Grant Specialist (Business Advisor)

Texas State University; San Marcos (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

Professional development opportunities

Retirement plan

Job summary

Texas State University in San Marcos seeks a Grant Specialist (Business Advisor) to provide confidential one-on-one advising and data-driven guidance to small-business clients served by the SBDC. The advisor translates client goals and market data into clear recommendations and actionable plans.

The role includes delivering workshops, maintaining client records in Neoserra, and collaborating with community partners while meeting SBA program requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Management, Public Administration, Education, or related field.
• Two years of experience in marketing, market research, business development, consulting, or related field; master's may substitute for one year.
• Experience applying quantitative and qualitative research methods, data analysis, and performance measurement.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective relationships with clients, staff, departments, and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, maintain confidentiality, and meet deadlines.
• Experience in consulting, advisory, account management, or client services with direct client interaction.
• Willingness to complete advisor certification and development requirements of the SBDC.

Responsibilities

• Provide confidential one-on-one advising on marketing strategy, customer acquisition, branding, market research, and business planning.
• Assess client needs and develop practical action plans covering audiences, value propositions, go-to-market strategies, and channels.
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
• Help clients develop marketing plans and performance measures to prioritize spending and track results.
• Deliver workshops, webinars, and presentations on marketing, market research, and growth topics.
• Build relationships with community, industry, lending, government, and university partners; represent the SBDC at events.
• Maintain accurate client records in Neoserra and work toward center performance goals.
• Manage assigned projects and contribute to process improvements.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job description

San Marcos, TX

Texas State University

Grant Specialist (Business Advisor)

Posting Number: 2027162

Location: Austin

Department: Small Business Development Center

Recruitment Type: University-Wide Recruiting, OpenRecruiting

Job Type: Full-Time

Monthly Salary:

Job Category: Exempt

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Management, Public Administration, Education, or a related field.
• Two (2) years of experience in marketing, market research, business development, consulting, or a related field. A master's degree in a related field may substitute for one (1) year of the required experience.
• Experience applying quantitative and qualitative research methods, data analysis, and performance measurement to develop business or marketing recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with clients, staff, university departments, community partners, and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, work independently, maintain confidentiality, and meet deadlines.
• Experience in consulting, advisory, account management, or client services, including working directly with clients, customers, business owners, and internal and external stakeholders to identify needs, manage relationships, and deliver effective solutions.
• Willingness to complete the advisor certification and professional development requirements of the SBDC network.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Marketing Research, Data Analytics, or a related business or data-focused discipline.
• Experience collecting and analyzing performance data to evaluate outcomes and support strategic decision-making.
• Experience conducting market research, competitive analysis, or business analysis and using findings to develop recommendations.
• Experience developing and implementing marketing, growth, brand, go-to-market, or market-entry strategies.
• Experience managing projects from initial concept through planning, execution, and completion.
• Experience working with Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), SBA-funded programs, or other federally or state-funded initiatives.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook), data analytics and visualization tools, marketing research databases, and customer relationship management (CRM) systems such as Neoserra.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to prepare reports, correspondence, promotional materials, and presentations.
• Bilingual or multilingual communication skills are preferred.

Job Description

Under the general direction of the SBDC Director, the Business Advisor, Marketing & Market Research applies market research, data analysis, and marketing methods to help small-business clients make data-based decisions and achieve sustainable growth. The Business Advisor provides confidential one-on-one advising to an assigned caseload of clients, translating client goals, market research, and business data into clear recommendations and practical action plans. The position also delivers workshops and training, works with community partners, maintains client records in Neoserra, and assists with center projects that improve how the SBDC serves clients. This position combines client advising, marketing, market research, data analysis, and training. Success requires the ability to build trust with clients, analyze business challenges, develop data-based recommendations, facilitate productive discussions, and help clients carry plans through to implementation. The Business Advisor reports to the SBDC Director (or designee), works independently on an assigned client caseload within established SBDC policies and SBA program requirements, and has no supervisory responsibilities.

Job Duties

• Provide confidential, one-on-one advising on marketing strategy, customer acquisition, branding, market research, sales growth, and business planning, with an emphasis on product-based businesses (CPG, manufacturing, retail, and food and beverage).
• Assess client needs and develop practical action plans covering target audiences, value propositions, go-to-market strategies, and sales and distribution channels.
• Conduct market research and competitive analysis, analyze client data, and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
• Help clients develop marketing plans and performance measures to prioritize spending and track results.
• Deliver workshops, webinars, and presentations on marketing, market research, and business growth topics.
• Build relationships with community, industry, lending, government, and university partners; represent the SBDC at events and connect clients with specialized resources.
• Maintain accurate client records in Neoserra and work toward center performance goals (e.g., advising hours, capital accessed, jobs created or retained, and new business starts).
• Manage assigned projects and contribute tools and process improvements that strengthen center services.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Scope of Responsibility

• The Business Advisor reports to the SBDC Director (or designee), works independently on an assigned client caseload within established SBDC policies and SBA program requirements, and has no supervisory responsibilities.

Additional Information to Applicants

Job Open Date: 11/11/2026

Job Close Date: 11/15/2026

Open Until Filled: No

Normal Work Days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday

Normal Work Hours Start: 8:00AM

Normal Work Hours End: 5:00PM

Applicant must have a valid Texas Driver's License and be a driver in good standing with less than ten (10) points deducted for driving infractions as determined by the employer driving standards system.

Legal and Required Notices

Texas State University is committed to a policy of non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal or state law in employment, educational programs, and activities and admissions.

Employment with Texas State University is contingent upon the outcome of record checks and verifications including, but not limited to, criminal history, driving records, education records, employment verifications, reference checks, and employment eligibility verifications.

In accordance with federal law, all new employees must complete the Form I-9 and provide acceptable documentation verifying their identity and authorization to work in the United States. Texas State University participates in E-Verify, and employment is contingent upon the successful verification of work authorization. Employees are required to maintain valid work authorization to satisfy the conditions of Form I-9 at all times during their employment and the university makes no implicit or explicit promises to financially support visa or permanent residency applications.

About Texas State and San Marcos

Texas State University is an emerging research institution located in the burgeoning Austin-San Antonio corridor and in the beautiful Texas Hill Country. It is the largest of eight campuses in the Texas State University System and one of the 75 largest universities in the country, with over 38,000 students and approximately 4,000 faculty and staff.

Texas State is located in San Marcos, a growing community of over 50,000 people located about half way between Austin and San Antonio. Texas State enjoys a setting that is unique among Texas universities. The beauty of the crystal-clear San Marcos River and the stately cypress and pecan trees on the campus add to the charm of the university's picturesque setting. Our location on the banks of the San Marcos River provides outdoor recreational activities throughout the year.

Why work @ Texas State?

• Amazing health insurance: various coverage options starting your first day of employment for full-time employees with Texas State paying 100% of the employee premium and 50% for your dependents!
• Generous paid time off: vacation, holidays, sick days and many more!
• Excellent work life balance resources: mother and family-friendly resources in addition to a comprehensive FREE wellness program
• Great professional development opportunities: choose from a variety of workshops, training, online learning and even access educational leave opportunities and reimbursement for academic courses
• An inclusive Bobcat community: join our many social networks offered on and off-campus
• Retirement peace of mind: TRS pension, retirement plans and voluntary saving options with generous employer contributions