Job Openings & Updates

Current Job Openings for County Economic Developers in Minnesota 

Entrepreneurship Program Manager - SWIF

Posting Time frame: 11/27/2024 – December 20, 2024
Salary Range:  $65,990 - $82,488

Are you passionate about driving economic development and fostering entrepreneurship? This role is pivotal in shaping the program's direction, with a primary focus on entrepreneurship programming/education, business financing, and special initiatives. As the Entrepreneurship Program Manager, you will provide leadership in technical assistance and business coaching, relationship management, coordination of resource providers and partners, professional communication, and outreach and marketing.  The position works directly with prospective and current loan clients and other entrepreneurs and business leaders, in addition to project partners, economic development organizations, program funders, and technical assistance partners to drive success of our economic development initiatives.
 
The successful candidate should have a minimum of five years’ experience in economic development, business finance, and working directly with entrepreneurs and small business owners.  A demonstrated passion for rural entrepreneurship and economic development is a must!   Essential for success is a demonstrated ability to act independently, apply discretion, think critically, negotiate, persuade, and manage government funding programs; in addition to strong situational awareness and self-awareness to act empathetically in difficult and complex situations.  Knowledge of economic development, commercial finance, business operations and management, business technical assistance, fundamentals of entrepreneurship, strong written and verbal communication skills, and experience with program management and stakeholder relationships is also critical.
 
If you are excited about making a meaningful impact on economic development throughout the region, possess the requisite experience, and embody the passion for rural economic development, we invite you to apply. Be a part of our team and contribute to the growth of our region! Here is the link to check out the full job description and to apply for this job opportunity https://swifoundation.org/whats-new/careers/.

We believe that dignity and belonging are core human values and that all people deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential.
We are a human-centered organization and acknowledge that people have different needs and aspirations. We commit to removing barriers that prevent full participation in southwest Minnesota’s abundant opportunities. We use our resources to create opportunities for all people to thrive in the communities they call home.

Our Commitment
As part of our mission and vision, we strive to recruit, hire, develop, engage, support, and promote women, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, neurodiverse individuals, veterans, and others who have been historically marginalized. We are committed to equitable practices, total compensation, and an organizational culture that ensures all SWIF employees thrive.

The Southwest Initiative Foundation is an equal-opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. We encourage candidates of all backgrounds to apply.

Funding Specialist - WIDSETH

Job Summary

The Funding Specialist researches, prepares, and administers grants and funding to meet the needs of municipal clients. As part of Widseth’s funding department, this individual will prepare funding requests related to engineering and community projects and perform funding compliance and administration tasks. If you have experience in grant writing and enjoy challenges, while being part of a high energy team, this could be the perfect opportunity for you.

Your focus will be: 

• Performing online research to demonstrate need.

• Completing persuasive, high-quality written funding requests to meet agency requirements, (e.g. DEED, MnDOT and others) 

• Review and understand financial documents to prepare budgets to meet funding agency requirements.

• Complete application forms and documents with minimal guidance. (e.g., Public Facilities Authority, USDA-Rural Development)

• Assembling and evaluating detailed labor compliance documentation. 

• Organizing grant administration reports to ensure agency requirements are met. 

• Communicating internally, as well as with clients, as part of a large integrated team. 

Requirements we are looking for:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting, finance, public administration, planning, or other related major.

• Proven work experience as a Funding Specialist, Grant Writer, or similar role.

• Ability to review and understand technical documents and funding guidelines.

• Community development experience.

• Exceptional organizational skills with attention to detail

• Excellent grammar, proofreading and writing skills.

• Exceptional customer service.

• Attention to detail.

• Flexibility in schedule to travel. 

Widseth provides competitive compensation, discretionary annual profit-sharing bonuses, health insurance, life insurance, short-term disability, paid time off, paid holidays and more.   

Recognized by Prairie Business Magazine as one of the 50 Best Places to Work, consider joining the hard working, fun, and supportive environment at Widseth where every day we strive to enable our core purpose:  Create Value.  Inspire Greatness.

Apply here

Please send any job openings to blibal@mncounties.org 

Economic Development Updates

Please check back later for new economic development updates.

Updates and job postings are subject to change without notice. For further details, please visit the link(s) on this page.