Manager of Economic Development -

Manager of Economic Development

Working for City of Thorold

By joining the City of Thorold team, you will be choosing to become part of the fastest growing municipality in the beautiful Niagara region. Working with us means a great pension, benefits package and a supportive and collaborative team environment. We invest in our people and prioritize creating opportunities for our employees to learn and grow in their roles.

Primary Function

Under the general direction of the Chief Administrative Officer, this role is responsible for developing, implementing, monitoring and reporting on strategic economic initiatives that are aligned with long-range economic development; business development and expedited services, trade and investment and/or strategic economic initiatives. Promote tourism initiatives for the City and engage in government relations. Undertakes activities and fosters partnerships that support the development of Thorold as location of choice for investment/trade, enterprise and growth.

Duties and Responsibilities

Economic Development – Strategy and Planning

1. Participates in business planning, strategic planning, research initiatives and performance management for specific initiatives in support of economic development.
2. Participates in the development of economic development strategies, objectives and long-range plans for a unified economic development attraction program.
3. Assists in the development of strategic plans by researching, facilitating, coordinating, implementing and evaluating major policy and program initiatives which align with long term economic development strategies.
4. Monitors and examines market conditions and emerging trends which may impact existing and potential economic development and recommends appropriate action(s).
5. Evaluates and reports on the impact of government (all tiers) legislative, policy and program changes. Revises strategies, programs and initiatives accordingly.

Economic Development – Programs / Initiatives and Implementation

1. Leads a range of programs, services, initiatives and activities including (but not limited to): business outreach, tourism initiatives, local economic development, business improvement area (BIA) management, project facilitation, community economic development social enterprise development, workforce development and special projects.
2. Acts as a primary contact and expeditor for business attraction.
3. Researches and targets recruitment prospects – generates and manages a portfolio of direct corporate business leads and prospects and maintains record of lead generation activities.
4. Develops customer reports for potential new or expanding businesses that show what Thorold/Niagara has to offer.
5. Collects and provides information necessary to satisfy each prospect’s request for facts and information in the form of standard marketing materials and/or customer reports.
6. Solicits development proposals from private development companies, businesses and industrial organizations and analyzes the feasibility of these projects.
7. Provides service to the development community regarding expedited services to include overseeing the permitting process for the designation of economic development projects.
8. Coordinates domestic and international trade/sales missions to promote the region and develop investment/export opportunities.
9. Evaluates programs which would couple the immediately available resources of the area with potential business and industrial development.
10. Assists private enterprise and community agencies to resolve community needs that have a direct bearing on economic development attraction.
11. Negotiates and/or assists with negotiating economic development contracts with private developers, businesses and industry.
12. Prepares Council reports, business cases, terms of reference documents for tender, requests for proposals and other documents as required.
13. Interacts on a regular basis with Regional/Municipal departments concerning land use amendments and infrastructure plans.
14. Submits funding applications to high levels of government.
15. Collaborates for the purposes of information collection, data analysis and policy formulation regarding land development patterns supportive of economic development.
16. Makes recommendations to Senior staff on land use and zoning policies affecting economic development and attraction.
17. Coordinates and attends recruitment events, trade shows and familiarization tours as Thorold representative, marketing and prospecting business opportunities.
18. Makes presentations before citizens’ and advisory groups/committees. Promotes initiatives in the City, including operation of Tourism centre at Lock 7.

Internal / External Relations

1. Participates in the development and implementation of region-wide strategies, structures, systems and policies as a member of the Economic Development Team(s), Regional, Local Area Municipalities, Provincial and Federal Ministries.
2. Develops and manages relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring divisional strategies are managed and economic development performance expectations are fulfilled.
3. Collaborates and partners with local area counties and municipalities, industry stakeholders (e.g., Chambers of Commerce, Industrial Associations and Homebuilder Associations), academic institutions (e.g., Brock University, Niagara College and Niagara District School Boards) and Provincial/Federal governments to develop and support joint economic development action plans and initiatives.
4. Positions the City within the larger political arena as a strong player, earning credibility and recognition as an influential advocate on the organization’s behalf.
5. Encourages cooperation between private enterprise and public agencies to increase their workforce training and placement programs for generation of jobs.
6. Participates in several external and industry committees representing the needs of the City and advancing common goals and objectives.

Projects

1. Initiates and champions special projects for sector-specific development, based on current environment, often in partnership with external organizations. Manages all aspects of the development and implementation of economic and business development initiatives, managing project life cycle activities.
2. Defines project scope, goals, success criteria and deliverables that support economic development goals in collaboration with project team and key internal/external stakeholders.
3. Communicates project expectations to team members and stakeholders, liaising on an ongoing basis to manage expectations.
4. Plans and schedules project timelines and milestones using appropriate tools.
5. Tracks project milestones and deliverables.
6. Determines the frequency and content of status reports from the project team, analyzing results and troubleshooting problem areas.
7. Reports project status, including project KPIs to stakeholders.
8. Monitors and tracks project costs, schedules, resources, risks, issues and performance to ensure optimal success.

Education/Experience/Skills

1. Post-secondary degree in Business Administration, Economic Development, Marketing or equivalent field of study.
2. An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
3. Minimum of five (5) years of progressive experience in the following areas:

• Coordination and implementation of long-range economic/business development and tourism activities;
• Branding and marketing;
• Facilitating partnerships among business, academic and government/agency stakeholders that develop and support innovation networks and hubs;
• Managing projects with a wide range of scope and complexity.

• Principles and practices of community planning, land use/growth management concepts, infrastructure improvement planning and capital facilities budgeting;
• Federal/Provincial legislation, policy and programs related to business development, investment/trade, enterprise, innovation and growth;
• Municipal government organization and functions.

• Critical Evaluation
• Relationship Management
• Global and Cultural Effectiveness
• Strategic Agility
• Political Acumen
• Partnering

• Certified Economic Developer (Ec.D.) from the Economic Developers Association of Canada (EDAC)
• Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) from the International Economic Development Council.

Conditions of Employment

Required to work under the direction of the Chief Administrative Officer. Work performed in a typical office environment, with some exposure to outside environment and background noise. The ability to work with minimal supervision. Considerable mental attention and concentration with frequent interruptions. Must be able to deal effectively with the public, department heads, Mayor and Members of Council. Attendance at Council meetings and other meetings as required. Frequent work/meetings beyond traditional work days.

The above statement reflects the principal functions and duties as required for proper evaluation of the job. Other related duties can only be considered part of the job if they directly relate to the primary function contained herein. A detailed job description can be found at www.thorold.ca

Location: Thorold City Hall

Rate of pay: $102,367.00 - $118,503.00 annually

Hours of Work: 35 hours per week, 8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday to Friday

Interested candidates are invited to submit their detailed resume and cover letter to the Human Resources department, via hr@thorold.ca no later than Sunday December 15, 2024. Please indicate the position you are applying to in the email subject line. Only those applicants selected for an interview will be contacted.

In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and the Ontario Human Rights Code, the City accommodates the individual needs of all applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process. If selected to participate in the recruitment, selection and/or assessment process, please inform staff of the nature of any accommodation(s) that you may require.

Information is collected under the authority of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and will be used for employment assessment purposes.