Director, Business & Economy Office

Passionate about supporting business and economic growth?

Requisition ID: 40861

Organization

Located on the traditional, ancestral and unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Peoples, Vancouver has a commitment to becoming a City of Reconciliation. Vancouver consistently ranks as one of the world's most liveable cities and is working towards being the greenest city in the world. Named among Canada's Top 100 Employers, BC's Top Employers, and Canada's Greenest Employers, the City of Vancouver seeks colleagues who can help shape and embody our core commitments to sustainability, reconciliation, equity and outstanding quality of life for all residents.

Consider joining our committed team of staff and being part of an innovative, inclusive and rewarding workplace.

Main Purpose and Function
In this pivotal new role as the City of Vancouver's Director, Business and Economy, you'll be at the forefront of supporting the success of Vancouver's businesses and local economic growth. This work will involve both inward-facing efforts such as coordination/alignment of business interface across City departments, and ensuring the City's policies and regulations are developed with the appropriate "business lens," and, outward-facing efforts such as developing meaningful relationships between local business and the City, and among the various players involved in economic development across the region.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

• Leadership. Build and lead a dynamic team dedicated to supporting Vancouver's businesses and economic growth
  
• Local business support. Ensure that City Council and staff have a clear understanding of the needs and opportun
  
• Policy and strategy. Ensure City Council and City staff apply the appropriate "business lens" to the development and delivery of municipal policies, regulations, programs and services, and optimise business-City interfaces.
  
• Data and research. Ensure City Council, City staff and other interested parties have the Vancouver-specific business-related data and information they need.
  
• Investment attraction support. Ensure companies and individuals seeking to invest in Vancouver are appropriately supported - complementing the work of Invest Vancouver, who has primary responsibility for regional investment attraction.
  
• Collaboration and convening. Ensure the City of Vancouver is an active part of the regional, provincial and national economic development ecosystem, and that current economic development thinking and trends are incorporated into City policy and programs.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• A post-graduate degree in Business Administration, Economics, Public Administration, or equivalent combination of education, training and experience.
• Proven track record of increasing responsibility in complex business support, economic development, and/or related fields.
• Significant experience working directly with senior management, boards of directors, elected officials and/or other governance bodies.
• Substantial leadership experience working within a corporate or institutional - ideally public sector - agency, that designs/implements/delivers complex public policy and service delivery programs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Business support and economic development expertise
  • Sophisticated local business support and economic development skills and considerable knowledge of related principles and practices, complemented by a passion to helping businesses thrive
  • Familiarity with Vancouver's business environment - spanning small, medium and large businesses across various business sectors
    
• Understanding of local government
  • In-depth understanding of how local government works, of the interface between local business and municipal governments, and of how to operate within a public sector environment that is led by an elected body
  • Familiarity with the City of Vancouver's current issues and opportunities
    
• Leadership
  • Ability to bring together and sustain high-performing teams made up of diverse members, to lead, inspire and motivate, to indirectly influence decisions and actions, and, to bring out the best in others
  • Ability to forge and steward relationships among individuals with diverse interests, styles and areas of expertise, and the ability to facilitate conversations in order to align people to a unified goal
  • Ability to appropriately represent the City of Vancouver Business and Economy Office both internally as well as externally, to a wide range of sophisticated private industry, public sector and non-profit stakeholders and partners - with the ability to respect confidentiality, inspire credibility, and to generally conduct oneself with tact and diplomacy
  • Strong written communication, verbal communication and presentation skills
    
• Creative problem-solving
  • Sophisticated analytical and creative problem-solving skills that can be applied to complex, multi-faceted issues, with the ability to think objectively and innovatively, and to present solutions in clear and compelling terms
  • Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to concurrently manage multiple tasks and competing priorities
  • Proficiency in computer office productivity tools

Where operationally appropriate and subject to change, the City of Vancouver has a Flexible Work Program. This program allows staff to work remotely 1 - 4 days a week from locations that are a daily commutable distance from their work at a City worksite. At this time this position is eligible to be part of the Flexible Work Program.

Business Unit/Department: Office of the City Manager (1010)

Affiliation: Senior Exempt

Employment Type: Regular Full Time

Position Start Date: May, 2024

Salary Information: Pay Grade RNG-121: $136,537 to $179,642 per annum

Application Close: April 14, 2024

At the City of Vancouver, we are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that represents the community we so proudly serve. Indigenous peoples, people of colour, 2SLGBTQ+ persons including all genders and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply. Accommodations will be provided upon request during the selection process.Learn more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Before you click Apply now

Once you start your application you can save your work and leave the applications page, however please remember to submit your profile to the specific job requisition before the posting closing date.

In addition to uploading your cover letter and resume, part of the application process may include answering application questions related to the preferred requirements of the role which may take approx. 5-10 minutes. Cover letters should express interest and highlight additional information relevant to the position and resumes should include a summary of skills and experience related to the position.