Salary: See Position Description
Location : Morrisville, NC
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 2024-39
Employer: Town of Morrisville
Opening Date: 06/12/2024
Closing Date: 7/12/2024 11:59 PM Eastern
About Us
Progressive, Diverse, Wake County Community Seeks Economic Development Director
View the Recruitment Brochure HERE
The Town of Morrisville's first Economic Development Director (Director) could be your next career move if you are a visionary and intrigued by the opportunity to create a new economic development department and to utilize industry best practices and trends to continue to enhance the Town of Morrisville as a regional leader in economic development.
Morrisville's Economic Development Director is responsible for retaining and expanding the town's economic strength by marketing, planning, coordinating, and directing the town's economic development activities. This position is for the demonstrable leader with economic development and municipal leadership experience in communities of 30,000 who has a proactive and "sense of urgency" approach toward economic development. Ideally, the first Director has experience with existing business growth and retention, as well as site selection, and understands the role of a development broker.
The Economic Development Director will join a collaborative organization as part of the town's leadership team and unite themselves around the team's servant leadership style. This Director plays a vital role in developing and implementing strategies to promote economic growth, support local businesses, and attract new investment to the Town of Morrisville. The Director will assume responsibility for the Town's "Morrisville Means Business" small business program and will be responsible for selecting and then supervising the Town's 30 hr. employee focused on small business. This will also include collaboration with the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce as they work to also support small businesses in the community.
About the Organization:
The Town of Morrisville is governed by a seven-member Town Council utilizing the Council/Manager form of government. The Town Council sets the policy and direction, and the Town Manager oversees the organization's day-to-day operations, which consists of a team of 246 employees, not including part-time and seasonal staff, across 13 departments. With AAA bond ratings from bond rating agencies and excellent stewardship of tax dollars, the Town is regarded as a fiscally responsible and well-managed government. The of $58.2M is supported by a property tax rate of .35 cents per $100 of assessed valuation.
The strategic focus of Morrisville is guided by the community vision established in the 2017 and renewed in the 2021 update. The six strategic goals for Morrisville are Improved Transportation Mobility, Thriving Livable Neighborhoods, Engaged, Inclusive Community, Public Safety Readiness, Operational Excellence, and Economic Prosperity. A 2022 Community Survey indicates that 94% of residents think Morrisville is a good or excellent place to live. The Town also relies on its , , , and other policies adopted by the Town Council to guide its work.
Duties/Responsibilities
About the Position:
The Economic Development Director , reporting to the Deputy Town Manager, will oversee the town's economic development priorities through its newly created Economic Development department.
In close collaboration with town leaders, staff, and other stakeholders, the Economic Development Director will prioritize establishing and executing Morrisville's economic development workplan, which will focus on economic prosperity and smart growth, community advancement and collaboration, and brand identification and placemaking. The Director will refine and revise the town's economic development policies to best support the town's economic growth and ensure sustainability and viability given that Morrisville is more than 80% built out with no ETJ (Extra Territorial Planning Jurisdiction). The Director must explore and create opportunities to creatively recruit and retain businesses who will build "up, not out" and redevelop existing properties.
Key priorities include but are not limited to the following:

• Work with the Town Council, and the town's senior leadership team and current economic development consultant to establish a clear path forward from among a number of viable priorities.
• Recruit new businesses while enhancing and improving small business support and retention, explore commercial and industrial real estate opportunities, and cultivate industry clusters-expanding on current industries.
• Increase visibility within the community through targeted strategies that enhance engagement, collaboration, communication, and education while expanding the town's local and regional collaborative partners and stakeholders and creating an innovation ecosystem-where innovation-induced profit increases the commercial economy.
• Explore opportunities to enhance the quality of life for community members while developing a brand identity for the town and crafting a marketing strategy to unite the organization and community around a shared vision and identity.
• Collaborate with the Morrisville Chamber of Commerce to ensure they are providing the defined support for the Town's economic development program, particularly in the area of small business support through the Town's "Morrisville Means Business" program.

