Strategic Economic Development Consultant

The position of Strategic Economic Development consultant involves the following business objectives:

• Developing strategies to stimulate local and regional economic development, attracting new businesses and investment.
• Enhancing competitiveness, identifying and implementing initiatives to improve the competitive position of local industries and businesses.
• Supporting workforce development, collaborating with educational institutions and industry partners to enhance workforce skills and training.
• Promoting Innovation, encouraging innovation and technology adoption within the community, supporting startups and existing businesses.
• Building strategic partnerships, establishing and nurturing partnerships with government agencies, businesses, and community organizations to leverage resources and achieve common goals.
• Identifying and attracting potential investors, facilitating opportunities for capital infusion in key sectors.
• Advising on infrastructure improvements that support economic growth and enhance the business environment.
• Developing and promoting sustainable economic practices that align with environmental goals and community values.
• Providing insights and recommendations for policies that foster a conducive environment for economic development.
• Establishing and monitoring key performance indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of economic development strategies and initiatives.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Providing consulting support to the Project Manager, Project Team Members and the Project Clients on all aspects of strategic economic development planning and management. 
• Receiving and responding to initial inquiries for economic development.
• Implementing defined objectives as outlined in Strategic Plans, policies, and initiatives.
• Utilizing various communication channels including cold calling, email outreach, and social media platforms to perform professional duties.
• Developing and implementing strategic work plans tailored to the communities’ objectives, aimed at attracting investment to both vacant and newly developed non-residential properties.
• Creating and maintaining a comprehensive contact database of engagement with all internal and external stakeholders, and existing and potential investors so that the team can track and update their engagement with private, public or non-profit organizations.
• Contributing to research, conducting environmental scans and providing detailed analysis related to regional and global opportunities being offered or promoted to attract new investment or create a competitive advantage.
• Evaluating and identifying commercial and industrial facilities, and greenfield lands, privately held or municipally owned, that support new investment and growth opportunities.
• Utilizing various site selector tools to support economic initiatives, and to identify land uses and investment opportunities.
• Working towards executing the objectives aligned to investment attraction and growth by researching, contacting internal and external stakeholders, creating communication initiatives, overseeing social media campaigns and working collaboratively with other team members when required.
• Conducting research and market analysis to support the assessment and development of policy improvements to priority programs.
• Conducting research and market analysis to support developing strategies and policies that support entrepreneurs and SMEs.
• Leading jurisdictional and environmental scanning to help inform the project planning and development related to enterprise and entrepreneurship.
• Advising on improving retention and strengthening the business support ecosystem.
• Collaborating with internal and external partners to coordinate advertising and marketing programs and initiatives aimed at fostering investment, attraction, growth, and promotion of economic development.
• Researching and identifying viable grant opportunities from various organizations and agencies that create economic prosperity and business growth opportunities.
• Recommending creative business solutions to resolve issues related to the evolution of digital through rigorous yet well-explicated analysis.
• Guiding decision-makers as they consider the evolution of their organization’s business model.
• Helping companies put together the team participating in the transformation projects.
• Other duties as assigned by the Project Manager.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

• Master’s Degree in Economic Development, Commerce, Marketing, Finance or a similar field of study.
• 5+ years of direct work experience in Economic Development or related field.
• Excellent portfolio of successfully implemented economic development initiatives, projects or programs.
• Strategic leadership, business and entrepreneurial skills; developing key messages, identifying target audiences, and setting objectives.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of relevant standards, acts, and regulations.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams in a collaborative environment.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Strong initiative, attention to detail, and managing multiple priorities.
• Good interpersonal, customer service, and public relations skills.
• Must be a self-starter, able to work in teams with diverse groups of people, as well as independently.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office and social media applications.
• Working knowledge of utilizing GIS as a reference to locate lands and land information.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills as well as confidentiality and the ability to use discretion.
• Full professional proficiency in English.