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Job Description
Job Summary
The purpose of this position is to manage, grow, and be a high impact economic development project manager a s well as to coordinate with other Department staff on the retention, expansion and redevelopment of existing corporate headquarters, advanced technology enterprises and research and development facilities. This is accomplished by performing site visits with businesses, prospects, brokers, and developers; addressing prospect concerns relating to City services and other outside business services; helping manage and administer a Grand Prairie Exchange of brokers, property owners, developers and consultants. Other duties include writing customized information and responding to requests for information; assisting the Director with structuring business attraction/expansion/redevelopment incentives; exploring ways to foster major employer renovation and expansion and interacting with other City employees and citizens to that end.
This role offers an exciting opportunity to shape the City of Grand Prairie’s economic landscape, interact with influential leaders, and make a lasting impact on the community’s prosperity. If you're a strategic thinker with a passion for economic development and relationship building, this is the position for you.
Essential Job Functions- Build and maintain relationships with local business leaders, site selectors, and real estate developers through site visits, addressing city services and business needs.
- Collaborate with and support small businesses to facilitate growth.
- Respond to requests for information (RFIs) and proposals (RFPs) by preparing data-driven, professional communications to attract and support prospective businesses.
- Work with the Economic Development Director to design and administer impactful incentives for business attraction, expansion, and redevelopment in alignment with the city's strategic goals.
- Develop and implement strategies to support major employer renovations and expansions, working with city staff and community stakeholders to create mutually beneficial solutions.
- Conduct business retention visits and meetings (including outside the city), acting as a liaison between businesses and city departments to identify expansion, relocation, and redevelopment opportunities.
- Collaborate with other city departments and serve as client’s single point of contact to ensure customer driven experience.
- Execute B2B marketing strategies to enhance the region's visibility and appeal to potential investors and businesses.
- Lead and execute Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) programs that foster growth and retention through direct engagement with companies and stakeholders.
- Engage with businesses across various industry sectors (industrial, retail, restaurants, data centers, etc.), adapting strategies to meet each sector's unique needs.
- Represent the organization professionally in interactions with executives, community leaders, and external stakeholders.
- Maintain an entrepreneurial approach, identifying new opportunities for economic development in a dynamic market environment.
- Facilitate programs and events such as networking breakfasts, broker tours, and annual meetings for the Grand Prairie Economic Development Foundation.
- Maintain a confidential business retention database, documenting company interactions, lease renewals, and potential expansion or relocation opportunities.
- Communicate with businesses and citizens via correspondence and phone, addressing inquiries and complaints with timely follow-up.
- Update and maintain data in CRM, the cloud, or via other technologies.
- Work with city departments and external services to resolve concerns and issues promptly.
- Collaborate with city departments on design reviews and expansion plans, particularly in key redevelopment areas (e.g., SH 360, IH-30/Belt Line Road, President George Bush Turnpike corridor).
- Perform other duties as assigned by a supervisor/manager within the department/division.
- Ensure regular and dependable attendance.
Minimum Qualifications- Education: Bachelor's degree required; master’s preferred. Preference is a degree and/or coursework in geography, political science, commercial and/or real estate related programs.
- Growth Mindset: Demonstrates a proactive approach to learning, adaptability, and innovation, with a focus on continuous improvement and achieving long-term success in economic development initiatives.
- Experience: Over three years up to including five years. Background in key account management, business development, lead generation, project management, city marketing, city and municipal process awareness. Mindful to adaptability to market changes, re-prioritization, with a focus on speed-to-market is a must .
- Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with the macroeconomic market, global political impacts, and labor swings that affect: Industrial, retail, destination/hospitality, data centers, A.I. and emerging technologies.
- Precision Based Project Management: Proven track record in leading projects, managing outside stakeholders, and executing economic development strategies.
- Licenses: Valid Driver's License required.
- Reading: Advanced - Ability to read literature, books, reviews, scientific or technical journals, abstracts, financial reports, and/or legal documents, contracts/agreements, council communication, lease and tax documents. Ordinarily, such education is obtained at the college level or above. However, it may be obtained from experience and self-study.
