Careers

Position Summary

The Procurement Counselor is a staff member of EMDC’s Maine APEX Accelerator (APEX) program, helping businesses to grow and create a positive and measurable impact on the Maine economy. This position will provide counseling, training, and technical assistance to clients, advising them on how to identify potential contracting opportunities and obtain contracts with the Department of Defense, other federal agencies, state and/or local governments, and prime government contractors.

Specific responsibilities include one-on-one counseling and training with business clients. This position requires strong client counseling skills and the ability to build professional relationships with government agencies and prime contractors. While experience in the government contracting marketplace is preferred, we welcome candidates with experience as educators/trainers who possess a strong interest and aptitude for learning government contracting regulations and procedures and then teaching them to business clients. You must genuinely enjoy talking with and helping people to be successful in this role.

This position is based in Oxford, Franklin, and Androscoggin counties in Maine and requires the ability to work independently with minimal supervision. The role involves regular travel throughout the state (primarily within your assigned region), annual out-of-state travel, and flexibility to support after-hours events, trainings, and client needs. The position is partially remote, requiring a high level of self-management, adaptability, and accountability.

Essential Functions

• Build relationships with businesses and guide them through the process of finding, bidding, and performing on government contracts and subcontracts, assessing their capacity/suitability for government contracting through individualized counseling and ongoing communication.
• Assist businesses with government registrations and certifications; interpretation of regulations; identifying opportunities; marketing to government buyers; proposal development; post-award activities; and more.
• Develop and deliver workshops/webinars on specific topics of interest in government procurement.
• Develop and maintain relationships with federal, state, and local government agencies and prime contractors, as well as with other business resource providers throughout the region.
• Research and keep up to date on relevant contracting opportunities, process or regulatory changes, procurement systems, and multiple award schedules as required.
• Keep detailed and accurate records of counseling activities and client progress.
• Conduct professional activities in accordance with the highest standards of ethics and integrity and avoid any real or perceived conflicts of interest.
• Other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

• Requires a high level of professionalism, energy and enthusiasm.
• Successful incumbents are highly motivated.
• Requires working in a team environment.
• Requires strong problem-solving skills

• Must be capable of managing their workload independently exercising sound judgment, and proactively creating tasks and goals without close supervision.

Core Competencies

Computer skills – Skilled in the use of computers, adapts to new technology, learns new programs quickly, and uses computers to improve productivity.

Customer service – Handles customer and vendor questions and complaints, handles service problems politely and efficiently, always available during working hours for customers, follows procedure to solve customer problems, understands company products and services, maintains pleasant and professional image.

Dependability – Meets commitments, works independently, accepts accountability, handles change, sets personal standards, stays focused under pressure, and meets attendance/punctuality requirements.

Integrity/Ethics – Deals with others in a straightforward and honest manner, is accountable for actions, maintains confidentiality, supports company values, and conveys good news and bad.

Teamwork – Meets all team deadlines and responsibilities, listens to others and values opinions, helps team leader to meet goals, welcomes newcomers and promotes a team atmosphere.

Position Competencies:

Communication – Communicates well both verbally and in writing, creates accurate and punctual reports, delivers presentations, shares information and ideas with others, has good listening skills.

Customer Focus – Builds customer confidence, is committed to increasing customer satisfaction, sets achievable customer expectations, assumes responsibility for solving customer problems, ensures commitments to customers are met, solicits opinions and ideas from customers, responds to internal customers.

Decision Making/Judgment – Recognizes problems and responds, systematically gathers information, sorts through complex issues, seeks input from others, addresses root cause of issues, makes timely decisions, can make difficult decisions, uses consensus when possible, and communicates decisions to others.

Initiative – Tackles problems and takes independent action, seeks out new responsibilities, acts on opportunities, generates new ideas, practices self-development.

Job Knowledge – Understands duties and responsibilities, has necessary job knowledge, has necessary technical skills, understands company mission/values, keeps job knowledge current, and is in command of critical issues.

Listening Skills – Listens attentively to others, asks clarifying questions, actively listens, stays open to other viewpoints, and manages distractions and interruptions.

Problem Solving/Analysis – Breaks down problems into smaller components, understands underlying issues, can simplify and process complex issues, and understands the difference between critical details and unimportant facts.

Results Focus – Targets and achieves results, sets challenging goals, prioritizes tasks, overcomes obstacles, accepts accountability, sets team standards and responsibilities, provides leadership/motivation.

Education/Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (any discipline) and two years or more of business or education/training assistance.
• This is a training and counseling position, so those skills will be weighed heavily.
• Preferred experience: Three years or more of federal government contracting or training experience, either within government, private industry, or an APEX Accelerator.

Working Conditions

• General business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, though exempt positions will typically require work outside of general business hours, including evenings or occasional weekends.
• This position is partially remote and requires a reliable home office setup.
• Regular in-state travel is required, as well as annual out-of-state travel for professional development and program obligations.
• Work is generally performed in an indoor, professional office environment, though travel requires adaptability to a variety of settings.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, talk, listen, and use a keyboard for typing. The employee is often required to stand and walk. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus. The employee must provide their own reliable transportation.
• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Eastern Maine Development Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.