Position Summary: The Certification Specialist will play a pivotal role in certifying qualified minority businesses and ensuring adherence to NMSDC standards and criteria. Certification Specialists will be responsible for evaluating applications, assessing compliance with certification criteria, facilitating the certification interviews, and determining the outcome for businesses seeking an NMSDC certification. Your attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and comprehensive understanding of certification requirements, business structures, and business formation and governance documents will contribute to maintaining the integrity and quality of certifications within NMSDC. The specialist may begin by certifying simple business structures and responding to phone and email inquiries from applicants with questions on certification criteria and how to use the certification system. Certification Specialists will be expected to learn and handle more complex certifications over time, based on business need.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Review certification applications and accompanying documentation to verify completeness and accuracy
• Conduct thorough assessments to determine if applicants meet the established certification criteria and requirements. This involves reviewing business formation, ownership and governance documents to determine how each company is controlled, managed and operated
• Conduct an assessment of identity documents to determine if the company has majority ownership, management, and control by persons with qualifying ethnic minority status and citizenship
• Evaluate the qualifications, skills, knowledge, and experience of applicants against the certification standards
• Identify any gaps or deficiencies in the application materials and communicate them to the applicants for rectification
• Conduct audits or inspections to ensure compliance with industry-specific regulations, standards, and guidelines
• Collaborate with internal or external stakeholders to gather relevant information and documentation for compliance evaluation
• Analyze findings from audits and inspections to identify areas of non-compliance and recommend corrective actions
• Deny certification to those businesses that do not meet the certification criteria
• Maintain objectivity, self-confidence, and clear documentation regarding your certification decisions

Certification Process Facilitation:

• Serve as a point of contact for applicants and provide guidance on the certification process, requirements, and necessary documentation
• Collaborate with the certification leadership and other team members to ensure that certifications are completed accurately within the prescribed timeframe
• Coordinate with relevant parties to schedule and conduct interviews and dispatch local resources to conduct on-site company visits to gather additional information
• Use the certification system to maintain accurate records of certification applications, reviews, decisions, and related correspondence

Continuous Learning and Improvement:

• Contribute to the improvement of certification processes by identifying areas for enhancement and suggesting modifications or updates
• Attend relevant training sessions, workshops, etc., to stay updated about industry-specific regulations, standards, and best practices and developments in certification procedures and methodologies
• May be asked to update training materials and/or train newer specialists joining the team

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or equivalent work experience
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with keen attention to detail
• Proficient in conducting research and analysis to assess compliance with industry regulations
• Ability to decipher management, control and ownership information from detailed business and tax documents for a variety of business legal structures (e.g., articles of incorporation, partnership agreements, etc.)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills to effectively interact with applicants, stakeholders and NMSDC leadership
• Ability to communicate upward and provide concise, detailed information on the facts of an application
• Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Ability to handle confidential information and maintain integrity remain anonymous throughout your tenure here at NMSDC
• Proficiency in using computer software and database systems for documentation and record-keeping
• Familiarity with quality management systems and auditing processes is advantageous.
• Self-motivated individual with excellent problem solving interpersonal
• Available to work remotely, with appropriate work area to accommodate two monitors and maintain confidentiality of certification documents
• Proven experience in certification review, compliance assessment, or a related field preferred
• Strong understanding of certification criteria, standards, and regulatory requirements
• Understanding of capital markets and equity a plus

*Remote 90-day Temp to Hire