Prince George’s County EDC – Business Development Manager

• Business Development Manager
• Prince George’s County Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
• Department: Business Development
• Salary: $85,000-$95,000
• Filing Deadline: open until filled

Position Purpose

Under the direction of the Executive Director of Business Development, the Director of Economic Development will promote and accelerate the creation of jobs, attraction of private capital investment, and the acquisition of new tenants for existing and new commercial and industrial spaces in Prince George’s County, Maryland through (1) targeted business retention, attraction, and expansion, and (2) marketing and promotion of the County as the “best place in the world” to do business. The EDC accomplishes these goals by providing business and workforce services that support creating high-wage jobs in the private sector. These job creation and retention efforts help the County’s overarching goals of expanding the commercial tax base, increasing the median household income, reducing unemployment, and reducing commercial vacancy rates.

Essential Functions and Basic Duties

• Primary responsibilities include professional prospecting, selling, presenting, collaborating, networking, and negotiating to attract, retain and grow premium and niche-market commercial and industrial businesses in Prince George’s County, Maryland.
• Persuade and collaborate with C-Level executives and decision-makers of real estate developers and commercial real estate brokers/agents to identify such opportunities and to offer targeted services/resources to potential clients/customers to convince them to relocate, open and or expand their business in Prince George’s County.
• Maintains current market intelligence on the availability of targeted available commercial and industrial sites that satisfy the needs of our targeted prospective clients.
• Effectively collaborates with business owners and commercial brokers to immediately fill site vacancies with new premium operations.
• Identifies prospects and leads while evaluating their position in the industry sector; researching and analyzing business trends.
• Actively participates in local, regional, and national commercial development associations to stay informed about local, regional, and national market trends and establish relations with major company decision-makers and thought leaders, and professionally represent Prince George’s County as a superior municipality to invest in and to build a business.
• Takes a strong leadership role in executing the County’s participation in appropriate conferences. Creates a strategic participation plan that facilitates select meetings with company executives, real estate developers, business owners, and operators. Executes a strategic acquisition plan to convince decision-makers to open Prince George’s County businesses.
• Provides site selection assistance with demographic, economic, social, and market information.
• Secures public speaking opportunities to present the County’s value proposition, including financing and tax incentives, to business audiences and prospective real estate developers, business owners, and commercial real estate brokers.
• Gains insight into the financial operating levers of existing and future business operations in the County. Persuades decision makers by illustrating how the County’s value proposition, lucrative business building programs, and wide selection of premium sites will positively impact the financials of any business operation.
• Actively explains and professionally sells the enormous features and benefits of the County’s value proposition and the EDC’s targeted services, including financial and tax incentives – if needed – as well as workforce development and training by establishing contact and developing relationships with prospects and recommending solutions. Is recognized as EDC’s leading communicator of the County’s value proposition and business-building programs and services.
• Assists businesses with the County’s development review and permitting processes; provides County overviews and tours for businesses, developers, brokers, and site-selection consultants; and collaborates with EDC, County agencies, and State and public and private entities staff.
• Identifies improvement areas by remaining current on industry trends, emerging markets, and competitors.
• Conducts extensive research and develops targeted lists of priority companies to visit; schedules and conducts meetings; participates in task forces that address the concerns of residents and the business community; achieve program objectives and goals.
• Develops and implements data analyses to manage weekly, monthly, semi-annual, and annual reporting requirements.
• Additional duties and special projects may be assigned by the Executive Director of Business Development as necessary to contribute to the overall success of EDC’s Business Development program.

Performance Measurements

• Performance is measured by jobs created, private capital investment, and commercial space committed by businesses.
• Prepares reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by participating in educational workshops, conferences, and training; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; participating in professional societies.
• Pays close attention to detail, performs well under pressure, and meets organizational deadlines.
• Updates information on the business development pipeline into EDC’s databases (such as Salesforce), and by using Hoover’s, Costar, and other databases, in a timely and methodical way.
• Contributes to team effort by meeting targeted sales goals and accomplishing related results.

