SVP/Chief Business Development Officer

Job Description

Job Description

About Company:

Baltimore Development Corporation (BDC) is the City of Baltimore’s economic development agency. We work to strengthen Baltimore’s economy by attracting investment, supporting businesses, advancing real estate development, and creating opportunities that help neighborhoods, employers, and residents thrive.

Our work is rooted in the belief that economic growth should benefit the entire city. From helping businesses launch and expand to advancing catalytic development projects, connecting entrepreneurs with resources, and building partnerships across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, BDC helps turn Baltimore’s potential into lasting progress.

At BDC, you will join a mission-driven team committed to shaping a more vibrant, equitable, and economically resilient Baltimore. We value collaboration, innovation, accountability, and a deep connection to the communities we serve.

Whether your expertise is in real estate, small-business support, finance, communications, community investment, grants, compliance, or economic development, your work at BDC can make a meaningful impact on Baltimore’s future.

About the Role:

The Senior Vice President & Chief Business Development Officer leads BDC’s business attraction, small business growth, brand, and communications portfolio.

The role carries three mandates: bring new investment and employers to Baltimore; grow and retain the businesses already here; and build the market narrative that makes both of those easier.

The SVP/CBDO provides management and oversight of the Business Development Team of 18 FTEs, with three vice presidents reporting directly: VP of Integrated Brand & Communications; VP of Business Growth & Market Strategy; and VP of Small Business Growth & Retention. The SVP/CBDO reports to the Executive Vice President & Chief Financial and Operating Officer

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree in business administration, finance, economics, marketing, communications, public policy, city planning, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in business attraction, economic development, sales, marketing, communications, or a closely related field
• Minimum five (5) years leading teams, including managing managers, with a demonstrated ability to set unit goals and hold a team accountable to them
• Demonstrated success building and converting a business development pipeline, or an equivalent record of measurable market-facing results
• Strong brand, marketing, and media relations experience, including serving as a spokesperson or directing those who do
• Demonstrated effectiveness serving diverse business communities and markets, including small, minority-owned, and women-owned enterprises

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with municipal government or quasi-governmental economic development organizations
• Experience with small business technical assistance, Main Street programs, or commercial corridor revitalization
• Understanding of entrepreneurship, venture capital, startup ecosystems, and the commercialization of arts and culture
• Familiarity with federal economic development and innovation funding programs (Commerce, EDA, SBA, MBDA, NSF)
• Experience in public-private partnership development

Key Responsibilities:

Business Attraction and Investment

• Lead regional, national, and international business attraction — recruiting employers, investors, and expanding companies to Baltimore
• Build and manage a qualified pipeline of relocation and expansion prospects with defined conversion targets and a regular reporting cadence
• Position BDC as the single point of contact for investment in Baltimore City
• Represent Baltimore at industry conferences, trade shows, site selector forums, and national business networks, including those serving minority- and women-owned enterprises
• Develop international attraction initiatives, including outreach to immigrant-founded, export-ready, and foreign direct investment prospects
• Partner with the Chief Real Estate Officer and Chief Financial and Operating Officer to align attraction activity with available sites, incentives, and capital tools

Small Business Growth and Retention

• Oversee small business growth and retention strategies across the City.
• Make business retention and expansion visits, needs assessment, and follow-through systematic rather than episodic
• Connect small businesses to BDC’s capital, incentive, and technical assistance programs, and close gaps where products do not yet exist
• In coordination and partnership with the CSO and the Strategy Team, track and report outcomes: businesses retained and expanded, jobs supported, storefront occupancy, and revenue growth

Brand and Integrated Communications

• Own and extend BDC’s refreshed brand identity and messaging platform across all internal and external channels
• Maintain message discipline on BDC’s core positioning, including public investment rather than public subsidy, and BDC as the single point of contact for investment in Baltimore City
• Direct marketing strategy, campaign development, digital and social presence, web properties, and collateral
• Ensure brand consistency across programs, sub-brands, partner materials, and board- and Cityfacing communications

Public and Media Relations

• Develop and execute strategic public relations campaigns advancing Baltimore’s economic story locally, nationally and globally
• Build durable relationships with local, regional, national, trade, and community media
• Serve as a senior spokesperson and prepare the President & CEO and Board leadership for press and public engagements
• Lead crisis communications in coordination with the President & CEO, Board leadership, and the Mayor’s Office
• Establish thought leadership positioning BDC’s leaders as credible national voices on inclusive economic growth and generational wealth building

Creative Industries and the Cultural Economy

• Develop support programs treating creative enterprises and cultural institutions as an economic sector, not an amenity
• Create pathways for creative entrepreneurs to access affordable workspace, capital, and business development resources
• Connect creative entrepreneurs to BDC’s mainstream business development tools and technical assistance
• Partner with arts and cultural organizations to grow the sector’s measurable economic contribution

Tourism and Destination Partnership

• Partner with Visit Baltimore and tourism stakeholders on business, heritage, and cultural tourism
• Develop business tours and economic development tourism programming showcasing Baltimore’s commercial corridors and business success stories
• Market Baltimore as a destination for business conferences, conventions, and industry events

A Note on the Reporting Relationship

Under BDC’s FY27 structure, Business Development sits within the EVP/CFOO’s portfolio. This is deliberate. It pairs the agency’s growth functions with its capital, budget, and operating functions, so that deals, incentives, and program commitments are originated and underwritten in the same house. The SVP/CBDO works closely with the President & CEO on external positioning, board engagement, and citywide strategy.

Scope and Authority

• Direct supervision of 18 FTEs across three units, including three vice presidents
• Management of a combined business attraction, marketing, and communications budget
• Oversight of external creative, public relations, media buying, and research vendors Senior spokesperson authority in coordination with the President & CEO