Small Business Development Specialist

Salary : $65,401.26 - $104,381.37 Annually
Location : Fort Lauderdale, FL
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 1414081
Department: OESBD Small Business
Opening Date: 12/23/2025
Closing Date: 1/9/2026 5:00 PM Eastern
Veterans' Preference Notice: Under Section 295.07, Florida Statutes, certain servicemembers and veterans, and the spouses and family members of such servicemembers and veterans, receive preference and priority, and certain servicemembers may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements, in employment with Broward County and are encouraged to apply for the positions being filled.
International Degree Verification: International degrees must be evaluated by an approved member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) www.naces.org/members or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) https://aice-eval.org/endorsed-members. Candidates are responsible for all evaluation expenses. Completed evaluations do not guarantee employment and are subject to approval by Broward County Human Resources.

REQUIREMENTS AND PREFERENCES
Benefits of Broward County Employment

High-Deductible Health Plan - Bi-Weekly Premiums:

Single $10.90 - Family $80.79

Includes County Funded Health Savings Account of up to $2,000 Annually

Consumer-Driven Health Plan - Bi-Weekly Premiums:

Single $82.58 - Family $286.79

Florida Retirement System (FRS) - Pension or Investment Plan

457 Deferred Compensation Employee Match

Eleven (11) Paid Holidays Each Year

Vacation (Paid Time Off) = 2 Weeks Per Year

Up to 40 Hours of Job Basis Leave for Eligible Positions

Tuition Reimbursement (Up to 2K Annually)

Paid Parental Leave
The Broward County Board of County Commissioners is seeking qualified candidates for Small Business Development Specialist.Broward County's Office of Economic and Small Business Development (OESBD) is seeking a motivated, detail-oriented Small Business Development Specialist to support and advance the County's small business participation programs. This position plays a critical role in ensuring access to County contracting opportunities, supporting compliance with regulations, and strengthening relationships with the business community and County agencies.

The ideal candidate is customer-focused and comfortable working across multiple stakeholders while managing detailed programmatic and compliance responsibilities. While providing compliance monitoring and contract oversight, the position has the opportunity to make an impact and advocate for and support small businesses.

General Description
Provides consistent oversight and contract monitoring in support of the County's small business programs.
Works under general supervision, independently developing work methods and sequences.

The incumbent in this position must be strong and efficient in the following areas: written and verbal communication skills, data collection and analytical skills, presentation and public speaking, and collaboration skills to help reach new groups and work with various organizations.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

Requires a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in business or closely related field.
(One year of relevant experience may be substituted for each year of required education.)

Requires two (2) years experience in the development and management of small business enterprises programs, specifically certification, compliance, outreach to targeted business communities, and program coordination or closely related experience.

Special Certifications and Licenses:

None.

Preferences:

• Master's degree or higher in business, public administration, economics or urban planning.
• Three (3) or more years of experience working with Federal DBE/ACDBE program and/or local small business development programs in certification, compliance, or both
• Three (3) or more years of experience working with public or private sector procurement processes, including services to vendors or vendor support
• Five (5) years of experience providing technical assistance to project manager, division director, prospective County vendors, small businesses, and the general public regarding regulations and programs to assist small businesses
• Certified Compliance Administrator (CCA) Certification
• Master Compliance Administrator (MCA) Certification

SCOPE OF WORK
The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the job as necessary.

• Reviews and processes applications for the County Business Enterprise and Small Business Enterprise Certification programs; contacts businesses for additional supporting documentation; researches other databases and/or websites for active status and affiliation issues.
• Adds/enters the business information in the Certified Firm Directory and approved certified businesses in Broward County Advantage System; maintains the business information in the internal certification tracking system.
• Creates and mails approval, denial and graduation letters for firms and businesses; performs on-site visits on applications with a commercial location; notifies certified firms of upcoming expiration of their certification.
• Serves as liaison to business community and conducts business visitations; performs miscellaneous research on issues affecting the County; provides technical assistance to the business community on a variety of topics.
• Monitors Broward County contracts with assigned requirements for compliance with local or federal regulations, as applicable, contractual obligations, and the spirit of the applicable small business program.
• Provides technical assistance to project managers, division directors, prospective County vendors, small businesses, and the general public regarding regulations and programs; establishes small business participation goals, based on review of goal assignment requests from project managers and requirements of project funding source.
• Ensures solicitation, contract, and subcontract documents contain appropriate language based on applicable funding source and related small business program to ensure consistent implementation of programs.
• Responds to inquiries from County agencies and vendors concerning services including assistance on how to submit requests.
• Evaluates requests for substitution and addition of subcontractors and manages complaints submitted by vendors regarding work on County contracts; oversees concession contracts at the airport for compliance with federal regulations, the County's concession program plan, and contract terms including conducting site visits, handling complaints and addressing violations.
• Prepares and submit the County's reports to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) detailing actual participation on all federally funded aviation projects compared to the triennial goal for aviation projects.
• Responds to inquiries and requests from internal and external clients concerning services: solicitation language reviews, general program inquiries, how to submit requests for services.
• Conducts research and gathers data from various federal, state, local and private organizations.
• Conducts availability and utilization analyses to determine underutilization of minority and woman-owned business participation and establishes race-neutral and race-specific goals accordingly with the Federal programs.
• Performs related work as assigned.