Qualifications

Education/Certification: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college in Business, Economics, Finance, Management, Planning, or a related field preferred, and five years of sales, account management, negotiating, networking, and public speaking experience and a solid ability to implement business and economic development programs involving the retention, expansion, and attraction of businesses required. A master’s degree in the fields mentioned above or MBA in management or finance may be substituted for up to two years of experience. The position requires regular travel within the County and State and occasional travel to other US cities.

Required Knowledge and Experience: The ideal candidate will possess outstanding presentation, negotiation and prospecting skills will rapidly build strong client relationships and will be self-motivated for business development. Must have a persuasive manner, a great business sense, and be skilled at building confidence with businesses by demonstrating an understanding of their business and pain points and aiming to become their trusted advisor. Industry knowledge and expertise in commercial development, niche markets, and emerging concepts are necessary. Knowledge of local and state-level best practices in business development, site selection processes and databases, financial and tax incentives, and outstanding communication skills, creativity, and flexibility, are necessary for this high-profile position. Skill in effectively coordinating staff resources, representing a wide range of expertise to meet the needs of the business community, and having the ability to express ideas effectively, both orally and in writing, is a must. Economic development experience in the Industrial, Manufacturing, and Warehouse Distribution sectors is strongly desired. Strong organizational and time management skills are desired.

Skills/Abilities: Successful candidates will operate in a fast-paced, ever-changing business environment and will quickly embrace the County’s hyper-competitive business development climate, and will be focused on attracting, retaining, and expanding companies in the County. Incumbent will demonstrate the ability to build consensus with internal and external cross-functional teammates and partners and possess superior negotiating and selling skills. She/he will be an effective collaborator who is proactive and operates as an Owner/Operator and CEO of their accounts and special project areas. The incumbent will be a master at understanding and explaining EDC incentives and financing programs and will clearly articulate EDC’s Value Proposition with ease and excitement. Must demonstrate a superior ability to convince prospective and existing retail and restaurant decision- makers to open new outlets in the County and to retain and expand existing operations.

Physical Activities and Requirements

• Finger Dexterity: Using primarily just the fingers to make small movements such as typing, picking up small objects, or pinching fingers together.
• Talking: Especially where one must frequently convey detailed or important instructions or ideas accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Average Hearing: Able to hear average or normal conversations and receive ordinary information.
• Repetitive Motions: Movements frequently and regularly are required using the wrists, hands, and/or fingers.
• Average Visual Abilities: Average, ordinary visual acuity necessary to prepare or inspect documents or products or operate machinery.
• Physical Strength: Sedentary work; sitting most of the time. Exerts up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally. (Almost all office jobs.)

Working Conditions

• Environment: No hazardous or significantly unpleasant conditions (such as in a typical office).

Mental Activities and Requirements

• Reasoning Ability: Ability to deal with a variety of variables under only limited standardization. Able to interpret various instructions.
• Mathematics Ability: Ability to perform basic math skills, use decimals to compute ratios and percents, and to draw and interpret graphs.
• Language Ability: Ability to read a variety of books, magazines, instruction manuals, atlases, and encyclopedias. Ability to prepare memos, reports, and essays using proper punctuation, spelling, and grammar. Ability to communicate distinctly with appropriate pauses and emphasis, correct pronunciation (or sign equivalent), and variation in word order using present, perfect, and future tenses.

Intent and Function of Job Descriptions

Job descriptions assist organizations in ensuring that the hiring process is fairly administered and that qualified employees are selected. They are also essential to an effective appraisal system and related promotion, transfer, layoff, and termination decisions. Well constructed job descriptions are an integral part of any effective compensation system.

All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded. Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all inclusive. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, it is possible that requirements may be modified to reasonably accommodate disabled individuals. However, no accommodations will be made which may pose serious health or safety risks to the employee or others or which impose undue hardships on the organization.

Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer. Employees can be terminated for any reason not prohibited by law.

Please submit your resumes to: pgcedc.careers@gmail.com