Description:
Job responsibilities include:
Implementing BIG's economic development and high-tech initiatives, including the Arlington Innovation Fund, retention programs, and marketing campaigns;
- Analyzing the needs of Arlington’s startups, including a specific focus on under-represented founders, and developing/coordinating training courses, seminars, and workshops in partnership with startup resource organizations;
- Building and maintaining strong relationships with key stakeholders in the innovation ecosystem that are critical to the success of tech startups including the investor community (private and public), local co-working spaces, incubators/accelerators, universities, startup resource organizations, etc.;
- Identifying and engaging early-stage and growth-stage companies in Arlington to provide connections and resources that will support their growth;
- Marketing the unique value proposition that Virginia and Arlington County have to offer for high-growth companies and connecting prospective existing companies with these services, programs, etc;
- Maintaining a strong network in the tech ecosystem to stay current on trends and pain points;
- Providing intelligence to the BIG team regarding which types of incentives, infrastructure, and assistance are needed to continue growing the innovation economy;
- Supporting business attraction, retention, and expansion efforts in both domestic and international markets to bolster Arlington’s innovation ecosystem;
- Executing essential tasks related to collecting and reporting business incentives information and utilizing tech platforms to gather data and inform decision-making; and
- Performing other job-related duties as assigned.
The ideal candidate will have demonstrated ability:
- Understanding local government economic development project management, including the needs and growth cycles of tech startups and engaging with them to provide value added services;
- Developing successful relationships with innovation economy stakeholders including investors, universities, federal science research agencies, co-working spaces, and startup resource organizations;
- Leading generation business development, and business retention with fast growing tech companies, including analyzing parameters to target such companies;
- Using social media marketing and outreach efforts to drive the marketing message and developing a strong following to raise awareness about our ecosystem; and
- Understanding tech commercialization programs, and key federal and state grant programs to support tech companies (i.e. SBIR, STTR, CIT etc.).
Selection Criteria
Minimum:
- Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Marketing, Communications, International Business, Real Estate Development, or related field; and
- Significant experience in business coordinating, supervising business development, economic development, or business sales/marketing.