Job Description

Job Description

Job Description

SENIOR DIRECTOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Job Description

Overview The Orlando Economic Partnership (the Partnership) is a public/ private, not-for-profit economic and community development organization that supports the Orlando region. The Partnership works to strengthen the region's economy, amplify Orlando’s story, champion regional priorities, empower community leaders and build a brilliant region. By injecting new resources and fresh perspectives, the Partnership harnesses the strength of the region’s culture of collaboration and innovation to create a new future for a diverse and growing population with an ultimate goal of advancing broad-based prosperity for the Orlando region.The Economic Development team is responsible for working with businesses to affect their location decisions, with the intent to foster job creation and retention in the Orlando region. The team’s core metrics are jobs created, average wage, payroll and capital investment. General

This job description is intended primarily as an illustration of the type of work to be performed by the Economic Development Senior Director (herein, Senior Director ). The Senior Director is a member of the Economic Development Team and reports to the Vice President of Economic Development.

Partnership employees are expected to provide their unique talents and abilities to solve specific problems or to address specific questions outside their job description related either to their team’s mission or in support of an organizational goal. They may be asked to participate in a variety of ad-hoc assignments and are expected to be flexible in their work practices and supportive of other team members. The Senior Director is expected to be a critical thinker and contribute relevant input into team performance, technical systems, policies and procedures and conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times.

All employees of the Partnership are expected to familiarize themselves with the Orlando Economic Partnership Personnel Manual and to conduct themselves in accordance with its policies and procedures.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The Senior Director will be responsible for developing one or more specific target clusters, currently Corporate Headquarters and Regional Offices, Advanced Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Aviation / Aerospace and Defense, Advancing Technologies and Foreign Direct Investment. Within the context of the Partnership target clusters, the Senior Director will conduct business development activities, including recruitment of new industry, retention and expansion of existing industry, start-up support and potentially international investment.

Project Management: The Senior Director will develop industry cluster strategy and target markets for business development and utilize the Partnership’s research as part of the analysis. Techniques to be deployed will include sales, marketing and targeted outreach, with a focus on closing deals. Directors should develop and maintain relationships with industry officials and market leaders in their industry sector and become the Partnership’s expert on that industry cluster. The Senior Director will be responsible for responding to specific questionnaires or requests for information as presented by clients and is required to record prospect contacts and progress on projects in the team’s database in a timely and thorough manner.

Lead Generation: The Senior Director is expected to be proactive and seek opportunities to identify prospects, leads and projects. This may be through leveraging existing relationships in diverse fields such as real estate, legal, engineering, consulting, local industry officials, etc. Lead generation could also come through local/state government officials and by developing relationships with thought leaders or by direct outreach to new companies and site selection consultants. The Senior Director may utilize social networks such as LinkedIn or other means, in concert with the Partnership’s marketing team. The Senior Director should leverage/utilize research to develop the rationale for business expansion.

Hosting Prospects: The Senior Director is responsible for conducting real estate and other community tours on behalf of visiting clients. This will include evaluating the client’s needs as they relate to community assets, exposing the client to the assets that have the greatest potential for success and introducing them to community leaders (public and private) that may be of benefit. The Senior Director will be required to conduct sales missions outside the region – visiting clients and prospects and marketing the region in person. Accordingly, they should arrange travel schedules to most effectively utilize their time and the Partnership’s resources. The Senior Director will be responsible for planning and participating in certain, industry-specific trade shows and conferences. Trade shows and conferences may be conducted concurrently with targeted sales missions and/or in collaboration with economic development partners.

Partner Relations: The Senior Director will seek to develop and nurture relationships with site selection consultants and influencers. This includes identifying key contacts, meeting them out-of-market at sales missions and/or trade shows and conferences and may include hosting them during regional familiarization tours in-market. The Senior Director will also develop and maintain professional relationships within state and local agencies including other economic development staff, permitting officials, real estate brokers, financial institutions, educational institutions, employment agencies and professional business associations for the purpose of facilitating business location and growth within the region.

Confidentiality : The Senior Director is always expected to maintain confidentiality and trade secrets of the Partnership and its clients. The Senior Director will be responsible for protecting information relevant to projects pursuant to the client’s request and all provisions of Florida’s statutes.

Work Plan and Strategy: The Senior Director is responsible for the implementation of an individual work plan pursuant to the operational plan of the Partnership and will assist leadership in the development of this individual work plan; including the respective industry sector plan(s), as well as the Economic Development Team’s section of the operational plan and related budgets. This includes an emphasis on strategy to provide the best chance for influencing client decisions and leading to business growth.

QUALIFICATIONS :

• Require college degree in a related field
• Require 5-10 years of related professional experience
• Familiarity with area businesses, community development organizations, and the region’s elected officials preferred
• Possess strong organizational, sales and customer service skills with a proven ability to develop relationships and negotiate deals
• Possess outstanding verbal and written communication skills and experience presenting to groups
• Self-starter that is comfortable in a team environment
• Has reliable transportation and able to travel for up to one week at a time
• Microsoft Office Suite skills required
• Knowledge of Salesforce CRM system preferred
• Work independently and as an integral part of a team in a fast-paced ever-changing environment
• Ability to obtain a passport

Job Tags

Local area, Flexible hours,

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