Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago
(ICNC)
Job Description
Director, Illinois SBDC International
Trade Center (ITC)
320 North Damen, 1st
floor, Chicago, IL 60612 312-421-3941 FAX 312-421-1871 www.industrialcouncil.com
ICNC works to strengthen the companies in the
Kinzie Industrial Corridor on Chicago's Nearwest Side Community. Please see www.industrialcouncil.com for
information on ICNC’s mission and activities.
In addition to representing and providing assistance to hundreds of
companies in its community, ICNC owns and operates the Fulton-Carroll Center
(FCC) incubator, which houses 125 small business tenants in its 410,000 square
foot facility.
ICNC’s International
Trade Center assists Illinois companies to begin exporting or increase their
foreign sales. The ITC provides high-quality business advising and technical
assistance services to new and emerging companies. The ITC director oversees the center’s
operations and its relationship with the State of Illinois and reports to the
ICNC’s executive director.
Activities and responsibilities
Manage daily operations of the ITC, including
provision of direct business assistance to companies (clients), management of
other ITC staff, marketing the ITC and ICNC, and administrative and budgetary
responsibilities.
§ Evaluate companies’ export
readiness and determine appropriate ITC service levels on a per-client basis
§ Identify and analyze client
export assistance needs, especially as related to the areas of management,
operations, finance, and marketing
§ Provide in-depth assistance
to clients in the areas of international trade strategy, techniques, export
processes, and international market opportunities
§ Conduct market research
(including foreign market selection, market analysis, and sales projections)
necessary to assist clients in identifying the best foreign markets for their
products
§ Conceive, plan, and conduct
international trade seminars that provide relevant, actionable information for
companies in exporting
§ Develop and maintain
relationships with other resource and technical assistance providers, including
attorneys, accountants, researchers, and others who can provide relevant
assistance to clients
§ Establish and maintain
productive relationships with federal, state, and local government staff to
assist clients and promote the ITC and ICNC
§ Produce and deliver all
required reporting information to the Illinois Department of Commerce and
Economic Opportunity and participate in DCEO-sponsored trainings, conferences,
and seminars
§ Work with the ICNC
executive director and other staff to see that the ITC and other ICNC programs
benefit from shared resources, staff, programming, and information
Qualifications
- At least three years’ experience with, or
an in-depth knowledge of, international business, including global
business management, international marketing, supply chain management, and
international trade finance
- Experience working with governmental
agencies and educational institutions
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in
business or related area
- Working knowledge of at least one
foreign language preferred
Please
submit resume and cover letter to Nancy Kramer at nancy@industrialcouncil.com