Qualifications
Morrisville's first Economic Development Director has a collaborative mindset and:

• is a visionary, strategic, big-picture thinker who successfully communicates and executes visions and demonstrates creativity in achieving identified measurable goals and objectives;

• thrives in building relationships with others - connecting diverse stakeholders, collaborating with local, state, and regional partners, and establishing and enhancing connections across the community;
• outstanding interpersonal communication, facilitation, presentation, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills;
• advocates confidently and proactively for best practice solutions; conducts thorough research, data analysis, and report writing and demonstrates the ability to gather, analyze, interpret, and report research findings utilizing metrics;
• considerable knowledge of the federal, state, and local laws about economic development and planning, zoning and permitting processes, and sources of demographic, social, political, and economic databases relevant to municipal governance;
• knowledge of management and supervisory principles and practices, including program planning, contract and grant requirements, budgeting, direction, coordination, and evaluation; and,
• is a highly effective project manager who has a successful system for managing multiple high-end projects with excellence and ease;

Required Qualifications:
Any combination of education and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor's degree in economic development, business, public administration, or a related field with training in economic growth and considerable professional experience in business or economic development.
Preferred Qualifications:
A master's degree and 10 years of demonstrated economic development experience, with 3-5 years of experience in urban municipal government, along with familiarity with the state of North Carolina.
Additional Information
Th e Community:
Morrisville has been one of the fastest growing and most diverse towns in North Carolina. Recognized as an All-America City by the National Civic League in June 2021, Morrisville was one of only ten communities nationwide to earn this recognition. Morrisville's many accolades include the following:

• No. 10 Best Small City in the U.S. to Start a Business by WalletHub.com (2023).
• No. 5 Best Place to Live for Families by Fortune Well, a living and wellness subsidiary of Fortune.com (2022).
• Rated by Niche.com as the No. 1 Best Place to Live in North Carolina in 2022 and 2021.
• Money magazine ranked Morrisville as the number 10 Best Place to Live in the United States (2020).
• WalletHub.com ranked Morrisville the No. 3 Best Place to Raise a Family in North Carolina (2019).

Since 2000, Morrisville's population has ballooned from 5,000 to over an estimated 32,000 residents. The Town's demographics include approximately 46% Asian, 35% White, 10% African American, and 9% other and two or more races. Asian Indian is the Town's largest group in the Asian category, representing approximately 36% of the Town's total population in 2020, a considerable increase from 20% in 2010. Seventy-four percent of the population is over 18 (Source - April 2020 U.S Census). The Town and the community are committed to diversity and inclusion for all residents, businesses, and visitors. The Town focuses on cultural awareness and celebrating the cultural diversity of its community.
Morrisville is a community of approximately 10 square miles with limited ETJ for expansion.
"Live Connected. Live Well." is the Town's philosophy. When surveyed, residents communicated that they value the connection they feel in the Town - the connection they have to global businesses, opportunities, parks, open space, and most importantly, each other. Morrisville is a place to gather, talk with neighbors, and engage with Town leaders. It is a warm and welcoming community. The community embraces small-town ideals with the conveniences and amenities of a metropolitan city available in town or with easy access nearby.
Morrisville is located adjacent to North Carolina's Research Triangle Park - a national technological development hotbed hosting over 250 companies and 50,000 workers. The town has a diverse economic base, including global companies, headquarters, start-ups, technology industries, and emerging biomanufacturing and life sciences clusters. The population demographics are diverse, affluent, and highly educated. As a result, the local median household income is now $114,075, almost twice the state average of $67,481. The town has immediate access to Interstates 40 and 85. It is conveniently located near Raleigh and Durham, where amenities are found in those larger cities, including the Raleigh Durham International Airport, just 10 minutes from Morrisville.
Morrisville has quickly established itself as a hub for bio-manufacturing and life sciences in its McCrimmon Parkway corridor that is zoned particularly to support these two related industries. The town is often mentioned in discussions with Boston and San Francisco as a leader in supporting these industries.
People stay in Morrisville because of the superb quality of life, regional proximity, and cultural enrichment. The Wake County Public School System provides excellent schools to Morrisville families, including the recent addition of the Wake Early College of Information and Biotechnologies on the Wake Technical Community College campus in Morrisville. Wake Technical Community College also offers traditional college courses at the campus.
Salary and Benefits : The hiring range for the position is $135,000 - $145,000, depending on qualifications and experience. The Town of Morrisville is recognized as a high-quality employer that values and supports its employees. Information about the Town's generous benefits (including but not limited to flexible work schedules - including up to two days of remote work per week following an orientation period, paid time off (PTO) beyond other paid leave, and contributions to a 401K) can be found As a condition of employment for all positions with the Town of Morrisville, the selected candidate must complete a pre-employment background check, drug screening, and motor vehicle record check.
To apply, please visit and click on the title of Economic Development Director - Morrisville, NC .

