Ohio Southeast Economic Development seeks new President & Chief Executive Officer

Ohio Southeast Economic Development seeks new President & Chief Executive Officer

Job Title : President & Chief Executive Officer of OhioSE, Inc.

Updated : July 1, 2024

OhioSE, Inc. is a private-sector, non-profit economic development organization that collaborates with Southeast Ohio’s major businesses, foundations, chambers of commerce, regional development districts, economic development organizations, and JobsOhio, the private, nonprofit corporation that drives economic development and job creation for the state. Together we work to advance regional economic competitiveness designed to accelerate job and economic growth and provide opportunities for all segments of Southeast Ohio’s population. To facilitate this growth, OhioSE, Inc. markets Southeast Ohio across the country and the world. OhioSE, Inc. works with its partners and others to attract new businesses, help those that are here grow, and accelerate the pace and impact of investment and innovation in the region.

Ohio Southeast Economic Development (OhioSE, Inc.) is the JobsOhio Network Partner for southern, eastern, and southeastern Ohio, providing economic development work and resources in 25 rural counties. The largest geographically of the seven regions across the state, OhioSE, Inc. acts as a primary conduit to JobsOhio and Ohio Department of Development programs. Learn more at OhioSE.com.

Position Duties :

The OhioSE President & Chief Executive Officer has ultimate responsibility for ensuring that its operations achieve the results sought by the OhioSE, Inc. Board of Directors. Position responsibilities include providing professional and strategic direction for OhioSE and accountability for meeting JobsOhio and other funder metrics. The President & Chief Executive Officer promotes the 25-county region’s prosperity among important constituencies within and outside of the region. This involves enhancing and facilitating cooperation among economic development entities, community leaders, elected officials, businesses and emerging and established civic groups to achieve better results. It requires vision, creativity, and consensus-building skills to encourage and promote cooperative and in some cases novel, approaches to build enduring, widely shared prosperity in Appalachian Ohio. Specific duties include :

1. Governance : Support the overall organizational governance, including :

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Reports to the OhioSE, Inc. Board of Directors and works collaboratively with the Board to support the broader overall mission of OhioSE

Ensure OhioSE successfully executes the Plan of Services attached to the JobsOhio contract that currently supports OhioSE with funding and maintains a close working relationship with that funder

2. Vision, Mission, and Strategic Direction : Implement the OhioSE mission and strategic direction, including :

When consistent with the OhioSE mission, identify, develop, and execute new strategies and tactics that effectively advance OhioSE’s mission and achieve funder and organization-established progress metrics

Lead the OhioSE team in all aspects of project management, marketing, research, talent acquisition, engagement, business retention & expansion, business attraction, site selection, site readiness & site development

Develop and supervise the execution of an Annual Plan of Services attached to the JobsOhio contract that details goals to be achieved as well as strategies and tactics to achieve goals for each calendar year

3. Relationships and Visibility : Ensure OhioSE develops and maintains the relationships, visibility and communications necessary to advance its mission and vision, including :

Serve as a highly visible, respected, and effective spokesperson and primary public contact for OhioSE within and outside Appalachian Ohio. Act as primary liaison with regional stakeholders, state and national policymakers, and current and potential funders

Travel as necessary within the region, state, national, and internationally as needed for representation and promotion of OhioSE, Inc.

Build and leverage effective partnerships with C suite business leaders, members of the region’s economic development system, the State of Ohio, and other partners to have greater impact on the region’s economic growth

Develop and maintain an effective communications and engagement program that establishes a strong brand identity and positive stakeholder image of and relationships with OhioSE

Present public speeches to stakeholders and industry groups as well as appropriate media interactions

Act with integrity and honesty in all dealings, actions, and conversations

4. Programs and Services : Establish and maintain strong and effective programs and services that advance OhioSE’s mission and achieve associated metrics, including :

Design and implement programs that maximize achievement of metrics with available resources

Oversee a portfolio of projects, programs, and initiatives driving economic growth and opportunity

Monitor and evaluate program effectiveness and utilize results to drive continuous improvement

5. Organizational Infrastructure and Accountability : Maintain a robust organizational infrastructure to support OhioSE’s operations, communications, and reporting, including :

Build strong working relationships across functional teams and outside partners

Set goals, drive performance, and oversee the work of 14 existing OhioSE, Inc. staff working remotely within the region

Hire, manage, and develop talented and credible staff and unleash their energy and creativity to advance OhioSE’s mission

6. Fiscal Performance : Manage OhioSE’s fiscal affairs to minimize risk and maximize organizational effectiveness, including :

Develop and execute a robust fundraising strategy to retain current investors and secure new ones

Maintain strong trust with JobsOhio as a primary funder

Develop and secure additional funding streams to support the work of OhioSE outside the scope of the JobsOhio contract

Establish fiscally responsible budgets and ensure prudent expenditure of OhioSE, Inc. funds

Manage the development and flow of budget information to the Board of Directors and, as necessary, reports to JobsOhio and other funders

Ensure compliance with all federal, state and local laws and industry best practices regarding the management and use of public dollars in the execution of OhioSE, Inc. operations.

Performance Evaluation Goals, Criteria, and Metrics – The OhioSE President & Chief Executive Officer will be evaluated by measurement against objective metrics and subjective feedback in achieving goals and deliverables listed in the annual Plan of Services attached to the JobsOhio contract, including :

• Overall success in meeting JobsOhio goals and performance metrics and performance scorecards, including BREs, project metric wins, new jobs, new payroll, new capital investment, projects and jobs in the pipeline, site selection metrics, marketing metrics, engagement metrics, etc.
• Overall health and direction of the organization in terms of performance trends; reputation among customers, partners and stakeholders; spending oversight; team cohesion and morale.
• Demonstrated leadership on new economic development initiatives inside OhioSE and across the region, such as site due diligence and development, new JobsOhio programs, work force initiatives, LEDO professional development, etc.
• Business development planning, execution, and success, to include campaigns, contacts with companies, leads generated, site selector engagements, and projects.
• The quantity and quality of high-level engagements with company executives, legislators, elected officials and regional partners.
• Promotion of OhioSE through speaking events, media events, and other meetings to draw attention to the mission, efforts, and success of OhioSE and the partnership with JobsOhio.
• Participation in JobsOhio and JobsOhio Network priority events such as JobsOhio Board meetings, Hometown Heroes events, Forbes Under 30 events, etc.

Education and Experience Requirements

Summary of OhioSE, Inc. Compensation and Benefits

The posting for this position will be open beginning July 15, 2024 and will close on August 2, 2024. Qualified and interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to executivesearch@ohiose.com .

OhioSE, Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, disability, age, ancestry, familial status, or veteran status.

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