- Math: Advanced - Ability to apply fundamental concepts of theories, work with advanced mathematical operations methods, and functions of real and complex variables. Assess costs, revenue projections, ratios, percentages, and trends. Ordinarily, such education is obtained at the college level or above. However, it may be obtained from experience and self-study
- Writing: Advanced - Ability to write editorials, journals, speeches, manuals, or critiques. Preparation of Council meeting items and support exhibits. Ordinarily, such education is obtained at the college level or above. However, it may be obtained from experience and self-study.
- Managerial: Receives limited direction: The employee normally performs the duty assignment according to his or her own judgment, requesting supervisory assistance only when necessary. The assignment may be reviewed upon completion. Performance is reviewed periodically.
- Budget Responsibility: Prepares budget documents; and does research to justify language used in documents for a unit or division of a department. May recommend budget allocations. Does research for documents, compiles data for computer entry, and/or enters or oversees data entry. (Secretary, clerks, admin. Some level of budget responsibility but only in data input.)
- Supervisory / Organizational Control: Work may require the occasional direction of helpers, assistants, seasonal employees, interns, or temporary employees.
- Complexity: Work is widely varied and given the nature of the economic development discipline, assignments come with some degree of ambiguity, analyzing and evaluating many complex and significant variables may also be part of the work. City-wide policies, procedures, or precedents may be developed and/or recommended.
- Interpersonal / Human Relations Skills: Recommendations regarding policy development and implementation are made and/or recommended. Evaluates customer satisfaction, develops cooperative associations, and utilizes resources to continuously improve customer satisfaction. Participates in interviewing, hiring and directing administrative and support staff.
The City offers a full range of benefits for full time employees, including, but not limited to the plans as defined in the Benefits Guide. Summary of Benefits
Closing Date/Time: 1/31/2025 5:00 PM Central -
Special Instructions
1/31/2025 5:00 PM Central -
ABOUT THE COMPANY
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City of Grand Prairie
Show moreWelcome to the City of Grand Prairie! We Live Life Grand here – about 200,640 residents call Grand Prairie home, and we’re still growing. Grand Prairie is the 16th largest city in Texas and the 125th largest city in the United States, but we still have small town values. We are rated the #1 Best Place to Retire in the U.S., 2nd Happiest City in Texas, 5th Best City for First-Time Home Buyers in Texas, 7th Safest Large City in Texas, and in the Top 50 U.S. Best Place to
Raise a Family!We have attractions that draw almost 10 million visitors a year to:
- Epic Waters Indoor Water Park showcasing 80,000 square feet of year-round water fun referred to as a “cruise ship on land”
- The Summit Active Adult Center with state-of-the-art fitness training, indoor infinity edge pool with lap lanes and exercise vortex, theater, game room, sauna
- PlayGrand Adventures (10-acre, all-accessible playground) is an exciting opportunity to provide a safe and fun playground experience for all ages and abilities (open late 2019)
- Firehouse Gastro Park restaurant downtown (conversion of historic Firehouse #1)
- Lone Star Park Thoroughbred Horse Race Track
- The Theatre at Grand Prairie concert venue
- Historic Uptown Theater in downtown
- IKEA, Living Spaces and the Premium Outlet Mall
- Traders Village
- Lake Joe Pool
- Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! And Palace of Wax
- Epic Central Park, a 172-acre park with five lakes, a Grand Lawn amphitheater, trails and a water and light show
- Chicken N’ Pickle
- Bolder Adventure Park
- The Epic Arts, Fitness and Entertainment Center with $1 million in cardio and strength training equipment, indoor walking/jogging track, group fitness and more
Grand Prairie recently welcomed more than 50 new restaurants and retail stores along SH 161, and development continues at a brisk pace. The city offers a vibrant lifestyle, with the best parks in the nation, more amenities than most, affordable to affluent housing and friendly neighbors.
City employees work hard to ensure Grand Prairie is known as an organization that creates Raving Fans by delivering world-class service. Our employee family and elected officials constantly live our values, aggressively move toward our vision and are always looking for ways to make the business of running a city even better.The hard work, positive input and optimism of all our city employees all play a key role in our success. We look forward to you joining our
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