Director Of Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Director Of Innovation And Entrepreneurship

Salary: $93,888.90 - $117,361.13

Job Summary: Under general supervision, the Director of Innovation and Entrepreneurship will help foster growth of Arlington's existing innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem and coordinate with City of Arlington partners on establishing Arlington as a major national hub for corporate innovation centers and research and development hubs, venture capitalists, high growth high tech firms, and as a smart city. This role will focus on attracting and retaining high-growth companies, fostering partnerships, and building a dynamic environment that encourages new ventures and innovative industries.

Essential Job Functions:

• Serve as a liaison between the City, local entrepreneurs, small business owners, and the startup community.
• Identify and develop initiatives that attract entrepreneurs, emerging technology companies, and high-growth industries to Arlington.
• Manage engagement with key organizations focused on core innovation verticals and emerging technology priorities, including but not limited to local and regional resource providers, accelerators, trade associations, schools, colleges, and universities.
• Oversee the development and implementation of targeted business attraction activities in the EDC's core innovation verticals to reach prospective companies through qualified national and international business development leads.
• Coordinate with staff to build target lists of scalable and sustainable companies and investors for Arlington's innovation-driven economic development efforts.
• Prepare, monitor, measure, and report on an accelerator strategy for the EDC that includes vision, goals, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and objectives.
• Aid Smart City efforts in partnership with City of Arlington departments.

Other Job Functions:

• Oversee, monitor, report on, and provide recommendations for programs, including initiatives such as the Board-approved partnership with The Founders Arena.
• Work closely with the Office of Economic Development (OED) to align entrepreneurial initiatives with broader economic goals.
• Coordinate with the Office of Strategic Initiatives (OSI) to identify and pursue innovative projects, funding opportunities, and policy initiatives that benefit the city's entrepreneurial landscape.
• Partner with Marketing/Communications to promote Arlington's innovation programs, success stories, and resources, positioning the city as a competitive location for startups and established businesses alike.
• Travels to attend meetings, conferences, and training; may travel internationally.
• On a nontypical basis, may perform other additional duties not listed in this description that are in alignment with the scope of essential job functions.

Minimum Qualifications: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Ability to embrace and embody the City's efforts "Working Together to Make Arlington Better"—and values of providing outstanding customer service; exceeding expectations in delivering core service and daily operations; diversity, creating positive relationships, and maintaining effective partnerships with the community and organizations; upholding the highest professional and ethical standards; achieving results through planned actions and measurable performance.
• Ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving a variety of generally pre-defined duties which are often characterized by frequent change.
• Ability to provide guidance, assistance, and/or interpretation to others on how to apply procedures and standards to specific situations.
• Ability to operate a variety of office equipment including but not limited to: printers, copiers.
• Ability to operate a personal computer, proficiency in MS Office Suite.
• Ability to work flexible hours to accommodate networking and off-site meetings as well as travel both domestically and internationally.
• Ability to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.
• Ability to calculate, compute, tabulate and summarize data and/or information. Includes the ability to perform subsequent analysis and actions in relation to these computational operations.
• Ability to work in an office environment and supporting a team; contribute as a team member and treat co-workers, subordinates, and customers with respect.
• Resourceful; detail-oriented; proactive; solution-focused; able to work independently; demonstrates strong work ethic.
• Ability to build professional relationships with internal staff and customers.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to work extended hours, evenings, and weekends.

Qualifying Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in public or business administration, economic development, entrepreneurship, urban and regional studies, or in a closely related field.
• Minimum of five (5) years progressively responsible experience in economic development., entrepreneurship, small business support, or innovation.
• Or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Preferred Qualifications: Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Knowledge of CRM Software programs (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.).
• Knowledge of attracting tech firms and building innovation ecosystems.
• Knowledge of successful regional innovation centers, innovation hubs, accelerators, incubators, and technology commercialization programs, including the creation and management/operations.
• Knowledge of competitive Tier 1/Tier 2 tech markets and major tech companies, unicorns, and gazelles.
• Knowledge of financial tools available on a local, state, and national level that benefit a company or EDC.
• Proficiency in "talking tech"; shares the same vernacular of tech leaders, investors, and startups.
• Skill in strategic planning with the ability to understand the big picture and align priorities.

Preferred Education and Experience:

• Experience leading or managing technology- or innovation- led economic development projects.
• Experience with technology and/or Smart City initiatives.
• Experience with entrepreneurship best practices.
• Experience utilizing economic development incentive programs.
• Graduates of the Economic Development Institute, regional entrepreneurship and/or corporate innovation institutes, or similar programs.
• Completion of the Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC) or other relevant professional development courses, such as those offered by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) or the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute (OUEDI).
• Have obtained or seeking to obtain professional certifications such as Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), Entrepreneurship Development Professional (EDF) or relevant industry certifications.

Employment Screenings Required:

• Criminal Background Check
• Drug & Alcohol Testing
• Motor Vehicle Record Review (MVR)

City of Arlington is an Equal Opportunity Employer.