatherings as needed across the 20-county region to build relationships and promote the organization's brand and program.
• Actively recruit highly capable speakers/facilitators for small business trainings and events.

Disclaimer: This posting provides a high-level job definition. It is not intended to provide a comprehensive or exclusive list of job duties. As such, job duties and/or responsibilities within the context of this job posting may change at the discretion of the employee’s direct supervisor.

Skills-based Hiring

This position is advertised in alignment with Executive Order 2022-015 (Download PDF reader), Skills-Based Hiring. Recruitment for this position recognizes that skills can be developed through various pathways, including formal education, work experience, volunteering, self-directed learning, and other life experiences, opening doors to individuals from varied backgrounds. Those with relevant experience but without traditional credentials are welcome to apply!

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills, and abilities preferred.

• Demonstrated experience in a high-level project management role with a focus on managing projects through established grant cycles and adherence to strict budget and quality standards.
• Proven experience in developing and delivering effective, comprehensive training programs in a corporate or organizational setting.
• Experience in sponsorship recruitment and fundraising is strongly preferred.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience in providing technical assistance to small business owners, with previous SBDC experience preferred
• Experience managing projects from concept to delivery and meeting fixed deadlines, with previous project management experience preferred.
• Ability to effectively work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment; prioritize and support multiple projects and/or work tasks/initiatives; and apply effective problem-solving skills.
• Ability to effectively communicate with all stakeholders (e.g., staff members, clients, vendors) and provide a high-level of customer service as well as apply conflict resolution.
• Must be detail oriented and possess exceptional organizational skills, with demonstrated time management and analytical abilities.
• Must be honest, trustworthy, and demonstrate a high degree of integrity and ethical behavior.
• Must be a self‑motivated team player who is a creative and strategic thinker, with previous change management experience preferred.
• Ability to represent the Colorado SBDC in presentations and at events.
• Outstanding customer service skills, including maintaining a positive attitude, actively listening to needs, and calmly responding to requests.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, able to prioritize multiple initiatives
• Must be a creative and strategic thinker witheffective oral and written communication.
• Ability to work at identified office space in the service area, with the flexibility to travel across the region and state as needed.

Competencies

• Specialized Technical Proficiency: High proficiency in project management tools, CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), marketing platforms, and analytics tools.
• Project Management Expertise: Strong, demonstrated knowledge of project management methodologies and tools, with an advanced ability to manage resources, prioritize complex tasks, multitask, and meet aggressive deadlines.
• Training and Development: Proficiency in conducting needs assessments, developing professional-level training materials, and ensuring effective knowledge transfer.
• Adaptability: Flexibility and adaptability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Strategic Communication: Effectively persuades and influences others; clearly articulates key points in writing and speech; practices active listening.
• Teamwork: Builds and supports effective teams; encourages a spirit of participation and belonging; enhances group cohesiveness by emphasizing team objectives and reinforcing cooperation
• Problem Solving: Identifies and defines a problem; gathers and analyzes information; determines potential solutions and decides on course of action(s); accountable for and learns from decisions; responds to new information and/or situation and adapts to updated priorities and/or requirements.
• Relationship Management: Builds collaborative relationships and effectively manages relationships within OEDIT, with the SBDC network (includes SBDC Service Center Directors and staff statewide), and with external community partners.

Education / Experience

• 2+ years of experience in project management, supporting small businesses, and/or working within an SBDC
• Bachelor’s Degree (B.A. or B.S.) in a specialty field such as Project Management, Marketing, Communications, or a directly related field. MBA preferred. Related occupational experience or a combination of education and relevant experience will substitute for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
• Experience with training, operations, project management, change management, process improvement, and/or establishing internal controls.
• Demonstrated acumen and excitement to work at the convergence of public sectors at the local, state, and federal levels supporting private sector businesses.

Pay Rate

Hourly Part-Time:$25.00 - $28.50 per hour

This position is considered non-classified, which means the position is not part of the Colorado State Personnel System. Therefore, the individual appointed to this position is considered at-will, and is not covered by the State Personnel Rules or the State Classification System. However, this position does come with the same benefits (retirement, insurance, etc.) as every other State employee, and with the same opportunities, pride and passion that comes with working for the great State of Colorado. Even though employment is at-will, non-classified positions have protections against discrimination and retaliation in state and federal employment laws. “At-will” employment means that either the employee or the State may terminate the employment relationship at any time for any reason or no reason, with or without notice or cause, as long as no federal or state law is violated.

A wide salary range is posted for this position and any job offer is based upon a salary analysis to comply with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act. The salary analysis considers relevant experience, education, certifications, and state seniority as compared to others doing substantially similar work. While all offers are compliant with the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, there is no guarantee an offer will be at the top of the posted range based on the salary analysis.

Benefits - Part Time

The State of Colorado/Office of the Governor offers generous benefits to part-time employees including:

• Annual leave accrued at 10.66 hours per month
• Sick leave accrued at 5.33 hours a month
• Paid holidays
• Medical plans - choice of Cigna or Kaiser; several plan options (including High Deductible Health Plan with HSA); most plans offered with significant state contribution towards premium
• Dental and vision plans
• Flexible spending accounts
• State-paid life insurance policy of $50,000
• Choice of 2 retirement plans (defined contribution or defined benefit) with generous state contribution
• Optional 401(k) and 457 plans for additional retirement savings
• State-paid short-term disability coverageAccess to the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program
• Membership opportunity with the Credit Union of Colorado
• RTD (transit) EcoPass
• Training and professional development

To learn more about State of Colorado benefits, please visit: https://www.colorado.gov/dhr/benefits

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply. The State of Colorado is an equal opportunity employer committed to building inclusive, innovative work environments with employees who reflect our communities and enthusiastically serve them. Therefore, in all aspects of the employment process, we provide employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, creed, ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic information, or military status (with preference given to military veterans), or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law.

ADAAA Accommodations

The Office of the Governor is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to our ADAAA Staffing Coordinator, the Director of Human Resources: [e-mail]