Economic Development Specialist

Economic Development Specialist

First review of applications will be on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, and weekly thereafter as needed. There is currently one (1) vacancy in the Economic Development Department; however, this recruitment will also be used to create a Citywide list to fill possible future vacancies. An Economic Development Specialist performs a wide variety of activities to attract new development opportunities and promote Mesa's value as a business location, generate qualified prospects, and improve the competitiveness of the community's business climate. An employee in this classification may also assist Economic Development Project Managers with more complex projects. An employee in this class also performs statistical comparisons and trend analysis to be used in marketing and promotional materials. This class performs related duties as required.

Office of Economic Development Assignment: An Economic Development Specialist may be assigned to assist in implementing a targeted program that integrates multiple platforms to influence and build relationships with prospects, consultants, company decision makers, and media information sources; proactively identifying and addressing community business climate issues; and assisting in providing research and information, and/or technology support needed to execute these tasks. Duties also may involve: working with the Arizona Commerce Authority (ACA) and Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) to provide detailed and targeted responses to business leads; staffing regional and national sales missions and trade shows to promote greater Phoenix and Mesa; coordinating prospect site visits, assisting in establishing a baseline of information with respect to existing local businesses; support local business growth; increase employment for Mesa citizens; expand the community's economic base; and provide outreach to existing businesses. Work involves: establishing and strengthening relationships with local businesses; providing information to existing businesses regarding the availability of assistance programs, including project management assistance, job training, employee recruitment, and financing programs; discovering and confirming local service and location advantages for use in marketing Mesa to firms considering a new location; identifying service or location deficiencies which hinder economic development; and developing strategies to eliminate or mitigate the deficiencies.

In addition, an Economic Development Specialist may assist in providing targeted research support, including but not limited to: researching data; preparation of information for targeted promotional activities; database management; GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping; and a variety of other duties related to developing, writing, producing, updating, and designing marketing and promotional materials for business retention and expansion, business recruitment, and international trade activities. The Economic Development Specialist position may offer the opportunity to travel to recruit companies and meet with company representatives, trade councils and organizations, government officials, and interested investors. Incumbents exercise independence and initiative to complete assigned tasks. Supervision is received from the Economic Development Department Director, designee, or downtown administrator or redevelopment program administrator who reviews and assigns work through conferences, meetings, and reports, and monitors results achieved. Functional supervision may be received from senior-level staff on more complex or large projects. This class is FLSA exempt-administrative.

Minimum Qualifications Required: Any combination of training, education, and experience equivalent to graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in Economic Development, Business or Public Administration, Marketing, Research, Analytics, Commercial Real Estate, International Business, Political Science, or a related field. Two (2) years of employment in a professional-level capacity in economic development or a related area. Must possess a valid Class D Arizona Driver's License by hire or promotion date. Preferred/Desirable Qualifications: Proficiency in the use of computer software programs (example: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, dBase, GIS, desktop publishing such as Photoshop or InDesign) and the internet is preferred. Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's Degree in Economic Development, Business or Public Administration, Commercial Real Estate, International Business, or a related field; membership in related professional organizations; the ability to speak a second language; and designation as a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) are desirable.