Chief Economic Development Officer - Office of the Mayor

Overview

Department: Office of the Mayor
Reports to:  Mayor (and works closely with SLDC and other City boards and  
departments)
Job Type:  Full-Time, Exempt
Location:  Mayor’s Office, City Hall, City of St. Louis, Missouri
Compensation:  $145,000-160,000 + Comprehensive City Benefits (health, retirement, paid leave, etc.)

This is an exceptional opportunity to work directly with the Mayor as well as major employers, developers, investors, and regional leaders to define and accelerate the City of St. Louis’s economic agenda, expand its tax base, and address equity and racial disparities through economic initiatives. The role functions as the Mayor’s strategic advisor on business conditions; a primary liaison to major private and institutional stakeholders; the main point of interface with the semi-independent St. Louis Development Corporation (SLDC), which reports directly to the Mayor, and related development boards; and, lastly, as the Mayor’s operational convener and project manager for the City’s top economic development initiatives. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role offering extraordinary professional growth for an ambitious, high-energy leader ready to shape a major American “Heartland” city’s economic future.

Core Responsibilities

1.    Strategic economic development advisor to the Mayor (20%)

• Provide daily/real-time briefing and counsel to the Mayor on business, investment, and economic trends affecting St. Louis (site visits, CEO briefings, major RFPs, regulatory changes, federal policy changes and impacts, etc.)
• Work closely with the Mayor’s Recovery Office, City agencies & community stakeholders to support the areas impacted by the May 16th tornado in rebuilding and redevelopment.
• Identify grant opportunities from federal, state, and philanthropic sources, and facilitate support for grant applications
• Translate market intelligence into rapid recommendations and draft talking points, briefings, op-eds, and presentations for the Mayor in partnership with the Communications team, as needed.
• Coordinate with the Mayor’s Chief of Staff and Legislative/Policy team to produce economic development policy options at the local and state levels.
• Work closely with SLDC to coordinate and execute economic development initiatives. 
• Serve as the chair of the SLDC Board.

2.    Business relations and stakeholder engagement (30%)

• In coordination with SLDC, maintain active, senior relationships with major employers, hospital and university anchors, major developers, Greater St. Louis Inc., site selectors, and other regional partners – including conducting regular “pulse check” meetings to identify and problem solve proactively issues and concerns
• Represent the Mayor at business forums, groundbreakings, and industry and community events
• Act as the Mayor’s “concierge” and escalation contact for major company retention/expansion decisions, troubleshooting time-sensitive issues (e.g., permits, workforce connections, incentives, etc.)

3.    Coordination with City and Regional Development Entities (30%)

1.  Monitor, manage, and align the development-oriented City departments and agencies, which include SLDC, the Community Development Administration, Planning and Urban Design Agency, the Affordable Housing Commission, and the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment.
2. Serve as the point person for the Mayor’s Office in coordinating with the following development-oriented entities, including but not limited to the following
   1. Lambert Airport;
   2. Bi-State Metro and other transit-oriented entities, in partnership with the Mayor’s Operations Team;
   3. East-West Gateway, in partnership with the Mayor’s Operations and Policy/Legislative Teams;
   4. The Convention and Visitor’s Center; and
   5. The St. Louis Sports Commission.
   6. Coordinate City development efforts with SLDC: 
   7. Monitor SLDC’s portfolio, agenda, project pipeline, and performance to synchronize with the Mayor’s strategic priorities.
   8. Provide the Mayor with briefing memos ahead of SLDC board meetings and recommend appointments or performance actions when appropriate.
   9. Coordinate between SLDC leadership, City departments (e.g., Planning, Public Works, Finance), and the Mayor’s Office to resolve cross-jurisdictional issues and align incentives)

4.    Project leadership & portfolio management (20%)

• Serve as the Mayor’s project manager and convener for the City’s top 3–5 priority economic initiatives
• Create and maintain Mayor’s Office executive-level dashboard (e.g., milestones, budget, risk register, stakeholders, federal/state grant timelines), lead regular priority project steering committee meetings, and escalate issues to the Mayor, as needed
• Develop and help report KPIs for the Mayor’s monthly/quarterly public progress reports (e.g., jobs created/retained, private investment leveraged, workforce outcomes, completed builds)

Qualifications

Minimum

• Bachelor’s degree in public policy, economics, business, urban planning, or related field
• 5-7+ years of progressive experience in economic development, municipal government, public-private partnerships, or consultancy
• At least 2-3 years in a leadership or lead liaison role
• Demonstrated track record of working directly with senior leaders (e.g., elected leaders, board members, C-Suite leaders, community leaders)
• Strong project management ability in multi-stakeholder projects
• Excellent written and oral communication, as well as proven ability to present effectively to elected officials, boards, C-level executives, etc.
• Preferred / Competitive
• Graduate degree (e.g., MPP, MBA, MUP, or similar qualifications)
• Experience working in economic development, real estate development, site selection, and/or business strategy and development
• Familiarity with economic development toolkit including tax increment financing (TIF), bonds, incentive negotiations, federal and state grant programs (e.g., EDA, HUD, WIOA), and private sector financing options
• Experience with media, constituency engagement, and politically sensitive projects

Competencies and Personal Attributes

• High energy, political savvy, and discrete
• Strategic with business acumen and analytic skills
• Comfort with ambiguity and rapid response in a mayoral office environment
• Strong emotional intelligence for community, political, business, and/or cross-sector stakeholder engagement
• Collaborative and communicative
• Results orientation: bias to action and delivering measurable outcomes

Performance Expectations

Process Measures

• Frequency and quality of business engagements
• Responsiveness to business community inquiries and concerns (e.g., within 48 hours)
• Quality and timeliness of briefings and recommendations for Mayor

Outcome Measures

•  Jobs created/retained attributable to mayoral interventions (quarterly)
• Private investment leveraged ($ private/$ public)
• Number and dollar value of grants applied for / awarded
• Milestones achieved for the top 3–5 portfolio projects (schedule % complete vs baseline)
• Time to resolution for mayoral escalations (days) and stakeholder satisfaction scores

Compensation and Value Proposition

Salary: $145,000-160,000 + full City of St. Louis benefits
Value proposition: Direct access to the Mayor; responsibility over high-impact projects affecting neighborhoods, downtown, and the riverfront; unique opportunity to architect equitable investment strategies in St. Louis, an archetypical historic “Heartland City.” This is a public appointment with high-profile visibility; strong runway to senior leadership roles in regional economic organizations, SLDC executive posts, state government, or national ED nonprofits

Application Process

Please submit your resume, cover letter and 3 references to Chief of Staff, Casey Millburg, at millburgc@stlouis-mo.gov by 11:59PM CST on Friday, November 21st.

EOC

The City of St. Louis is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of St. Louis will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and encourages both prospective and current employees to discuss potential accommodations with the City.