Job Description
Who We Are
MSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (E-Center) empowers students to plan, launch and grow successful local and global companies based on new ideas or MSU invented technology. Our companies are graded in the real world – by success or failure with actual, paying customers. We use applied learning to strengthen our pipeline of entrepreneurs from K-12 to college students to graduates. We have broad involvement of alumni and friends to help mentor, coach and invest in our startups. Our priority on generating a track record of exits and profitable local businesses makes us a national leader in this field and motivates ever increasing investor interest in these areas. These companies contribute to a thriving young professional community, cementing Starkville as the startup hub of Mississippi and propelling our expansion throughout the Southeast.
Where You Fit
The Mentor Network Specialist works on our Advisor, Investor, and Mentor (AIM) Team and helps to connect executives and business leaders outside of the university or academic sphere with entrepreneurs and students working with the E-Center. Your main mission is to build relationships with external partners and actively seek to connect them into the program, be it serving as a team advisor, a judge, board member, guest speaker, donor, or investor. This position will work very closely with the College of Business’ director of outreach and should maintain relationships with the university’s foundation staff. This position directly supports Goal 7 of our 2021-2031 strategic plan and reports to the Director.
Expectation
This is a broad role with significant responsibility, high expectations, and considerable freedom. Your day-to-day activity will be often somewhat undefined and you must be a self-starter. While assigned to a specific team, you are expected to assist with all aspects of the CEO. Sometimes this includes seemingly mundane, yet necessary, tasks like cleaning workspaces, organizing files, and running errands. Other times it includes meeting and having lunch with actual billionaires. Our student team must handle both situations with enthusiastic professionalism. We are focused on driving team wins. Like team sports, we expect you to help us win the game, by working to the best of your abilities to help ultimately form startup companies that exit the program successfully.
Primary Responsibilities
- Recruit executives and other advisors to serve as guest speakers, mentors, and panelists in the E-Center
- Support the client specialist team with identifying appropriate advisors for VentureCatalyst teams
- Build relationships with alumni and regional business leaders to grow the E-Center’s network
- Regularly communicate with external partners and market opportunities to maintain involvement.
- Work with the College of Business’ Director of Outreach and participate in state and local events.
- Greet office guests, answer questions, and direct to proper individuals.
- Track teams and students; enter into departmental CRM tool; regularly update
- Assist with paperwork, answering telephones, filing correspondence, running errands on campus, stuffing envelopes, making copies, cleaning workspaces and researching topics online.
- Make suggestions on how to streamline processes or increase efficacy of program
- Complete other duties as requested by professional staff
Minimum Qualifications
- Currently enrolled at Mississippi State University, majoring in a [technical] [business] discipline.
- Maintains good academic standing with at least a 2.5 GPA
Preferred Qualifications
- Currently working on a new startup or prior experience with a startup company
- Work experience relating to market research, prototyping, financial analysis
- Completion of the MGT 3323 Entrepreneurship course (grade B or higher)
- Experience with customer relationship management (CRM) software
- Exemplary soft-skills
Position Details
- Type: Part-time (up to 20-hr/wk)
- Pay Range: $10-15/hr
- Benefits: Not Eligible
- Restrictions: Currently enrolled MSU students in good academic standing