Business Investment and Economic Competitiveness Division Director

Arlington County VA•Arlington, VA

13h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Arlington Economic Development (AED) seeks an experienced, collaborative, and strategic leader to serve as Business Investment and Economic Competitiveness Division Director. This position leads the Business Investment Group (BIG) and is responsible for advancing Arlington’s long-term economic competitiveness by developing and executing strategies that attract investment, support business growth, strengthen the commercial tax base, and reinforce Arlington’s position as one of America’s most consequential urban economies at the heart of the National Capital Region. Reporting to the Deputy Director of AED, this position manages a team of professional economic development staff and works closely with the Economic Development Director, AED’s senior leadership, County departments, and regional, state, and private sector partners to position Arlington as a premier destination for business investment, innovation, and long-term economic growth.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Marketing, Economics, Urban Planning or related field; and Three years of experience in marketing or economic development, including program management and supervision of a business/marketing team.
Substitution: Additional qualifying experience may be substituted for the educational requirement on a year-for-year basis.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in a related field
Experience in working for local, regional, state, or national economic development organizations
Developing successful strategies to improve economic competitiveness, or the recruitment, retention, expansion, and creation of businesses and non-profit organizations
Leadership experience in local, state or federal government economic development
Managing business investment related issues involving planning, permitting, transportation, technology, finance, workforce development or related field

Responsibilities

Manage the development and execution of Arlington’s business attraction, business retention and expansion, strategic account management, target industry, business investment marketing, and economic competitiveness strategies in collaboration with AED’s senior leadership.
Lead the BIG by establishing priorities, managing staff, fostering professional development, promoting collaboration and accountability, and delivering measurable results aligned with organizational goals.
Recruit, retain, and expand domestic and international businesses, corporate headquarters, nonprofit organizations, research institutions, and other strategic investments that strengthen Arlington’s economy and commercial tax base.
Serve as the relationship manager with national site selection consultants and the commercial real estate brokerage community, including collaboration with the Economic Development Director, while cultivating strategic relationships with corporate executives, developers, investors, property owners, and key industry partners.
Lead complex business investment projects from initial engagement through implementation by coordinating multidisciplinary teams, preparing competitive proposals, negotiating business terms, developing performance-based incentive strategies, and ensuring exceptional customer experience.
Collaborate with AED’s Strategic Investment Group (SIG) to translate market intelligence, competitive analysis, target industry trends, and emerging opportunities into actionable business investment and economic competitiveness strategies and recommendations.
Lead Arlington’s business investment marketing and brand positioning function to strengthen Arlington’s visibility among corporate executives, entrepreneurs, investors, developers, commercial real estate professionals, and site selection consultants, ensuring all initiatives support measurable business investment outcomes.
Collaborate with AED’s BizLaunch to strengthen Arlington’s innovation ecosystem, support entrepreneurship, encourage business growth, and create pathways for companies to start, scale, expand, and invest in Arlington.
Partner with County departments to deliver a seamless, customer-focused business experience by advancing coordinated solutions involving planning, permitting, transportation, infrastructure, workforce development, housing, sustainability, technology, finance, and other business investment priorities.
Build and maintain strategic relationships with local, regional, state, federal, academic, nonprofit, and private-sector partners that advance Arlington’s economic competitiveness and long-term business investment objectives.
Manage the BIG’s operating budget, grants, contracts, customer relationship management system, project pipeline, and performance metrics while evaluating program effectiveness and communicating results to executive leadership.