The Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) is a non-profit, public-private partnership that focuses on facilitating economic development on behalf of the District of Columbia.
WDCEP is looking to hire a Vice President of Corporate Attraction to lead efforts to recruit new businesses to the District of Columbia (the District). The Vice President of Corporate Attraction will develop, execute, and manage business attraction activities related to prospecting, lead generation, and related follow-ups, emphasizing corporate attraction of targeted industry sectors to the District. The position will report directly to the President & CEO and work directly with staff at the office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development (DMPED).
This position will support WDCEP internally and externally in advancing economic development primarily through the attraction of new national and international businesses, with the overall goal of facilitating outcomes that increase the job base, deliver private investment, and drive inclusive economic growth in the District.
Primary Responsibilities:
- Primary point of contact for national and international attraction and investment-related leads and projects, from prospecting to project completion, including but not limited to preparing proposals.
- Represent WDCEP in partnership with the District externally and internally as an economic development practitioner and top business recruitment leader.
- Position WDCEP as the go-to resource for business recruitment in the District.
- Provide leadership and direction in advancing and executing the District’s business attraction strategy.
- Develop (and revise) an annual strategic plan for the recruitment of companies.
- Generate leads and manage the process of the Washington DC Global Soft Landing program for international companies expanding to the District.
- Maintain an internal database in Salesforce for detailed tracking and reporting of the outcomes on the full portfolio of attraction and investment activities, prospecting, and lead generation.
- Cultivate relationships with national & international brokers, site selectors, international embassies, and other relevant parties for lead generation.
- Develop, plan and execute recruitment trips & activities, including, but not limited to: conferences/tradeshows, out-of-market visits, and Familiarization “FAM” tours.
- Coordinate and organize prospect tours/meetings (virtual & in-person).
- Prepare regular economic development updates for communication with WDCEP stakeholders.
- Develop and recommend appropriate metrics by which to measure the success of economic development business attraction, retention, and expansion programs.
- Coordinate with the Marketing & Communications department and DMPED for any PR related to new relocations/expansions.
- Ensure collaboration and strong cooperation with partner economic development organizations (e.g., DMPED).
- Provide recommendations to the President & CEO during budget planning and management processes to ensure resources are allocated in accordance with vision and strategy.
- Provide leadership and guidance to WDCEP team members on economic development best practices.
- Establish and maintain ongoing relationships with stakeholders (e.g., Business Improvement Districts, landlords, brokers, real estate community).
- Manage and oversee work program for the Director of Business Attraction.
- Handle all other duties as assigned by the President & CEO.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Extensive experience working with C-level executives, site selectors (nationally/internationally), and real estate brokers.
- Familiarity and appropriate procedures for handling confidential information.
- Ability to plan, assign and coordinate with other WDCEP team members.
- Exceptional organizational skills and ability to work on a variety of types of projects and requests with time-sensitive deadlines simultaneously.
- Ability to represent the District’s economic development programs effectively, orally and in writing.
- Knowledge of effective “touchpoints” and outreach strategies to reach targeted companies for attraction or expansion within the District.
Job Requirements
- Proven track record in prospecting, generating new leads, business attraction, and delivering wins (jobs and investment) to a state, region, city, and/or community.
- Respected reputation among the site-selector community.
- Experience in corporate relocation decisions.
- Strong communication & relationship-building skills and highly developed team management skills.
- Computer and basic software skills (e.g., Microsoft Office, Zoom/Teams, presentation software).
- Subject to work beyond regular office hours to include frequent evening meetings/events.
- Willing to travel outside of the area, including international trips, for meetings and/or conferences.
- Minimum of 7 years experience working in economic development or business recruitment.
- Must be a resident of the District or willing to relocate.
Compensation
- The salary range is $140,000 to $155,000 based upon experience + benefits (e.g. health, dental, 401k, life, gym membership, work from home min. 1 day per week)
Application Process
- For consideration, please submit a letter of interest, list of references, and resume to WDCEP at jobs@wdcep.com, using “VP Corporate Attraction position” in the subject line.
WDCEP is an equal opportunity employer.
This job description is not intended to be and should not be construed as an all-inclusive list of all the responsibilities, skills or working conditions associated with the position. While it is intended to accurately reflect the position activities and requirements, management reserves the right to modify, add or remove duties and assign other duties as necessary. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.
