ACOM AEDC PROJECT CONSULTANT

Position Summary                                                                                                                         

The AEDC Area/Program Representative will function as the Research Manager. This role is responsible for sourcing, synthesizing, interpreting, and presenting economic content and data that supports AEDC’s mission and goals. The Research Manager is a key member of the Business Development team and serves as the lead researcher in support of other divisions.

Education and Professional Work Experience                                                                       

Minimum Qualifications

The formal education equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in business, economics, marketing, or a related field; plus, six years of experience in program organization and administration, including two years in a supervisory or leadership capacity.

Preferred Qualifications

The formal education equivalent of a bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, library science, geography or a related field; plus, two years of experience in a research capacity, program management, or a related field.

Must have experience in utilizing a CRM system, preferably Salesforce, and be proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

Knowledge of database use as well as research methods, techniques, and resources.

Familiarity with Geographical Information Systems, preferably ESRI.

Familiarity of national and international business environments and geography.

Familiarity with Arkansas’ economic landscape and geography.

Ability to source, synthesize, interpret, and present information for memos, reports, RFPs/RFIs, presentations, and other use cases.

Ability to prepare and present training sessions to internal and external customers.

Ability to provide guidance and technical assistance to internal and external customers.

Ability to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of systems and processes, identify inefficiencies, and recommend corrective actions.

Ability to organize, compartmentalize and prioritize various research projects and data/content requests.

Ability to prepare and present technical information orally and in writing.

Ability to write and speak clearly and concisely.

Collaborative, agile, inquisitive, proactive, and resolute.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities  

Knowledge of national and international industrial and marketing trends and patterns.

Knowledge of industrial relations.

Knowledge of business negotiation proceedings.

Knowledge of the principles and practices of marketing.

Knowledge of research and analysis techniques and procedures.

Knowledge of state regulations governing the location of industry.

Knowledge of geographical, economic, and cultural patterns.

Ability to select, develop, and cultivate business prospects.

Ability to analyze data and compile reports. Ability to interact with multi-cultural personalities.

Ability to assign and coordinate work activities and monitor the performance of subordinates.

Ability to interpret policies and procedures as they apply to developing industrial prospects.

Ability to prepare and present training sessions, speeches, and written reports.

Certificates

Completion the American Economic Council Basic Economic Development Course, a related course offered through NASDA/Thunderbird Training Programs, or an acceptable comparable course offered through a recognized training program approved by the Chief Fiscal Officer.

Job Responsibilities and Expected Results                                                                              

1. Serve as the lead researcher for the Business Development team’s efforts:

1) Compile demographic, firmographic, and economic information for companies, business prospects, consultants, etc.

2) Develop and package the AEDC’s response to Requests for Proposals/Information (RFP/RFIs) from companies and site location consultants.

3) Provide information to Marketing for use in the development of marketing materials, speeches, reporter requests, articles, advertisements, etc.

4) Maintain comprehensive state business comparisons that compare Arkansas to other states on variables such as business costs, tax rates, labor force availability, etc.

5) Define and identify the State’s prominent industry clusters, develop analytical profiles, and determine which industries are likely candidates for recruitment and expansion.

6) Proactively provide content/data in a creative and useful format.

2. Assist Agency Research Efforts to Meet the Needs of Internal and External Customer Groups:

1) Provide information to external customers in pursuit of economic development initiatives

2) Provide research expertise to intra-agency projects and programs (EXs: Complete a business retention and expansion analysis for the Community Development team, identify companies and contacts that Marketing should target for lead generation purposes, or support Marketing on web page content updates and enhancements).

3) Serve as the lead for the team that organizes and completes briefing books used by the Governor and AEDC members during key trade shows and foreign business recruiting trips, as well as prepare economic briefing materials for the Governor’s Office or other ranking officials for other miscellaneous efforts.

3) Special projects (e.g. working with strategic planning to compile information for industry targeting).

4) Assist in proofing major documents of AEDC that will be presented to internal and external customers.

3. Complete Assigned Economic Reports, Lists Preparation, and Provide General Economic Information:

1) Update the International Business Report, Export Statistics, and Foreign Owned Business Report annually to support the Agency’s foreign trade and investment efforts.

2) Update and maintain the Arkansas Corporate Headquarters List.

3) Update and provide a state-by-state cost of living comparison spreadsheet.

4) Provide various industry-specific lists (e.g., biotech companies, poultry processors, transportation equipment companies, etc.) in conjunction with other Marketing efforts.

5) compile and maintain information concerning Arkansas corporations, industry sectors, regions, and business clusters.

6) Compile, analyze, and interpret Arkansas economic trends.

7) Provide statistics, briefing notes, speaking points, profiles, etc. to internal and external customers.

8) Develop spreadsheets, databases, and reports to collect and analyze economic information (examples include workers’ compensation benefit comparisons; employee turnover, and wage comparisons).

4. Serve as an External Liaison with other agencies on research matters.

1) Cultivate and maintain relationships with representatives from other agencies and organizations to collaborate on partnerships and projects relevant to the AEDC’s research needs.

2) Responsible for sustaining an association with the software vendors that provide our online databases, ensuring full use of resources, and completing vendor renewals as needed.

3) Seek opportunities from other entities for research-related professional training for self and agency staff.

5. Other Duties as assigned.