SMALL BUSINESS FINANCIAL COUNSELLOR 

BRISBANE NORTHSIDE (work from home in Brisbane with ongoing face-to-face client and stakeholder engagements in the Northern Suburbs of Brisbane)

Full time 

Contract to 30 June 2024 (possibility of extension)

THE ORGANISATION

Rural Solutions Queensland Inc (RSQ) is a leading not-for-profit organisation providing services to support the sustainability of rural and small businesses and their communities. Key programs that we deliver include the Rural Financial Counselling Service, Business Wellness Coaching Program and the Small Business Financial Counselling Service across Southern Queensland. These programs are funded by the Australian Government and Queensland Government. 

With offices based across our Southern Queensland service region, we believe in having our people embedded in the communities we support. RSQ has received consecutive funding to deliver the Rural Financial Counselling Service since October 2006 and has delivered the Queensland Government Small Business Financial Counselling Service since early 2020. Our funding for this valuable program has just been extended to 30 June 2024 with the possibility of further funding beyond this date.

THE ROLE

Within the Queensland Government funded Small Business Financial Counselling Program, we are seeking to appoint a Small Business Financial Counsellor on the northern side of Brisbane. This forms part of our Small Business Support Network and shall work collaboratively with our established Small Business Financial Counsellors and Business Wellness Coaches throughout Southern Queensland, focusing on Small Businesses located within the northside Brisbane suburbs (existing Small Business Financial Counsellors are located on the Sunshine Coast and Southside Brisbane, as well as the Gold Coast, Wide Bay and Central Queensland).

The focus of this role is to support small businesses in Southern Queensland who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, financial difficulty by:

• operating as a support network with other Rural and Small Business Financial Counsellors and Business Wellness Coaches,
• completing a financial analysis consisting of a business’s annual cashflow budget/s, statement of assets and liabilities, cashflow analysis and options for business improvement
• when appropriate, assist operators to negotiate arrangements with their financial institutions, landlords and/or creditors
• encourage operators to seek professional advice to develop longer term strategies and plans to improve preparedness
• refer operators to a network of professional service providers for advice with legal, accounting and financial planning and investment matters and social and welfare matters.

Eligible clients for this program are businesses who are:

• small business enterprises located in Southern Queensland, and
• experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, financial hardship.

In undertaking their role, a Small Business Financial Counsellor shall help clients to:

• understand their financial position
• understand the benefits and drawbacks of different options to manage financial issues
• develop budgets and cashflows
• negotiate with creditors
• access dispute resolution services
• understand their rights and access broader professional advice and support, and
• access government and community grants, programs or schemes.

Small Business Financial Counsellors do not provide financial advice, family, emotional or social counselling or prepare business plans but do provide referrals to appropriate professionals (including the Business Wellness Coaching program).

KEY REQUIREMENTS OF THE ROLE

To be successful in the role of Small Business Financial Counsellor, knowledge of the following shall be required or need to be rapidly obtained:

• cashflow budgeting and financial analysis
• business and enterprise planning
• small business issues and challenges in the current economic climate
• small business viability assessment
• loan structures and small business lending practices
• banker/creditor negotiation
• current class C driver licence
• Microsoft Office (required) and Salesforce (desirable) applications.

In addition, a Small Business Financial Counsellor needs to be equipped with a professional and empathetic outlook, combined with proven communication and interpersonal skills. Counsellors also need to be able to work autonomously whilst remaining part of a small and close-knit team. Undertaking outreach and associated activities to promote the service to potential clients is a key requirement of the role.

DIPLOMA OF FINANCIAL COUNSELLING

All Financial Counsellors need to either hold or be prepared to obtain a Diploma of Financial Counselling. Applicants who already hold this diploma shall be highly regarded. If not held, applicants must be prepared to commence study towards the diploma within three months of starting employment and obtain the diploma within two years. Diploma costs shall be met by Rural Solutions Queensland Inc.

REMUNERATION 

Base salary of $95,267 for a full-time position (without diploma) OR $99,333 once the Diploma of Financial Counselling is attained, plus superannuation. As a not-for-profit, all employees have access to salary sacrificing of up to $18,550 p.a. including rent and living expenses via AccessPay. Portable Long Service Leave contributions are paid to QLeave.

Four weeks annual recreation leave are included in the package, plus four additional days (one per quarter) of professional, health and development leave (PHD leave). Further information on the Small Business Financial Counselling Service and the role of a Financial Counsellor is located at www.sbfcssq.org.au

TO APPLY

Please submit your resume, cover letter and responses to the following selection criteria to [email protected] by 8am Tuesday 16th January 2023 or contact our team on 1300 732 777 for further information. 

Note: Applications without selection criteria shall not be considered.

Selection criteria 

1. Detail your experience and ability to conduct detailed financial analysis of a small business client’s position, including viability assessments, cashflow analysis, forward budgeting and risk analysis.
2. Detail your ability and preparedness to provide mentoring to individual and client groups regarding business improvement and resilience opportunities.
3. Provide an overview of your prior experience in supporting small businesses to negotiate for creditors, banks and other parties. 
4. Summarise your experience in planning and managing your own workflow to achieve set outcomes whilst working as part of a dispersed team. Please also detail your understanding of the OH&S requirements of operating autonomously.
5. Detail your experience in undertaking outreach activities to raise awareness of the Small Business Financial Counselling Service to clients and amongst industry stakeholders (e.g. holding seminars and info sessions, participating at field days, conducting stakeholder engagement).

Following completion of an interview process, the successful candidate shall be required to undergo a criminal history check and qualification check and may be requested to complete a medical check.