Economic Development Specialist

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) director, this position assists with the promotion of economic and community development strategic goals to expand and retain business and industry to ensure the City of York’s economic vitality. This position performs administrative and auxiliary support for the department; facilitates and attends meetings and workshops; identifies and promotes financial opportunities and resources for businesses and residents; develops and managers databases; and performs community outreach and engagement.

Essential Functions

• Serves as business development liaison for the City of York. Develops partnerships and collaborates with local businesses and residents; economic development agencies; local, state, and federal government; City of York Redevelopment Authority (RDA); and other stakeholders to effectively promote, grow, and support small and medium sized business and community development within the City.
• Works with potential and existing businesses on site selection; procuring financial resources; providing technical assistance; facilitating workshop, meetings, and presentations; coordinates trade show participation and special economic industry events; and, other services warranted to grow the City’s local economy.
• Develops and maintains departmental databases for existing businesses including records of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs), etc.; comprehensive list of programs and resources available to businesses including information on City, State and Federal business programs, grants & incentives; and residential and commercial real estate.
• Coordinates all marketing, advertising, and promotional deadlines; distributes marketing materials to appropriate audiences; manages DECD website; responsible for maintaining an active social media presence for DECD.
• Coordinates DECD economic and community development initiatives, to include grant writing and grant management; coordinates economic & community development initiatives, including DECD Complete Communities Initiative (CCI)

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of Economic Development principles and practices. Knowledge of current Economic Development, demographics, and market trends in the regional area.
• Position typically includes work that requires the direction of occasional, non-regular employees, seasonal employees, interns, and part-time hourly employees.
• Work requires contacts with coworkers from other organizational units. Resourcefulness is required to reach or adjust working agreements within departmental procedures and operating needs. Tact and judgment are requirements in obtaining or giving information of a confidential nature.
• This job title requires the use of standard technical skills appropriate to the work environment of the organization.
• The job title prepares accounting, budget and purchasing documents; does research to justify language used in documents for a unit or division of a department.
• Ability to read literature, books, reviews, scientific or technical journals, abstracts, financial reports, and/or legal documents.
• Ability to deal with system of real numbers; practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios/proportions and measurement.
• Ability to write reports, prepare business letters, expositions, and summaries with proper format, punctuation, spelling, and grammar, using all parts of speech.

Minimum Acceptable Training and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Business Administration/Policy, Marketing, Urban Affairs/Planning or another complimentary field.
• Two or more years’ economic and/or community development experience.
• Valid Class C driver’s license issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
• All persons who become employed by the City on or after the effective date of this section (May 18, 2022) shall be or become residents of York County, or any County contiqous to York County (Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Hartford, Baltimore, and Carroll Counties), within six months from the first date the employee achieves permanent employment status.
• Must pass a background check, Drug Test and provide a PA Child Abuse History Clearance Certificate.
  Note: Child Abuse History Clearance must be dated within one year from the date of application and must show that "no record exists". Click here to visit the PA Department of Human Services website for more information on the Child Abuse History Clearances.
  Click here to submit your application for PA Child Abuse History Clearance online. This method is strongly suggested as you will receive immediate access to your results. Paper application forms are available in the City of York's Office of Human Resources.

The City of York is proud to be an equal opportunity employer supporting workplace diversity.