Economic Development Consultant

K.L. Scott & Associates•Atlanta, GA

4h•Hybrid

About The Position

K.L. Scott & Associates (KLSA) is seeking an Economic Development Consultant to support government clients and public-sector partners on economic development strategy, land use policy, infrastructure investment, housing, and program evaluation engagements. This role will help assess how local, regional, state, and federal policies, plans, and public investments influence economic outcomes, development readiness, fiscal resilience, housing affordability, and community revitalization. The ideal candidate combines rigorous policy analysis, strong writing, practical understanding of public-sector decision-making, and the ability to translate complex planning, zoning, economic, and real estate information into clear findings and actionable recommendations. The consultant will support projects ranging from transit-oriented and infrastructure-adjacent development assessments to broader economic development strategy, grant readiness, performance evaluation, and technical assistance for public agencies.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in economics, urban or regional planning, public policy, public administration, real estate, geography, finance, business, political science, transportation, civil engineering, or a related field.
5+ years of relevant experience in economic development, public-sector consulting, urban planning, infrastructure advisory, housing policy, government program evaluation, grant strategy, real estate development, public finance, or related work.
Working knowledge of land use planning, zoning, development regulations, transit-oriented development, infrastructure-led development, affordable housing tools, public incentives, and local government implementation mechanisms.
Demonstrated ability to review large volumes of technical material and synthesize findings into clear, concise, well-organized written products.
Strong analytical skills, including comfort working with demographic, employment, parcel, land use, housing, real estate, fiscal, and program performance data.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint or comparable Google Workspace tools; ability to create client-ready documents, tables, charts, and briefings.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical findings to senior leaders, agency staff, elected officials, applicants, and non-technical audiences.
Strong project management habits, including deadline discipline, version control, documentation of assumptions, issue tracking, and responsiveness to review comments.
Ability to work independently in a remote or hybrid environment while coordinating effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
Eligibility to work in the United States and willingness to comply with applicable confidentiality, ethics, and conflict-of-interest requirements.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree in a relevant field such as planning, economics, public policy, public administration, real estate development, finance, geography, or transportation.
Experience supporting local, regional, state, or federal government clients, public authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, economic development organizations, or community development entities.
Experience preparing or reviewing grant applications, technical submittments, program guidance, compliance documentation, or performance reports for government-funded programs.
Familiarity with federal, state, and local funding programs related to economic development, infrastructure, transportation, housing, broadband, disaster recovery, climate resilience, community development, or workforce development.
Experience with GIS or mapping tools such as ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, QGIS, Esri Business Analyst, Google Earth, or similar platforms.
Experience using public datasets such as Census/ACS, LEHD, BLS, BEA, HUD, EPA, Treasury, state labor market information, local assessor data, permitting data, or real estate market sources.
Knowledge of public finance and implementation tools such as tax increment financing, special assessment districts, value capture, tax credits, PILOTs, grants, revolving loan funds, land banks, community benefits agreements, and public-private partnerships.
Professional certifications or credentials such as AICP, CEcD, EDFP, PMP, GISP, or related credentials.
Comfort facilitating virtual or in-person workshops, trainings, interviews, and working sessions with agency staff and stakeholders.
Experience with quality assurance for public-facing or oversight-sensitive deliverables.

Responsibilities

Review and synthesize economic development strategies, comprehensive plans, land use plans, zoning codes, form-based codes, housing strategies, capital improvement plans, redevelopment plans, grant applications, maps, project descriptions, and supporting documentation.
Assess whether local plans, policies, incentives, and implementation tools are aligned with desired economic development outcomes, including job growth, investment attraction, development capacity, housing production and retention, equitable growth, infrastructure readiness, and neighborhood revitalization.
Evaluate project readiness and policy strength for public investments such as transit, transportation, broadband, utilities, housing, mixed-use development, downtown revitalization, industrial districts, innovation corridors, brownfield redevelopment, and other place-based economic initiatives.
Identify missing, inconsistent, unclear, or unsupported information in client or sponsor materials; prepare concise clarification requests and recommended follow-up questions.
Prepare written assessments, technical memoranda, summary profiles, executive briefings, slide content, and decision-ready recommendations for government audiences and stakeholders.
Develop defensible evaluation frameworks, scoring rubrics, performance indicators, and qualitative/quantitative rating approaches for economic development programs and project portfolios.
Conduct best-practice research on land use policy, affordable housing tools, development incentives, value capture, tax increment financing, public-private partnerships, workforce development, industry clusters, small business support, rural development, and inclusive economic growth.
Analyze demographic, employment, land use, housing, fiscal, real estate, infrastructure, and program performance data; translate results into clear tables, charts, maps, and narrative insights.
Support the development or update of policy guidance, procedural manuals, templates, workbooks, training materials, and webinars for government staff, applicants, grantees, and project sponsors.
Collaborate with project managers, analysts, planners, economists, data specialists, legal/compliance teams, and client stakeholders to deliver high-quality work on time and within scope.
Maintain confidentiality, comply with applicable conflict-of-interest requirements, and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive, procurement-related, proprietary, or pre-decisional information.
Manage multiple concurrent assignments, shifting deadlines, review cycles, and stakeholder comments while maintaining accuracy, traceability, and strong quality control.