Director of Business Attraction

Background:

Tulsa Innovation Labs, LLC (TIL) is a tech-led economic development organization transforming the Tulsa region into a nationally recognized hub for advanced industries. By building coalitions across companies, research institutions, workforce partners, and public agencies, TIL identifies and removes barriers to innovation, enabling businesses to scale, commercialize new technologies, and compete globally.

TIL focuses on strategic industry clusters where Tulsa has a competitive advantage, including aerospace, energy technology, autonomous systems, and enabling infrastructure. Through federal partnerships, industry-led initiatives, and ecosystem coordination, TIL drives investment in research, commercialization, workforce development, and place-based infrastructure that benefits both companies and the broader regional economy.

Founded in 2020 by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, TIL has secured major federal awards including the Build Back Better Regional Challenge and Tech Hubs programs (one of only two regions in the country to do so) establishing a foundation for long-term impact. Today, TIL serves as a convener, system builder, and innovation catalyst, positioning the Tulsa region as a place where companies can grow, innovate, and lead in the industries of the future.

Position Summary:

The Director of Business Attraction reports to the Head of Business Attraction and serves as a leader driving execution of targeted business attraction strategies. The position is responsible for managing high-priority corporate recruitment campaigns and comprehensive business development activities that bring new companies and investment to the Tulsa region across TIL's focus areas.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leads the development and execution of corporate recruitment campaigns, including qualified lead generation, prospect qualification, outreach sequencing, meeting preparation, and post-meeting follow-up to drive conversions.
• Manages and cultivates stakeholder relationships with regional partners (Chamber of Commerce, state agency, municipality), as well as brokers, consultants, and site selectors to expand deal flow and align joint pursuits.
• Coordination of incentive programs with partners, including application processes, performance monitoring, and program evaluation to ensure competitive, responsible, and timely offers.
• Executes partnership strategies with economic development allies, industry associations, and strategic partners to amplify market reach and accelerate business attraction outcomes.
• Coordinates site visits end-to-end, including logistics, itinerary development, stakeholder engagement, presentation preparation, facility and ecosystem tours, and structured follow-up to advance decision-making.
• Conducts market opportunity analysis, including competitive intelligence, industry trend research, target sector identification, and data-driven insights that inform positioning and prospect prioritization.
• Manages the business development pipeline in Salesforce, ensuring timely lead tracking, qualification, nurturing, and conversion activities; maintains high standards of data integrity and documentation.
• Coordinates with the Marketing team to create and tailor pitch materials and collateral-presentations, one-pagers, case studies, and proposals-that articulate Tulsa's value proposition and TIL's differentiated offerings for target sectors.
• Represents Tulsa at conferences, trade shows, and industry events; manages booths, conducts meetings, networks with key influencers, and captures leads for timely follow-up and pipeline advancement.
• Executes targeted national and international business development meetings and recruitment trips; coordinates with TIL team members and regional allies to maximize impact.
• Leads RFP/RFI response management, including prospect due diligence, proposal development, and stakeholder orchestration to deliver compelling, on-time submissions.
• Develops and delivers Salesforce-based reporting (pipeline, activities, conversion metrics, KPIs) for the Head of Business Attraction and key stakeholders; recommends process improvements based on performance trends.
• Works with Marketing and Communications and Research and Data teams to align messaging, validate claims with credible data, and produce sector-specific materials and campaigns.
• Completes due diligence on prospects and sources background information to prepare for business development meetings and special events promoting the Tulsa region; conducts promotional presentations to market Tulsa to targeted audiences.
• Identifies areas of opportunity and weakness to improve the competitiveness and business climate of the community and TIL's related efforts; recommends operational enhancements to increase win rates.

Ideal Candidate Profile:

Qualifications & Competencies:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in economic development, business, public administration, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in economic development, strategic partnerships, or business development, preferably leading and managing business attraction programs.
• Minimum of 5 years in business attraction with experience in public-private partnerships and a proven track record closing deals that result in investment and job creation.
• Strong understanding of decision-making, and economic development dynamics.
• Experience working across cross-functional teams to execute large-scale initiatives.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and strategic thinking skills.

Preferred:

• Proficiency with Salesforce (or similar CRM), including pipeline design , reporting , dashboards , and data governance .
• Experience with economic development tools and analyses (e.g., incentive modeling, cost-benefit analysis, labor market and real estate analytics, benchmarking).
• Strong financial and quantitative analysis capabilities to inform offers, ROI, and competitiveness.
• Demonstrated skills in presentation development, proposal writing, and collateral creation .
• Conference and trade show management experience, including lead capture and conversion.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Connector - Ability to identify and link industry priorities with TIL's mission.
• Trusted Influencer - Comfortable engaging C-suite executives and senior decision-makers .
• Adaptive Problem-Solver - Thrives in ambiguous, evolving environments and proactively drives solutions.
• Compelling Communicator - Strong ability to articulate complex ideas , craft compelling pitches, and foster engagement.
• Action-Oriented & Intentional - Demonstrates urgency and proactive execution .
• Collaborative & Agile - Works effectively across teams, aligning resources to maximize impact.

Physical Requirements:

• Communicate: Frequent phone, in-person, and messaging communication via various platforms. Must be able to exchange information effectively and accurately in all elements of verbal and written communication.
• Operate: Constant operation of computers, phones, and other office productivity tools.
• Willingness and ability to travel between program and related stakeholder locations, service provider/vendor offices, and event/trade shows, as required.

Hours & Location:

• Position is based in Tulsa, OK, within TIL headquarters located at 12 North Cheyenne Ave.
• Typical work hours are Monday - Friday from 8:00 to 5:00, with flexibility required for various events, meetings, and relevant business needs.

Benefits and Compensation:

As part of our overall compensation package, we offer work/life flexibility, comprehensive health benefits, paid time off, and generous retirement contributions designed to support you and your family.


Details:

• 100% employer paid medical, dental, and long-term disability for full-time employees only. Option to add vision and dependents.
• 401K employee and employer contributions
• Paid time off to support you while you are out of the office
• Paid holidays so our employees can spend time with those they care about.
• Employer-paid AD&D life insurance, with employee option to add supplemental life insurance.