Job Details

Salary: $28.85 - $33.65 Hourly
Location : Roanoke, VA
Job Type: Part-Time
Job Number: 03090
Department: Economic Development
Division: Economic Development
Opening Date: 10/15/2025
Closing Date: 11/18/2025 11:59 PM Eastern

Description
The City of Roanoke is seeking a Small Business Advisor and Community Navigator to serve on the Small Business Development Center Team. This position will provide counseling, training, and business resources to help launch, grow and strengthen Virginia businesses - especially new and early-stage ventures. Our economic impact is measured and funded based on outcomes. The Greater Roanoke & NRV Team is comprised of fulltime and part time staff, and we utilize support from statewide programs and subject matter experts as needed. We are the region's small business champions and experts, serving the Greater Roanoke Valley, New River Valley, and the Alleghany Highlands. This position will work 20 hours/week.

Advisors provide confidential technical help to small business owners, generate new client leads, develop relationships with key administration officials, take part in the creation and delivery of workshops and products for the start-up and aspiring business owners, meet compliance with reporting requirements, collaborate on marketing efforts, and take part in local events and networking opportunities. Areas of advising will emphasize startup fundamentals, including business planning, feasibility testing, financing readiness, go-to-market strategies, and early operations, while also supporting ongoing finance, marketing, and operational needs.

Advisors assume responsibility, work without direct supervision, network effectively, exercise initiative and judgment, are curious, bring solutions to the table, show emotional intelligence, and make decisions within the scope of assigned authority. An entrepreneurial mindset and ability to guide clients through uncertainty are essential. We work in a fast-paced information-based environment and adapting quickly is key. In addition to working one-on-one with clients, advisors will also become involved in the local entrepreneur ecosystems. This includes engaging with potential and existing partners, developing client pipelines, and presenting at relevant events. This position is eligible for prorated benefits, which are adjusted to reflect hours worked or the timing of hire within the year.

The City of Roanoke is an Equal Employment Opportunity/AA/M/F/Disability Employer.

To elevate the performance of the organization, we are committed to respecting, celebrating, and embracing the collective mixture of differences and similarities between our employees as a rich tapestry. Our behaviors will demonstrate open communication, and we will seek opportunities to learn, recognizing and rewarding actions that promote acceptance while suspending judgment. By doing this, we will foster an inclusive, open work environment that delivers excellent service and creates a more vibrant and inviting community.

This is an exempt position.

Examples of Duties
Examples of Duties

Advising
• Meet one-on-one and in small groups with potential and existing small business owners to provide strategic and tactical assistance; • Help clients prepare business plans, cash-flow projections, loan proposals/packages, marketing strategies, and access

technology; • Supply guidance and resources to business and industry organizations, as necessary; • Participate in local initiatives to support small businesses; • Supply economic and statistical data and reports to existing and/or potential business owners, individuals, and state and local government; • Develop resources such as articles, checklists, guides, and other SBDC branded content. • Host small peer advising groups with established businesses.

Training and Presenting
• Collaborate with the Director on needs analysis, scheduling, and workflow of training, events, and programs;• Prepare and teach live and pre-recorded workshops; • Present to partner organizations on small business-related topics. Partner Development • Work effectively with local administration to find gaps, needs, and pipeline of clients; • Find, meet with, and develop ongoing partner relationships; • Assist locality, as able and approved by Director, with their entrepreneurial ecosystem development activities.

Operations
• Help with outreach to promote services and generate new leads. This may include short video tips, photos, and otherways to share and build trust with small businesses; • Maintain Key Performance Indictors and meet individual and team economic performance goals; • Maintain accurate and prompt system records; • Share resources, updates, and best practices with the team through Microsoft Teams and/or team meetings; • Supply reporting to localities on an annual basis; • Attend weekly Virginia SBDC meetings and training as offered.

