State Director Small Business Development Center Network

America's SBDC represents a nationwide network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs). SBDCs are hosted by leadinguniversities, colleges, state economic development agencies and private partners, and funded in part through a partnership with the U.S.Small Business Administration. There are nearly 1,000 local centers providing no-cost business consulting and low-cost training tonew and existing businesses across the country. 
Fort Hays State University, the statewide host for the Kansas Small BusinessDevelopment Centers (Kansas SBDC) network, seeks a State Director to provide innovative leadership, funding advocacy, and operational andadministrative oversight of the statewide network of eight regional, three specialty service centers, one marketing/call center, and fouroutreach centers. Position is located in the State of Kansas with the expectation of significant time spent in Topeka, Kansas and travel toregional centers located throughout the state on a regular basis.
The State Director of the Kansas SBDC network is a full-timeposition responsible for: establishing strategic priorities; securing annual funding to sustain the program; cultivating relationships withpublic and private stakeholders and partners; compliance with all federal, state and other grants; maximizing financial resources; settingexpectations, policies and systems to achieve performance results; internal and external communications; managing staff; and building aculture of inclusiveness, teamwork, transparency, ethics, accountability, and high performance. The position requires extensive travel bothin and out of state, and frequent work outside of standard working hours.
The primary purpose of the network is to provide smallbusiness (existing and prospective) entrepreneurs with the information, education, technical support, and counseling to start, sustain andgrow their businesses. The SBDC is performance driven and focuses on tangible direct benefits that produce strong economic impact in areasthat include capital formation, business creation, revenue growth, job creation and retention, and firm sustainability.
The KansasSBDC State Director is expected to work closely with public and private sector partners across Kansas and must have the ability to work withdiverse groups of people; excellent communication skills; and proficiency in management information systems and common productivitysoftware. The State Director leads a collaborative effort with the Kansas SBDC Network to ensure consistent statewide service delivery, withclear strategic direction, continuous improvement, and statewide evaluation of service delivery. The State Director is the PrincipalInvestigator overseeing a budget of $3.0 million and a statewide team of 35 full-time and 25 part-time employees/contractors.
Underthe general direction of the Fort Hays State University Provost, responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Provideleadership to the network of Kansas Small Business Development Centers to achieve the program's strategic objectives. Securefunding and administer contracts from State and Federal funding partners and ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, OMBcirculars and Executive Orders, the annual Cooperative Agreement with the SBA, and ASBDC accreditation standards. Develop andexecute strategic planning for the network in accordance with ASBDC accreditation standards. Manage the network for accomplishmentof mandatory grant deliverables, strategic objectives, client satisfaction, and maintain accreditation, if applicable. Establish aregular and effective schedule of communication and engagement with major funding and resource partners including college and universitypresidents and federal and state agency representatives, as well as other important constituencies such as SBA national, regional anddistrict offices, Kansas SBDC Center Directors, private funding representatives, federal and state legislators, and other organizationsserving businesses. Develop and maintain support and cooperation from host colleges and universities, including negotiating andexecuting annual subcontracts with these institutions for the operation of Kansas SBDC Network center programs. Allocate resourcesnecessary to meet the SBDC mission, including developing and managing the Kansas SBDC Network Lead Office annual budget, and approvingcenter annual budgets and work plans. Act as lead spokesperson to promote Kansas SBDC services to business owners and tostakeholders. Work effectively and collaborate with local, state, and federal organizations, agencies and advisory groups focusedon economic development, business development and entrepreneurship programs or services. Monitor and evaluate Kansas SBDCperformance to understand the nature of the network and to translate performance findings into priorities for improvement andinnovation. Provide leadership to support and leverage membership in the national Association of America's SBDCs, andrelationships with SBA national, regional and district offices. Build through respect, trust and collaboration public/privatecoalitions that strengthen Kansas SBDC services to small businesses. Utilize business and data analytics skills indecision-making. Manage Kansas SBDC Lead Office staff and provide leadership to promote performance excellence within a dispersedteam of indirect-report professional staff. Participate in hiring decisions for Kansas SBDC regional director positions. Manage theKansas SBDC Advisory Board. Utilize strong team building, negotiation and consensus building skills; strong verbal and writtencommunication skills as the position requires a significant number of public presentations and formal written reports. Interactwith leaders of other entrepreneur assistance programs across the country, exchange information and best practices, and learn from others inthe field. Represent the Kansas SBDC and Fort Hays State University at local, state, and national meetings. Assumeadditional responsibilities as assigned by the Fort Hays State University Provost. Required Qualifications: Bachelor's degree in business administration, public administration, or other related field, from a regionallyaccredited institution. Five years of experience for master's level candidates and seven years for bachelor'sprepared candidates with progressively responsible leadership experience in business, management, administration, and supervision; greaterexperience preferred. Five years for master's level candidates and seven years for bachelor's prepared candidates ofexperience managing staff; greater experience preferred. Ability to travel to across Kansas and surrounding states as required bythe position. Preferred Qualifications: Master's degree in business administration, publicadministration, or other related field, from a regionally accredited institution. Experience with budget and contract developmentand management/administration, resource development, and working with government agencies.  Experience advocating for anorganization or program with multiple constituencies. Five years progressive experience utilizing management information systemsfor decision making and strategic planning. Experience owning and operating a small business with employees or providing servicesto support entrepreneurs and small businesses. Experience with higher education administration. Experience in workingeffectively with board members, business and community representatives, entrepreneurs, resource partners, government agencies, faculty,support staff, legislators, media and other diverse constituencies. Excellent verbal and written communications skills. Experience working in business development, community development, commercial lending, and/or sponsored programming. Salary Range: In addition to salary, an excellent fringe benefit package is provided
How to apply: To be considered a candidatefor this position, please provide: A cover letter addressing how you meet the required qualifications, detailed resume, andcontact information for three professional references.
Review of applications will commence on April 9, 2024
Application Process: To apply for this position, please visit . Only electronicapplications submitted through the webpage will be accepted.
If you have questions regarding the position, pleasecontact: Dr. Melissa Hunsicker Walburn
Community of Hays FHSU is located in Hays, a vibrant collegetown of approximately 20,000, located halfway between Kansas City and Denver on Interstate 70. Hays is the regional center for education,health care, professional services, shopping, culture, and recreation for the western half of Kansas. The community boasts excellentrecreational programs and facilities, including the comprehensive Center for Health Improvement, Hays Aquatic Park, Smoky Hill Country Club,Hays Municipal Golf Course, and extensive walking, running, and biking trails. Hays is within 45 minutes of two large lakes that offer greatopportunities for boating, fishing, and camping. The Hays Municipal Airport provides connecting service to Denver with several flightsdaily. The Hays community is home to excellent Pre-K and K-12, public and private schools. With over 60 restaurants, major retail outlets, alow unemployment rate, and very short commute times, the city provides a safe, welcoming, low-cost, high-quality living environment for theresidents who call "Hays, America" home.
Notice of Non-discrimination – Fort Hays State University is an EqualOpportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, national origin, color, age, marital status, sexualorientation, genetic information, disability or veteran status.
Background Check: Final candidate will haveconsented to and successfully completed a criminal background check.
Notice to KPERS retirees applying for a position: Recent legislation changes working-after-retirement rules for both you and your employer if you go back to work for a KPERSemployer. Please contact your KPERS representative or forfurther information on how this might affect you.