REGIONAL RESEARCH MANAGER
World Business Chicago (WBC) is a public-private, non-profit partnership that drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports business and promotes Chicagoland as a leading global metropolitan area. WBC leads the Greater Chicagoland Economic Partnership (GCEP), a strategic collaboration among the seven counties of northeastern Illinois (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Will) and the City of Chicago to advance regional economic development.
The Research team provides cross-functional support to enhance WBC’s thought leadership in attracting, expanding, and retaining businesses, promoting Chicagoland as a global business destination, and designing and scaling initiatives for economic growth. The Research team supports GCEP by providing research services and advancing strategic research initiatives to the collective and individual county partners.
Summary
The Regional Research Manager is responsible for assisting the Research team on key initiatives, requests for information, and data analysis and dissemination as related to GCEP. The Regional Research Manager is a full-time position reporting to the Regional Research Director.
The individual :
- is dynamic, hard-working, and eager to proactively engage in an “all-hands-on-deck” small-team environment with strong technical data management and analysis skills;
- has a growth mindset, with a passion for applying research to drive economic development in Chicagoland through WBC’s mission and goals, and
- is an effective communicator, both in sharing insights to target audiences and building relationships with stakeholders throughout the region.
Job Responsibilities
Completes requests for information from county partners, prospective companies and their intermediaries, and other partner organizations;Provides analytical support to advance WBC / GCEP’s economic development initiatives, including assembling, analyzing, and presenting data in presentations, research reports, and other materials;Builds and manages relationships with county partners;Develops and maintains digital platforms for sharing data insights;Maintains internal systems for tracking requests for information and workflows;Tracks region-wide economic indicators to gauge the economy’s strength and contributes to the maintenance and development of a knowledge base.Qualifications
Undergraduate degree in economics, public policy, urban planning, or a related field;Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience, including in data analysis, communicating key insights in different mediums to target audiences, and / or managing research projects from methodology design to completion;Excellent overall computer proficiency or demonstrated ability to learn quickly, including experience with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, related economic development databases (e.g. US BLS, US Census, Lightcast, Moody’s, Pitchbook); mapping software (e.g. ArcGIS / Esri, Mapbox); data visualization software (e.g. PowerBI, Datawrapper, Venngage, Canva); CRMs (e.g. Salesforce); and / or statistical and data science languages (e.g. R, Python);Experience building relationships or working in a customer service environment;Willingness to take initiative and demonstrate creative approaches to problem solving with limited resources;Strong sense of organization, time management, and attention to detail;Willingness to receive feedback;Familiarity with the Chicagoland area preferred;Must be willing to work on a hybrid schedule with 3 days in the office / 2 days remote, with occasional travel throughout the Chicagoland region.Salary / Benefits Information :
Salary range : $55,000 - $65,000Benefits offered : Medical, Dental, Vision, Disability Insurance, 401 K, Life Insurance, Paid Time off, and Sick Time.World Business Chicago is an equal opportunity employer.
Salary : $55,000 - $65,000
