Job Title: Economic Development Project Manager – Richland County
Location: Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, Mansfield, Ohio
Employment Type: Full-Time
Position Summary
This position will be a crucial role in the Economic Development team at the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development. This position provides essential economic development, administrative, organizational, and research assistance to facilitate the retention, growth, and attraction of businesses in the region. The position will conduct Business Retention, Expansion, and Attraction activities as designated for the county, respond to RFIs, manage the property database, document visits in customer relationship management system, organize marketing collateral, and participate in area-wide business visits and attraction efforts, collaborating closely with the entire RCDG team.
Key Responsibilities
1. Business Retention, Expansion and Attraction
- Exceptional relationship management and customer service with customers, community leaders, and partners.
- Work closely with identified stakeholders to determine prioritized ‘top employers to visit’ and targeted sectors for BRE visits.
- Coordinate business visits, including scheduling, materials preparation, and partner coordination with necessary attendees.
- Build and manage presentation slide decks tailored to business needs and objectives, integrating up-to-date data, images, and graphics.
- Provide on-site and remote support before, during, and after business visits to ensure smooth operations and positive client experiences.
- Assess the needs of business and work with team to connect business to appropriate resources (incentives, workforce/training needs, grants, etc.).
2. Data Coordination
- Respond to business attraction leads through the JobsOhio RFI (Request for Information) process, gathering required information and preparing it for submission.
- Conduct research and gather data relevant to business inquiries, including economic, demographic, and market trends, to support property and community marketing efforts.
3. Property Database Management
- Regularly update and maintain the available property database, ensuring all listings are current and accurate.
- Organize property information, including site descriptions, photos, videos, and other relevant data, working with the marketing team to create visually compelling collateral for properties, such as maps, data summaries, and promotional materials.
4. Project Management
- Assist with the coordination of community projects that have significant economic development components.
- Communicate effectively with stakeholders before, during, and after meetings to ensure alignment and clarity of objectives.
- Create actionable solutions to address challenges and advance project goals.
- Provide diligent follow-up with stakeholders, tracking progress and maintaining momentum
5. General Support
- Conduct necessary administrative tasks, such as correspondence, data entry, record keeping, and reporting pertaining to projects.
- Manage contact lists, partner directories, CRM, and project tracking systems.
- Support the team with miscellaneous tasks related to economic development projects and events.
Qualifications
- Experience: Minimum of 4 years of experience in an economic development, project management, sales, or high-functioning administrative role, ideally with experience in community or economic development, project management, grants, business development, real estate, or related industries.
- Skills
- Outstanding customer service skills.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with a professional demeanor. Ability to interact well and engage with stakeholders in all areas within a business organization, community leaders, and elected officials.
- Strong organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, ability to see projects through to completion.
- Proficient computer skills and ability to learn new systems, particularly Microsoft Office Suite, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. Familiarity with Salesforce, CRMs, graphic design software or GIS tools is a plus.
- Collaborative, energetic team player who is creative, innovative, and solutions oriented.
- Self-motivated and able to work both independently and as part of a team.
- Strong interest in learning and ability to apply newly acquired skillset
Why Join Us?
Do you have a passion for serving businesses and the community, and long to make a difference? The Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development offers a dynamic and supportive career and work environment where your contributions will directly impact economic and community-wide development in the region. This role provides opportunities for professional development, engagement with local and regional partners, and a chance to support projects that strengthen the community’s economic vitality.