Ombudsman Specialist - Public Service Coordinator I

$66,206 - $94,058/Yr

State Of Maine - Augusta, ME

Full-time - Entry Level

Augusta, ME

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support

About the position

The Ombudsman Specialist - Public Service Coordinator I position at the State of Maine's Office of Business Development is designed to assist businesses throughout the state by providing resources and support for their growth and development. This role involves responding to inquiries from businesses, facilitating connections with state resources, and proactively reaching out to assist with expansion opportunities. The position requires frequent travel within Maine to meet with businesses and provide tailored assistance.

Responsibilities

• Provide detailed assistance to businesses by identifying funding, workforce, trade, site selection, and other resources.
• Meet one-on-one with businesses throughout all regions of the State, with frequent road travel within Maine (approximately two days per week).
• Help small and medium-sized businesses navigate available resources to support business startup and growth.
• Field inquiries from Maine businesses regarding business licensing, access to resources, or troubleshooting barriers from State government.
• Support the Small Business Development Manager, Large Business Development Manager, and Director on investment attraction, domestic trade, and entrepreneurship support.
• Assist the Economic Development Incentives Manager with assembling incentive packages for prospective investors.
• Provide staffing support to legislatively directed efforts, such as the Blue Economy Task Force.
• Facilitate connections with other state agencies and programs to resolve issues.
• Assist with website upgrades, Salesforce, and other applications used by the Office.
• Support all facets of OBD procurement, including RFP development and contract processing.
• Address constituent service needs and respond to inquiries via phone and email with professionalism and courtesy.
• Perform administrative tasks, including coordinating meetings, preparing forms, entering data, and conducting short-term research.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• Four years of directly related training, education, and/or professional level experience in public/business administration.
• Experience communicating and collaborating with businesses.
• Prior experience with business development and State of Maine government processes.
• Knowledge of the challenges and opportunities faced by small and medium-sized businesses.
• Proven track record of helping businesses overcome obstacles to meet their goals.
• Knowledge of economic development and workforce strategies, including Maine's 10-Year Economic Development Strategy.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task and complete a variety of tasks on time.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Salesforce is preferred.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with policy and program development, analysis, and implementation.
• Direct experience with businesses in Maine.

Benefits

• 13 paid holidays
• 12 days of sick leave
• 3+ weeks of vacation leave annually
• Health insurance coverage with 85%-95% of employee-only premiums paid by the State
• 100% of employee-only dental premiums paid by the State
• Retirement plan with 18.09% contribution towards MainePERS
• Extensive and highly competitive benefits package covering various aspects of wellness.