Economic Development Director

Location: Burnsville, NC
Position:  Economic Development Director

BRIEF JOB OVERVIEW:

The Economic Development Commission of Yancey County, North Carolina, seeks applicants for the position of Economic Development Director. The Yancey EDC Director is responsible for consulting with local officials, community leaders, and industry executives to promote industrial growth by expanding and retaining existing industrial bases and attracting new industries and businesses into Yancey County and the Town of Burnsville. Duties include developing data, statistics, and publications that portray the economic potential of the County and Town; identifying prospective industries; and maintaining proper records, reports, and public information for the program. Work requires considerable planning and timely execution of work. Decisions must be made quickly and with accuracy when dealing with industrial management teams. The EDC Director must exercise independent judgment and consider financial, socioeconomic, legal, and regulatory variables affecting the County. Work is performed under the general direction of the Economic Development Commission and is evaluated through conferences, reports, and results. The full-time salary range for this position is $65,000 – $80,000 annually, based on experience.

Duties and Responsibilities
Essential Duties and Tasks
• Serves as initial contact for potential industries and businesses considering new location or expansion; shows sites and arranges meetings with local officials; researches land and coordinates contacts for the property; investigates labor supply and utilities and works with various groups to ensure the availability of an adequate, well-trained workforce for industrial concerns.
• Develops marketing tools for the economic development of Yancey County, including brochures, flyers, booklets, website, advertisements, etc.
• Develops a network of contacts to identify potential industrial parks and sites; monitor building projects and works with local officials.
• Maintains contact with state industrial developers, community leaders, and representatives of businesses and industry.
• Visits each industry in the county regularly to stay abreast of their status and potential for expansion and assists with problems; follows up on requests.
• Keeps current records on sites and buildings and reports changes to the State industrial developers; keeps files and statistics on labor wages, demographics, economic base, maps, profiles, utilities, retail sales, building permits, finances, and schools; reports on growth announcements and statistics on various agencies.
• Prepares budget recommendations; recommends yearly goals and objectives. Serves as staff resource and technical consultant to the Economic Development Commission and presents to Yancey County Commissioners on infrastructure expansion to support new or expanding industries.
• Coordinates efforts with various local, regional, and state groups such as Yancey County Government, Town of Burnsville, Regional Partnership officials, Council of Governments, NC Department of Commerce, NCEDA, NCCBI, and others.
• Serves as staff to Yancey Advancement Foundation and the Economic Development Commission; prepares agendas, coordinates annual audits, prepares financial reports on various projects and grants, and completes all relevant tasks to keep the nonprofit in legal compliance.
• Prepares all board meeting notices, meeting minutes, and documentation.
• Performs other duties as assigned. This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee.

Recruitment and Selection Guidelines
Knowledge, Skills. and Abilities
• Thorough knowledge of principles, practices, and processes involved in economic development.
• Thorough knowledge of management principles, business, organizational procedures, and financing.
• Considerable knowledge of economic, social, and technological resources available in the economic development field.
• Considerable knowledge of the assets of the community and federal, state, and local laws on economic development.
• Considerable knowledge of the local, regional, state, and federal resources and agencies available to assist with various economic development activities.
• Considerable knowledge of the application of information technology to the development of information and the recruitment and retention of economic capital.
• Considerable knowledge of marketing principles and practices.
• Skills in data collection, analysis, and establishing databases about pertinent local statistics and demographics.
• Ability to plan, organize, and effectively develop industrial leads for Yancey County, including building consensus among diverse groups.
• Ability to communicate effectively in oral and written forms.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with industry and business executives, owners or representatives, local, state, and federal officials, contractors, and community leaders and organizations.
• Ability to analyze situations accurately and make correct recommendations for each industrial contact.
• Ability to maintain confidential information.

Physical Requirements
• Must be able to physically perform the basic life operational functions of stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, lifting, grasping, talking, and hearing.
• Must be able to perform sedentary work, exerting up to 10 pounds of force frequently or constantly to move objects.
• Must possess the visual acuity to prepare and analyze data, examine, and work with maps, charts, and detailed materials, operate a computer, inspect sites, use measuring devices, figure computations, and read extensively.

Desired Education and Experience
Graduation from a four-year college or university with a business, planning, economics, or related field supplemented by training in economic development and considerable professional experience in industrial or economic growth or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

To Apply: Interested applicants should submit resumes with cover letters to Jon Ray, Chairman of the Yancey County Economic Development Commission, via email to Jon.Ray@heritagelumberco.com. Questions and inquiries regarding this posting should be submitted via email as well.