SUMMARY: The Director of Business Retention & Expansions, Northern Region serves as the primary Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) project representative for Northern Indiana Retention & Expansions strategy and projects. The Director is responsible for overall management of the IEDC north central regional office and northern region retention & expansions team members, successful negotiation of economic development deals taking place within the region, representing the IEDC throughout the region, and other critical functions as outlined herein.

Examples of Essential Functions:

• Leads, directs, organizes, and manages the daily operations of the Northern Region Retention & Expansions staff and North Central Business Development (BD) Regional Office, including assigning projects to designated Northern Region BD staff
• Manages and negotiates high-profile and highly competitive projects with emphasis on retaining and attracting new capital investment resulting in new job opportunities for Hoosiers; manages and oversees negotiations for other competitive projects within the Northern Region being handled by Retention & Expansions Team Project Managers
• Builds and maintains relationships with economic development partners within the State, and within the Northern Region, acting as a professional resource for education and training of economic development and local elected officials
• Visits local businesses, local elected officials, and development-related organizations to assess needs and identify opportunities for the IEDC, including coordination and completion of business retention/expansion visits covering a multi-county region in conjunction with regional partner organizations, Local Economic Development Organizations and various state agencies
• Serves as primary North Central Indiana regional liaison to IEDC central office, utilizing and regularly updating IEDC leadership on region activities
• Encourages collaboration between economic development partners within the IEDC and the northern region
• At the direction of and/or approval by IEDC leadership, provides representation on economic development related regional boards and commissions on ex-officio basis
• Reviews incentive offers proposed by Northern Region Retention& Expansions project managers prior to approval by the VP BR&E
• On an interim basis, as needed, and within the limits set by IEDC policy, has authority to review and approve IEDC incentive offers
• Maintain confidentiality to protect the integrity of the client and State of Indiana
• Supports outside sales trips and other outside sales efforts to generate leads and raise Indiana brand awareness; responsible for attending conferences, out of state meetings, and events as needed
• Other critical Business Development functions as identified by SVPBD, EVP of Global Investments, and other IEDC Senior Leadership

Qualifications:

Education:

• Relevant Bachelor’s degree (or higher) and equivalent experience including, but not limited to, the following fields: economic development, community development urban planning real estate, sales/business development, tax / regulatory law, or any of the core industries to the State of Indiana such as manufacturing, life sciences, agribusiness, “economies of the future,” or information technology.

Experience:

• At least eight years of post-graduate professional work experience, preferably in a client-facing role
• At least five years of experience working in the field of economic development is desired
• Appropriate business development/professional experience and background, with an emphasis of business deal negotiation and/or government relations

Knowledge of:

• Core industries to the State of Indiana such as manufacturing, life sciences, agribusiness, “economies of the future,” and information technology
• IEDC and other government-agency programs and processes; both in-state and other states
• IEDC business development processes and account management processes
• Region’s community and business development- organizations, including local government officials, economic development leaders, business executives and non-profit and community development organizations
• Region’s business climate, quality of place offerings, workforce makeup, and state economic development laws and trends
• Indiana government structure, including local government structure and how it engages with state government structures
• Local government incentive programs, administrative processes, etc.
• Microsoft Dynamics CRM program or other similar client management system

Ability to:

• Engage a broad range of business professionals to generate desired project outcomes
• Identify the leverage of each side in a business deal via analysis of the overall context within which the deal is taking place
• Negotiate on behalf of the State of Indiana in complex business transactions, optimizing the outcome for Hoosier taxpayers
• Lead state and local economic development partners in presenting unified responses to company requests for proposals
• Develop relationships with local economic development officials, brokers, site selectors, consultants to help develop economic development projects in the region
• Mentor and grow Northern Region project managers in their business transaction management and business negotiation abilities as well as interaction with businesses, government agencies and local economic development offices
• Analyze and evaluate needs of businesses and communities to determine the appropriate level of IEDC and other state, public and private sector services to meet those needs
• Communicate clearly and directly both orally and in writing, including public speaking and presentations
• Navigate, use, and understand CRM-based databases and spreadsheets
• Travel in-state and nationally as needed
• Maintain residency within the Northern Region, and preferably the North Central sub-region, or willingness to locate within region

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