Assistant Director of Downtown Development

Under limited supervision, performs coordinating and marketing duties for the City of Suffolk to recruit and retain businesses within the City. Work involves coordinating neighborhood revitalization and contract management related to the City's urban design. Work also involves planning, marketing, and attending promotional events. Employee is responsible for preparing the downtown development budget, researching available grants and funding sources, and interacting with various groups of people. Employee must exercise independent judgment and initiative in completing assignments. Employee must also exercise considerable tact and courtesy in frequent contact with business and industrial representatives, government officials and the general public. Reports to the Deputy City Manager.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.

• Develops, recommends, and implements a comprehensive plan for promotion of the City to recruit and retain new and existing businesses within the City's urban core.
• Coordinates the Downtown Plan and neighborhood revitalization.
• Plans, markets, and attends special promotional events; develops advertisements.
• Prepares and develops the budget for downtown development.
• Provides leadership and direction in the development of short and long range plans and projects.
• Makes presentations and speaks at various public events.
• Interacts with state and federal agencies including the National Main Street Center, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, Virginia Department of Transportation, and Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
• Interacts with print and electronic media.
• Researches available grants and funding sources. Oversees preparation and administration of grant applications; conducts research to identify and acquire federal, state, local, and private funding sources.
• Coordinates downtown development plan with local real estate professionals and property owners.
• Contacts businesses and community leaders for meetings related to Downtown Suffolk Initiatives Plan and neighborhood plans.
• Actively participates and coordinates Downtown Suffolk interest groups.
• Gathers and delivers materials and supplies.
• Answers telephone calls.
• Performs other related work as required.
• Update City Manager's office regularly on progress and incidents.

Bachelor's degree in business, political science, planning, economics or related field, and 3 to 5 years of experience in redevelopment, economic development, planning, public relations, marketing and real estate; or any equivalent combination of training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities. Requires a valid driver's license.

• Knowledge of state public information laws. Has considerable knowledge of the policies, practices, methods, objectives and goals of the City.
• Knowledge of the requirements, policies, and procedures of various media outlets necessary for promotional activities.
• Knowledge of budget planning and implementation.
• Knowledge of the effective content, layout, and production of promotional literature and communications materials.
• Ability to keep abreast of any changes in policy, methods, computer operations, equipment needs, policies, etc. as they pertain to departmental operations and activities.
• Ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether similar to or divergent from obvious standards)of data, people or things.
• Ability to develop and maintain high visibility and good relations with department personnel, City officials, employees, media representative and community groups.
• Ability to conceive, organize and implement programs to promote the City and its programs and activities.
• Ability to exercise initiative and independent judgment in a variety of work situations.
• Ability to research various topics and compile facts and data accurately. Is able to make oral presentations before large groups of people.
• Ability to establish and maintain working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
• Ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes receiving instructions, assignments and/or directions from supervisors.
• Ability to read billing statements, bankruptcy forms, account records, balance sheets, reports, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, etc., using proper format.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished inwritten, oral, or diagrammatic form; to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in or from standardized situations.
• Ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to understand government accounting terminology.
• Ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract totals; to multiply and divide; and to determine percentages and decimals.
• Ability to inspect items for proper length, width and shape.
• Ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under minimal levels of stress.

Salary : $96,033 - $122,827