Center For Economic Development Director

The director of the Center for Economic Development (CED) provides its vision, leadership, and management. The CED promotes and fosters community building and advances regional economic ecosystems that support innovation and high-growth entrepreneurship. CED is a program of the University of Alaska Anchorage Business Enterprise Institute.

EDA-funded University Centers aim to develop, implement, and support regional strategies that will result in job creation and business expansion across a region's innovation clusters while supporting greater resiliency and inclusive business development. The CED defines economic development as retaining, expanding, and attracting jobs, income, and wealth to improve all Alaskans' economic opportunities and overall quality of life. While the director will primarily address business development and entrepreneurship capacity building (business retention and expansion), it is expected that the director will also be conversant with and lead in other areas, including, but not limited to, organizational and community planning, community development, economic development finance, and workforce development.

The University of Alaska Anchorage Business Enterprise Institute seeks to hire a director to lead the Center for Economic Development (CED). The University of Alaska Anchorage hosts the CED, and the center reports through the UAA Business Enterprise Institute. The CED is also one of 72 University Centers designated by the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

The CED director is responsible for planning, organizing, and directing all aspects of this statewide University Center program. Activities include identifying, defining, developing, and implementing required projects; ensuring adequate funding; arranging and scheduling needed new programs and events; developing appropriate advertising, promotion, and marketing materials; originating and conducting meetings with community leaders; and for the overall provision and direction of the CED programs and services. In carrying out this responsibility, the Director will work closely with the CED staff, the University of Alaska Anchorage Business Enterprise Institute suite of programs, other contract personnel retained to support CED programs and services, and the district, regional, and central office representatives of the U.S Economic Development Administration. The CED Director is likewise expected to collaborate closely with Alaska's economic development districts, regional development organizations, private sector partners, elected officials, NGOs, and the other EDA University Centers nationwide.

The director of the Center for Economic Development (CED) provides its vision, leadership, and management. The CED promotes and fosters community building and advances regional economic ecosystems that support innovation and high-growth entrepreneurship. It does this through the following activities:

• Cultivating a culture of innovation and high-growth entrepreneurship;

• Providing technical assistance statewide and in support of economically distressed regions;

• Conducting applied research and economic analysis to address economic sector questions and spur broader knowledge;

• Coordinating linkages between economic development professionals; and

• Supporting greater statewide access to economic development information.

The center accomplishes this work by leveraging university-based research and knowledge and, where possible, engaging the expertise of university staff, students, and faculty. It also works closely with business owners, elected officials, economic development districts, and community leaders at all levels.

Minimum Qualifications:

Master's degree in a relevant field (Business, Marketing Economics, etc.) and at least five years of progressively responsible experience providing leadership to community, workforce and economic development efforts.

Certified Economic Developer designation (CEcD) desired and/or significant progress towards CEcD preferred-prior business ownership desired.

• Experience inspiring a team, mediating conflict, and working collaboratively towards a shared vision, particularly from a higher educational unit.

• Knowledge of higher education programs and contract administration.

• Practical and extensive experience providing clients with technical assistance and consulting services via a contractual relationship.

• Excellent public speaking and writing skills. Ability to deliver recommendations to executive-level management, boards, and community members.

• Proven experience with identifying client needs and issues even when not articulated well by the client or the University

• Ability to identify, organize, plan, and allocate resources and other solutions.

• Professional experience with the granting process and successfully obtaining grants through grant writing.

• Strong financial analysis and economics background with the ability to analyze complex situations and propose viable analyses, solutions, or actions.

• Demonstrated experience with budget management, business unit marketing, personnel supervision, and associated human resource functions.

• Expert knowledge of strategic short and long-range planning processes as well as experience with developing comprehensive community plans.

• Prior business ownership (entrepreneurial) and strong public administration (economic development organization management) skills.

• Understanding entrepreneurial practices and higher education entrepreneurial programming, including licensing university technology transfer.

