Economic Development Planner

Position Purpose/Summary Responsible for managing projects related to neighborhood planning, small businesses, real estate, and workforce development initiatives by providing technical assistance; coordination and development of new planning procedures; preparing written project analysis; developing and managing data collection tools; and managing consultant contracts including scopes-of-work and budgets.

Employee will also be required to support associated Boards & Commissions under the Office of Planning & Economic Development.

Work is performed under the supervision of the Deputy Development Officer.

No supervision is exercised over other employees.

Essential Functions * Provides technical assistance regarding urban planning and development activities.

* Manages complex neighborhood planning projects that advance the economic development goals of the City, from concept development and grant seeking to project launch and operations.

* Supervises consultants and monitors project progress, * Produces and ensures project deliverables are timely.

* Navigates project development with internal and external partners.

* Collects and analyzes relevant quantitative and qualitative data, updates spreadsheets, databases and inventories with statistical, financial, and non-financial information.

* Coordinates associated community outreach and participation processes for economic development projects and initiatives.

Community outreach work might include engaging with the local real estate industry and business leaders; developing marketing materials and strategies for various projects; and coordinating and preparing materials for a variety of Boards and Commissions.

* Serves as additional staff support for the Springfield Historical Commission.

Regular attendance at such meetings, which occur after regular work hours, will be required..

* Provides staff support for the Planning Department including Plan Reviews, constituent services, administration of board and commission duties.

* Utilizes GIS mapping tools to produce maps for project related uses as well as for other department and public requests.

* Works in close cooperation with the other divisions that comprise the Development Division (e.g., Community Development, Neighborhoods, Housing, Building Department) * Other duties as assigned by the Deputy Development Officer, Chief Development Officer, and Deputy Director of Planning.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities * Considerable knowledge of economic development and planning, particularly planning for the redevelopment and growth of urban areas.

* Knowledge of community/neighborhood groups and business concerns.

Considerable knowledge of economic, sociological and environmental aspects of planning.

* Working knowledge of personal computers, GIS applications, and tools for effective communication.

* Ability to communicate effectively with diverse stakeholders both orally and in writing, to organize and direct the preparation of comprehensive research studies, analyze problems and track details of multi-component projects, write and prepare technical reports and formulate recommendations; * Must be a skilled coordinator; * Must be able to provide excellent customer service, * Must be able to create, interpret and convey data analytics.

* Must be detail oriented, self-motivated and able to handle multiple assignments at the same time.

* Knowledge of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) preferred * Knowledge of Historic Preservation preferred * Knowledge of Urban Renewal preferred Education and Experience * Bachelor's Degree in a related field and a minimum of three (3) years' experience, particularly as it pertains to economic development, urban planning, analytics, historic preservation, or public administration.

* Master's Degree in related field preferred * Community outreach experience and experience managing complex neighborhood planning projects preferred.