Manager, Economic Development

The Manager, Economic Development leads the County’s economic diversification and non-residential development initiatives, in alignment with the Assessment Base Diversification Policy and growth management and land use planning framework. This position provides strategic leadership in integrating economic development priorities into statutory and non‑statutory planning documents and supporting  major investments with proactively planned and serviced employment lands.

The role is responsible for the review, revision, and implementation of the County’s Economic Development Strategy, including the development of initiatives that encourage new investment and support growth of existing businesses. The manager develops and maintains strong working relationships with other jurisdictions, commercial developers, investors, chambers of commerce, and business associations, to strengthen the County’s economic base and attract development that benefits communities and residents.

Working closely with Planning and other County departments, this position advances the integration of economic development and proactive land use planning. This position provides subject matter expertise on growth‑related initiatives, including emerging sector strategies, business area plans, and the implementation of community and business area investment tools. The Manager ensures that investor and high-value development opportunities are advanced through coordinated planning, site selection, and policy alignment processes.

Core Accountabilities

Internal Advice and Support

• Participate in the updating and/or implementation of policies, procedures, guidelines, strategies or protocols that impact the economic viability of the County.
• Facilitate continuous quality improvement and responsiveness to service level changes.
• Liaise closely with Planning and other departments to jointly identify, plan, and prioritize employment lands that support Council’s economic diversification and assessment base goals.
• Provide economic analysis and market intelligence to inform new or amended planning documents and strategies, ensuring alignment with target sectors and investment attraction priorities.
• Prepare for and attend regularly scheduled meetings of Council and committees.
• Liaise with key interdepartmental managers and committees to evaluate economic impact of new capital projects and participate in joint projects and initiatives.
• Forecast the economic horizon for the County, the region, provincially and federally and advise internal stakeholders of considerations to adapt and capitalize in a timely manner.
• Establish and maintain an information database including confidential, demographic and market research materials.

Marketing and Sales

• Significant work with external clients consisting of out-bound sales, external communications and enhancing customer service for landowners, developers, real estate brokers and business investors to align non-residential development with Council’s Strategic Plan and growth management framework.
• Generate revenue through successful investment attraction and new development that will expand the municipal tax base.
• Identify key industrial/commercial current and future geographical areas,and maintain a full understanding of availability of appropriate lands.
• Advertising through a variety of mediums for the promotion of business relocation.

External Advice and Support

• Foster external relationships with local businesses and clearly define the support available.
• Provide tools and support to local businesses to allow them to grow in a sustainable way.

Fiscal and Operational Management

• Develop and monitor the departmental budget. Make recommendations to the Executive Director regarding operating budget and advise on the risks vs benefits of cost saving measures.
• Monthly monitoring of annual budget via variance reports.

Management | Leadership

• Responsible for quality of work, budget compliance and planning for the department.
• Provide employee performance feedback, regular technical guidance, coaching, and training and development opportunities for a small team.

Position Requirements

Completion of an undergraduate degree in business, marketing, economic development, planning, or equivalent along with a minimum ten (10) years of related experience.

• Requires demonstrated leadership skills, team building, conflict resolution, coaching and mentoring abilities.
• Demonstrated business/technical writing skills in addition to time management, organizational, problem solving and decision-making ability.
• Well-developed communication and interpretation skills, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively in a multi-disciplinary team.
• Proficiency in MS 365.