Job Description

GENERAL FUNCTION:

The Economic Development Specialist is responsible for the planning, implementation and coordination of economic development programs. The role assists the organization’s business retention and expansion efforts by acting as a point of contact for businesses and public stakeholders to build or strengthen relationships as well share federal, state and local resources. Furthermore, the role assists in administering grants and forgivable loans awarded to the BDC.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

1. Cultivates and maintains strong working relationships with business owners, developers, government agencies, non-profits, and community stakeholders
2. Act as a liaison between businesses and city/regional government to support economic goals and resolve concerns
3. Initiates, develops, and manages programs that encourage business attraction and expansion of existing businesses within the BDC’s geographical region.
4. Conducts research and analysis of social, economic and similar data for planning purposes.
5. Seeks out and applies for new federal, state, or local grants in conjunction with BDC Staff to accomplish the organization’s strategic goals as set by the Executive Director and Board of Directors.
6. Attends meetings with consultants and manages team efforts towards project goals set forth in grant agreements and work plans.
7. Holds public meetings to gather community input for organization initiatives and as required by federal and state grantors.
8. Measures and reports on project and initiative results/key-performance-indicators to the Executive Director on a weekly basis.
9. Maintains the confidentiality of BDC related activities. Performs duties in a professional manner, consistent with current government regulations. 

Each employee is responsible for maintaining a high degree of professionalism to all stakeholders including but not limited to clients, vendors, public officials, visitors fellow employees and telephone callers. Each employee has a fundamental responsibility to maintain an environment free of safety hazards in order to maintain a safe working environment for themselves and coworkers, as well as visitors. These responsibilities lie in attending all mandatory training and testing, utilizing safe working techniques, and taking responsibility for detecting and reporting all unsafe conditions. Additionally, employees are responsible to maintain an understanding consistent with training on all procedures related to overall safety, fire safety, and applicable state and federal regulations. The intent of this job description is to provide a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. Incumbents may be requested to perform job‑related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.

COMMUNICATIONS WITH OTHERS

INTERNAL - Frequent contact with Executive Director and BDC staff.

EXTERNAL - Regular contact with public stakeholders such as municipalities, county commissions, and partnering nonprofits to coordinate economic development efforts, with public entities to administer and report on grant progress, and with local businesses to identify business needs and share resources.

SPECIFICATIONS KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY

• Understanding of the local economic landscape is preferred
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Strong technical knowledge and experience in Microsoft Office Suite
• Excellent time management and multi-tasking skills

EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in business management, public administration, or similar OR 4 years of applicable work experience
• Minimum of 2-5 years of experience in economic development, planning, public administration or a related field

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