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Physical Demands

Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.

Performs sedentary work that involves walking or standing some of the time and involves exerting up to 10 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis or sustained keyboard operations.

Unavoidable Hazards (Work Environment)

Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.

Involves routine and frequent exposure to traffic; moving machinery.

SPECIAL INFORMATION

Competencies

• Manages Complexity

Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. Looks at complex issues from multiple angles; explores issues to uncover underlying issues and root causes; sees the main consequences and implications of different options.

• Action Oriented

Takes on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm. Takes timely action on important or difficult issues. Identifies and pursues new opportunities that benefit the organization.

• Plans and Aligns

Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. Outlines clear plans that put actions in a logical sequence; conveys some time frames. Aligns own work with relevant workgroups. Takes some steps to reduce bottlenecks and speed up the work.

• Drives Results

Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances. Devotes considerable effort to surpassing goals and achieving the best possible results; goes above and beyond to achieve excellence. Drives ahead with great focus when faced with obstacles and setbacks; maintains productivity and a positive attitude.

• Interpersonal Savvy

Relates openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people. Takes time to build rapport in meetings; speaks about common interests and priorities; shows tact and sensitivity in difficult interpersonal situations. Maintains productive relationships with a wide variety of people and from a range of backgrounds.

• Builds Networks

Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization. Reaches out to connect with people in a wide variety of functions and areas well beyond own team. Creates strong relationships with key contacts and uses these to achieve results and expand own network.

• Communicates Effectively

Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. Tailors communication content and style to the needs of others. Pays attention to others' input and perspectives, asks questions, and summarizes to confirm understanding.

• Persuades

Uses compelling arguments to gain the support and commitment of others. Convinces others through a variety of means and methods of persuasion, including well-reasoned rationale. Recognizes when compromise is necessary and shifts approach to accommodate others.

County Core Values
All Broward County employees strive to demonstrate the County's four core behavioral competencies.

• Collaborates: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Customer focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Instills trust: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Values differences: Recognizing the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance

Broward County is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to inclusion. Broward County is committed to providing equal opportunity and reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. We support the hiring of people with disabilities; therefore, if you require assistance due to a disability, please contact the Professional Standards Section in advance at 954-357-6500 or email Profstandards@broward.org to make an accommodation request.
Emergency Management Responsibilities

Note: During emergency conditions, all County employees are automatically considered emergency service workers. County employees are subject to being called to work in the event of a disaster, such as a hurricane, or other emergency situation and are expected to perform emergency service duties, as assigned.
County-wide Employee Responsibilities

All Broward County employees must serve the public and fellow employees with honesty and integrity in full accord with the letter and spirit of Broward County's Employee Code of Ethics, gift, and conflict of interest policies.
All Broward County employees must establish and maintain effective working relationships with the general public, co-workers, elected and appointed officials and members of diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, political affiliation, familial status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or gender identity and expression.
Broward is a dynamic county that offers an exciting, stable career with incredible employee benefits such as 11 annual holidays, accrued annual/vacation and sick leave, FRS retirement, $50,000 of free life insurance, training and development, and participation eligibility in a deferred compensation (457) plan with a match up to $2,600. In addition, Broward County offers 2 health plans, a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) with a County-funded Health Savings Account (HSA), and a Consumer Driven Health plan (CDH), Dental insurance, Vision insurance and Section 125 Flexible spending accounts for Medical Expenses and Dependent Care. Part-time 20+ benefit eligible employees receive the benefits described above at a reduced amount.
01

What is your highest level of education obtained in business or closely related field?

• No Degree
• Associate's Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Master's Degree
• Doctorate

02

Please indicate your field of study. If you do not hold a degree, enter N/A.
03

How many years of experience have you obtained in the development and management of small business enterprise programs, specifically certification, compliance, outreach to targeted business communities, and program coordination or closely related experience?

• Less than 2 years
• 2 - 3 years
• 4 - 5 years
• 6 or more years

04

How many years of experience have you obtained in working with small business enterprise programs, providing technical assistance to small businesses, advising small businesses, or closely related experience?

• Less than 2 years
• 2 - 3 years
• 4 - 5 years
• 6 years or more

05

Describe your experience and/or understanding of the Federal U.S. Department of Transportation Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concessions Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (ACDBE) programs.
06

What tools or software have you used to prepare reports?
07

Our activity is heavily dependent on cooperation with a variety of stakeholders of all types, both within and outside the organization. What is your approach or philosophy in building relationships?
08

What are some key principles in working with small businesses in a culturally diverse community like South Florida?
09

Give an example of how you have balanced administrative process requirements with the need to meet deadlines.
10

Activities of a Small Business Development Specialist require making calls and following up to ensure that information is received. What is your philosophy and/or approach to communicating with others to ensure that projects are completed?
11

Small Business Development Specialists work to create opportunities for small businesses to participate in county procurement, and they serve as advocates. In what areas have you advocated for small businesses or worked to create opportunities for small businesses?
12

This position is responsible for monitoring contracts to ensure compliance with local and federal small business participation programs. Provide examples of your experience doing this type of work and the steps you followed to address non-compliance.
Required Question

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