Typical Qualifications
This position requires that you have advanced technical skills to supply a full range of assistance to small business owners or potential small business owners. You must be familiar with the environment in which small business owners operate. Ability to navigate Microsoft products, Google products, and apps is necessary. A BA/BS Degree in a business discipline with a preference for previous or current business ownership. Must be able to work in a fast-paced online environment, keeping up with multiple streams of information daily. We use Microsoft Teams and fully utilize technology and automations across the board for efficiency and scalability. Other qualifications include:

1. Seeks new ideas, viewpoints, and accepts change readily;

2. Practices confidentiality and does not have a conflict of interest;

3. Exhibits deep respect for small business owners and their challenges;

4. Practices equality principles;

5. Excellent written and verbal communication skills;

6. Ability to work without direct supervision, exercise initiative and good judgement, and make decisions within scope of work;

7. Maintain high standards of work habits and time management;
Overview of Benefits for Full-Time Employees:

Paid leave is time off from work available for use by an employee upon approval by supervisor. The first 24 consecutive leave hours for any illness must be charged to paid leave with additional time charged to extended illness leave. Paid leave for employees of the city shall accrue as follows:

Years of Service Hours Per Month Fire 24-hr shift Employees
0 - 4 12 19.75
5 - 9 14 22.75
10- 14 16 25.50
15 - 19 17 26.75
20 - 24 18 28.75
25 + 20 32

Extended Illness Leave: shall accrue at the rate of six (6) hours per month. Fire suppression employees shall accrue extended illness leave at nine (9) hours per month.
Funeral Leave: for family, up to three consecutive days.
Military Leave: Twenty-one work days per Federal fiscal year.
Holidays: The City provides 96 hours of annual paid holiday time.

Mental Health & Well-Being Leave: Employees receive 24 hours (Fire Suppression receives 34 hours) of Mental Health & Well-Being Leave upon hire. Certification of mental health diagnosis is not required and leave will not be paid out upon separation.

Shared Leave Bank (effective 1/1/2023): Voluntary membership for full-time Employees who will be out for an extended period of time and has exhausted all other forms of leave. Members are required to provide 8 hours of their Extended Illness per fiscal year and at least 8 hours per assessment. Assessments will be limimted to 4 times per fiscal year (max of 40 hours per fiscal year).

Health Insurance: Four coverage types are available: Employee only, Employee + 1 Child, Employee + Spouse and Family. Coverage is available through payroll deduction.

Additionally, the city offers the following three Aetna Health Plan Options:

PPO 750 - Provides 100% coverage for preventive care; lower deductible and out-of-pocket maximums than other medical plans; and has higher employee premiums. This is comparable to the current insurance program.
PPO/HRA 1500 - Provides 100% coverage for preventive care; has higher deductible and out-of-pocket maximum than the PPO 300 plan; has lower employee premiums than the PPO 300 plan; and the employer makes contributions to an account through a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA). The City of Roanoke contributes $500 for employee only coverage and $1,000 for all other tiers. Contributions are pro-rated dependent upon enrollment date.
PPO/HDHP-HSA - Provides 100% coverage for preventive care; has higher deductible and out-of-pocket maximum than other medical plans; has lower employee premiums; and both the employer and the employee make contributions to a Health Savings Account (HSA) to pay for medical expenses which apply to the deductible. The City of Roanoke contributes towards the Health Savings Account (HSA), $1,600 for employee only coverage and $3,100 for all other tiers. Contributions are pro-rated dependent upon enrollment date.

Optum RX (Pharmaceutical Benefits Manager) - Manages pharmacy benefits, processes employee pharmacy claims and answers employee pharmacy benefit questions.

Aetna Health Plan 2025 Monthly Rates
PPO 750
Employee Only: $74.49
Employee + Child: $278.42
Employee + Spouse: $653.08
Family: $714.04

PPO/HRA 1500
Employee Only: $48.24
Employee + Child: $236.42
Employee + Spouse: $600.58
Family: $609.04

PPO/HDHP-HSA
Employee Only: $22.81
Employee + Child: $177.93
Employee + Spouse $498.08
Family: $500.51

Dental Insurance: Four coverage types are available: Family, Employee and Spouse, Employee and Child, and Employee only. Coverage is available through payroll deduction.

