Director Of Targeted Attraction & State Affairs

JOB SUMMARY

JOB SUMMARY:

Under general supervision of the Assistant Executive Director, the Director of Targeted Attraction and State Affairs is responsible for leading initiatives to attract high-impact companies to Arlington, including those in targeted industry sectors and those that serve as vendors or suppliers to existing businesses. The role also includes managing Arlington’s legislative engagement at the state level, advocating for economic policies that foster business growth, and enhancing Arlington’s competitive position as a prime location for investment.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Lead strategic efforts to attract companies in targeted sectors, as well as businesses that serve as vendors or suppliers to existing Arlington-based companies, creating a robust local supply chain ecosystem.  
• Develop and implement tailored outreach plans to engage prospective businesses, aligning their relocation or expansion needs with Arlington’s unique assets and incentives.  
• Host and participate in business outreach events, conferences, and economic forums to promote Arlington’s business opportunities and vendor network potential.  
• Prepare detailed reports on targeted attraction and legislative activities for presentation to Arlington EDC leadership, board members, and the City Council.  
• Monitor, track, and analyze state legislation and regulations impacting Arlington’s economic development initiatives, with a focus on policies affecting local business ecosystems and funding alternatives.  
• Proactively pursue business prospects and leads through trade show travel at targeted industry events. This should include setting up meetings in advance, as well as “cold introductions” and trade show floor walking.  
• Coordinate with staff and EDC Board of Directors to build target lists of scalable and sustainable companies for Arlington’s strategic attraction efforts.  
• Partner with Marketing/Communications to promote Arlington as a premier destination for corporate offices, headquarters, and established businesses.  OTHER

JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Analyze economic trends and regulatory changes affecting targeted industry sectors, identifying both opportunities and challenges for Arlington.  
• Oversee targeted attraction programs and initiatives, managing timelines, budgets, and Key Performance Indicators (KPls) to ensure alignment with Arlington EDC’s strategic goals.  
• Engage with local stakeholders, community leaders, and business representatives to build support for attraction efforts.  
• Travel to attend meetings, conferences, and training; may travel internationally.  
• On a nontypical basis, may perform other additional duties not listed in this description that are in alignment with the scope of essential job functions.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Ability to embrace and embody the City’s efforts “Working Together to Make Arlington Better”—and values of providing outstanding customer service; exceeding expectations in delivering core service and daily operations; diversity, creating positive relationships, and maintaining effective partnerships with the community and organizations; upholding the highest professional and ethical standards; achieving results through planned actions and measurable performance.  
• Ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving a variety of generally pre-defined duties which are often characterized by frequent change.  
• Ability to provide guidance, assistance, and/or interpretation to others on how to apply procedures and standards to specific situations.  
• Ability to operate a variety of office equipment including but not limited to:  o Printers  o Multi-Channel radio  o Copier  
•…