• All applications must be submitted online via the Developmental Associates application portal (link above) - NOT the Town's employment application portal or any other external website.
• Resumes and cover letters must be uploaded with the application.
• Applicants should apply by July 12, 2024 .
• Successful semi-finalists will be invited to participate in virtual interviews and skill evaluation interviews on August 12-13, 2024 . Candidates are encouraged to reserve these dates for virtual meetings should they be invited to participate.
• In-person interviews with the leadership team are tentatively scheduled for August 22-23, 2024.
• Direct inquiries to

The Town of Morrisville, NC, is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Developmental Associates, LLC manages the recruitment and selection process for this position. To learn more about our selection process, visit https://developmentalassociates.com/client-openings/, select "Client Openings," and scroll down to "Important Information for Applicants."
Benefits are specific to the employing organization. Please refer to the benefits information that is in the ad as well as in the recruitment brochure. If you need further information, please contact the employer associated with the position
01

CONFIDENTIALITY DISCLOSURE AND APPLICATION COMPLETION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: Developmental Associates works on behalf of this client to recruit and collect information on candidates for this position. All applicant materials will be shared with the employer and their employees who are involved in the hiring process for this position. This application process uses a combination of automated and hand scoring of all application materials against screening criteria that have been established by the employer. 1) By submitting this application, I am consenting to have my application materials shared with this employer. 2) I understand that if I have not completely and fully answered all application questions and/ or supplemental questions with details, my application may not be able to be accurately evaluated. 3) Further, I understand that merely referring to my resume (e.g. "see resume" in lieu of providing detailed responses) is not sufficient for purposes of ensuring accurate application evaluation.

• Yes
• No

02

The minimum degree for this position is a bachelor's degree in economic development, business, public administration, or a related field. Master's degree is preferred. What is your highest degree?

• High School or GED
• Some College or AA Degree
• Bachelor's Degree
• Some Graduate School, No Degree
• MPA, MBA or other related graduate degree
• Other Graduate Degree

03

In what area did you get your highest degree? If you said "other" above, what is your highest degree?
04

What is the highest level position you have held in a Planning and/or Economic or Community Development department?

• Chief/Director/ Deputy
• Assistant Director/ Deputy
• Division Manager
• Supervisor
• City/Town Manager overseeing Community Development
• Consultant
• I've never worked with Community Development
• Other non-management role

05

What certifications do you hold, if any?
06

This position prefers 10 years of demonstrated economic development experience. Please indicate your experience with economic development below.

• I've not served in a management or higher role in economic development
• Less than 1 year
• 1.1 - 3 years
• 3.1 - 5 years
• 5.1 - 7 years
• 7.1 - 9.9 years
• 10 or more years

07

With which government entities, if any, and what positions match your years of experience in a Planning and/or Economic Development role? Please list the title if not a traditional Planning and/or EDD position. Please say "NA" if no Planning and/or ED experience.
08

What is the largest number of employees supervised within your span of control?

• I've never supervised any employees.
• 1 - 3
• 4 - 6
• 7 - 9
• Greater than 9

09

Please identify in which of the following experience areas you have 2 or more years of direct and proficient experience.

• Housing revitalization programs
• Revitalization funding programs
• Community Engagement with Neighborhood and Homeowner Associations
• Administration
• Displacement Assistance Prgrams
• Community Development Youth engagement initiatives
• Neighborhood Parks
• Collaboration with other City departments to meet Community Development goals
• Historic Buildings, Museums
• Bond Implementation, Bond Project Management
• Economic Development Strategies
• Industry Recruitment
• Private/Public Partnership Creation
• Negotiation Skills
• Economic Incentive Development
• Other

10

If you answered "other" above, please explain:
11

What is the largest size operating budget for which you have been responsible?

• I have no budget experience
• Less than $100K
• $100.1K - $300K
• $301K - $600K
• $601K - $1M
• Greater than $1M

12

What is the largest population in a community where you have served in a management role for a public agency?

• Under 10,000
• 10,001 - 20,000
• 20,001 - 30,000
• 30,001 - 40,000
• Greater than 40,000

13

What other factors, if any, should we consider about you with regard to this position?
14

I understand that the hiring range for this position is $135,000 - $145,000, depending on qualifications and experience

• Yes
• No

15

The Town of Morrisville uses a multi-step screening and evaluation process including an assessment center process for selecting executives. The dates for this process are August 12 - 13, 2024. Participation as a candidate involves engaging in 3-4 activities to assess key competencies. This is a time investment of about 3-4 hours of engagement during the 2 day process not including preparation time. These are not public meetings but there will be substantial interaction with other professionals in the field who will serve as assessors. Further, we have all participants sign letters of confidentiality. NC Law does not require the announcement of applicants until a finalist is selected. Indicating "yes" below represents your understanding of these elements of the process.

• Yes
• No

Required Question