Delta Dental 2025 Monthly Rates
Employee: $2.80
Employee/Child: $18.88
Employee/Spouse: $18.88
Family: $49.36

Life Insurance: Paid by the City at no cost to employees. Coverage is equal to the annual salary rounded to the next highest thousand and then doubled. For an accidental death, the coverage would be twice this amount.

Optional Life Insurance: Paid by the employee. Various amounts of coverage, including family members, available through payroll deduction.

Long Term Disability Insurance: Designed to provide a monthly benefit to assist employees with bills and maintaining a standard of living when disabled as a result of a covered sickness or injury. Coverage is available through payroll deduction. Annual cost is your annual salary multiplied by .00255. This amount is half of the total premium and the City pays the other half.

Retirement: Employees contribute 5% of salary and choose between participating in a traditional defined benefit plan or a hybrid program. Employees vest in the employer component of either plan upon completing five (5) years of service.

Defined Benefit Pension Plan: Normal retirement after 55th birthday, and when combination of age and creditable service equals 85; or, 65th birthday if completed at least five years of creditable service. For sworn officers in Police and Fire/EMS, normal retirement after 50th birthday, and when combination of age and service equals 75; or, 65th birthday or older with 5 years of creditable service. An annual retirement benefit equals 2.0% of salary (based on an average of the highest five years) times the number of creditable years with a maximum of 63%. Early retirement options are available and reductions may apply based on age and service.

Hybrid Program: Provides the characteristics of the traditional pension plan with that of a deferred compensation plan. The pension plan provides an annual benefit equaling 1% of salary (based on an average of the highest five years) times the number of creditable years with a maximum of 63%. The deferred compensation component provides for the employee contribution to be deposited in an account directed by the member. The combination of the two components is structured to provide approximately the same actuarial benefit as the Defined Benefit Pension Plan. International City Management Association - Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC) provides the third party administration of this deferred compensation plan for participating employees.

Sheriff's Department Employees are covered b the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). Previous service covered by VRS may be portable to the Roanoke Retirement System.

Retirement Health Savings Plan: All employees contribute 1% of salary to a 401(h) health savings account. Employees vest in the City match of 1% upon completing five (5) years of service. International City Management Association - Retirement Corporation (ICMA-RC) provides the third party administration of this plan for participating employees.
Deferred Compensation: Employees may voluntarily contribute salary deferred dollars into a City Sponsored 457 Plan. International City Management Association - Empower provides the third party administration of this deferred compensation plan for participating employees.

Flexible Spending Account: Allows employees to set aside pre-tax dollars from their pay checks to pay for child care and/or medical and dental expenses not covered by the City's health care or dental plans. You may also set aside pre-tax dollars to cover certain transit or parking expenses. Keep in mind only transit or parking expenses may be rolled over from year to year.

Virginia College Savings Plan: Two plans to choose from at a reduced application fee, Virginia Prepaid Education Program and the Virginia Education Savings Trust.

Employee Health Services: The City employee health services provides medical care for employees, retirees, and eligible spouses.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Support services available to assist employees facing life challenges.

Pay Days: Direct deposit is required for all new employees. Paid bi-weekly, 26 pay periods per year.

Vision Insurance: Paid by the Employee. Includes annual routine eye exam, discounts on eyeglass frames, eyeglass lenses and contact lenses.
CEC 2025 Monthly Rates
Employee: $6.68
Employee/Spouse: $12.69
Employee/Child(ren): $13.36
Family: $19.71

Discounts & Voluntary Benefits: Employees may access discounts through various national and local retailers. Discounts include 10% off auto insurance and 5% off home or renters insurance with Liberty Mutual. Voluntary benefits offered through Corestream. Critical Illness, Accident Insurance and Cancer Policies will be available through Colonial Life and Long Term Care will be available through Transamerica. All voluntary benefits may be payroll deducted.