• Strong emotional intelligence, tact, diplomacy, and persuasion skills, particularly with diverse individuals and organizations.

Position Details:

This position is located on the UAA campus in Anchorage. This is a term-funded, full-time, exempt staff position complete with both a competitive salary and full employee benefits package. UA provides a generous compensation package that includes retirement options, annual leave, 12 paid holidays per year, tuition waivers for employees and family members, and affordable medical, dental and vision care coverage. New hires will be placed on the UA Staff Salary Schedule, Grade 83, based on education and experience.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until a successful candidate is identified. Review of application materials will begin immediately. Search and selection procedures will be closed when a sufficient and viable number of qualified candidates have been identified.

• To be eligible for this position, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States without restriction. Applicants who now or may in the future require visa sponsorship to work in the United States are not eligible.

This position is a term-funded position and is reviewed annually for contract renewal at the University's discretion.

The University of Alaska (UA) is responsible for providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities throughout the applicant screening process. If you need assistance in completing this application or during any phase of the interview process, please contact UA Human Resources by phone at 907-450-8200.

UA is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, educational institution and provider and prohibits illegal discrimination against any individual: www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination.

The successful applicant is required to complete a background check. Any offer of employment is contingent on the background check.

Your application for employment with the University of Alaska is subject to public disclosure under the Alaska Public Records Act.

If you have any questions regarding this position, please contact Justin Hall, BEI HR Coordinator, at jrhall3@alaska.edu

All employees at the University of Alaska are expected to uphold the highest standards of ethics and professionalism when conducting or engaged in university business.

• Each university within the University of Alaska system publishes an Annual Security and Fire Safety Report which contains information regarding campus safety and security including topics such as: campus law enforcement authority; crime reporting policies; campus alerts (Timely Warnings and Emergency Notifications); fire safety policies and procedures; programs to prevent dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking; the procedures the University will follow when one of these crimes is reported; and other matters of importance related to security on campus. The report also contains information about crime statistics for the three most recent calendar years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus; in On-Campus Student Housing Facilities; in Noncampus buildings or property owned or controlled by the University or a recognized student organization; and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from, the campus. The report also contains fire statistics for any fires occurring in an On-Campus Student Housing Facility during the three most recent calendar years.

Access to the reports is available at:

UAA: (Addresses Anchorage campus, Aviation Technology Complex, JBER - Elmendorf Extension, JBER - Richardson Extension, Kenai Peninsula College

• Kachemak Bay campus, Kenai Peninsula College

• Kenai River campus, Kodiak College, Kodiak High School Extension, Matanuska-Susitna College, Prince William Sound College, and Prince William Sound College

• Cordova Extension) Online: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/students/safety. Request a paper copy in person: UAA Police Department Office at Room 114 of Eugene Short Hall on the Anchorage campus / UAA Dean of Students Office at Room 122 of Rasmuson Hall on the Anchorage campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-786-1120 or police@uaa.alaska.edu / 907-786-1214 or uaa_deanofstudents@alaska.edu.

UAF: (Addresses Fairbanks Campus, Bristol Bay Campus, Chukchi Campus, Community and Technical College, Kasitsna Bay Campus, Seward Marine Center, Tok Campus, Kuskokwim Campus, and Northwest Campus) Online: https://www.uaf.edu/orca/files/ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: UAF Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability on the 3rd Floor of Constitution Hall. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-474-7300 or uaf-orca@alaska.edu.

UAS: (Addresses the Juneau Auke Bay Campus, Juneau Technical Education Center, Sitka Campus, & Ketchikan Campus) Online: https://uas.alaska.edu/equity-and-compliance/docs/clery/UAS_ASFSR.pdf. Request a paper copy in person: Hendrickson Building, Suite 202 on the Juneau campus. Request a paper copy by mail: 907-796-6371 or emailing uas.clery@alaska.edu.