Job Description

Job Description

Job Description

Salary: $66,560 to $72,800

As Central Ohios regional council, MORPC is an association of cities, villages, townships, counties, and regional organizations, serving rural, suburban, and urban areas.We take pride in bringing communities of all sizes and interests together to collaborate on the best practices and plans for the future of our growing region. We do this through several programs, services, projects, and initiatives all with the goal of improving the lives of our residents and making Central Ohio stand out on the world stage.

One of Central Ohios greatest strengths is the variety of our communities and to best serve our region MORPC strongly values a wide range of perspectives. MORPC strives to reflect those values in our workforce, our endeavors, and our positive impact on the region. Our work progresses when our team can draw on a broad spectrum of personal experiences and backgrounds, and when each member is open to learning from the experiences of others, both internally and externally. As an equal opportunity employer, we fully support all applicable state and federal laws and regulations and do not discriminate against applicants for employment or employees based on race, color, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, medical conditions, age, disability or other handicap, genetic information, marital/familial status, veteran status, military status, or income or status with regard to public assistance in any aspects of our personnel policies, working conditions, or hiring and recruitment.

MORPC recognizes the value of a healthy work/life balance for our team members and, as such, we provide a variety of benefits to promote that balance. Eligible employees receive a free system-wide transit pass and discounted access to other alternative transportation modes to provide options for commuting to work. MORPC encourages opportunities for career advancement through generous tuition and professional development incentives, leadership programs, and participation in local and national organizations. For eligible permanent positions, MORPC also offers flexible schedules and remote work options as well as paid time off and holidays. MORPC employees may also be eligible for excellent health, vision, and dental insurance, employee assistance programs, employer-paid short-term & long-term disability coverage, employer-paid life insurance in the amount of $50,000 coverage, participation in the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System, plus two Deferred Compensation Plans that employees can opt into for additional retirement funding.

DUTIES INTRODUCTION:

The Economic and Community Development Specialist (Specialist) assists the Economic Development Director & Regional Innovation Officer (Director) in providing economic and community development planning assistance to communities in the MORPC service area. This includes overseeing the Freight Planning and Brownfield Redevelopment programs to 1) support central Ohios economic standing as a global logistics hub, and 2) to promote economic growth by assisting communities develop their brownfield sites. The position also facilitates the update, development and implementation of the regional Community Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) and liaises closely with the CEDS Committee and the Economic Development District (EDD) Governing Board.

Community Engagement and Partnership Building are key responsibilities, and this role interacts closely with local and state economic development groups, private sector stakeholders and local governments to provide technical assistance, assist with project development and identify solutions to challenges.

The US Economic Development Administration (EDA) is MORPCs institutional partner for the EDD designation and the Specialist supports delivery of EDA resources to the EDD region along with applying to relevant EDA, US EPA and foundation grants.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Program Management

• Develop a deep understanding of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy and the Economic Development District documents. The Specialist will assist the Director in the implementation of the Economic Development District, which includes committee engagement, bylaws revisions, official engagement with US EDA, CEDS revision and more.

• Oversee the Freight Planning program, including identifying and leveraging opportunities to create a regional freight plan; maintaining close relations with the Rickenbacker area Employer Assistance Network and Columbus Region Logistics Council; participating on the Ohio Association of Regional Council (OARC) Freight Group; convening the Freight Alliance Workshops; and supporting MORPCs OARC Freight Conference planning.

• Administer the Brownfield Redevelopment program, including applying to US EPA grants to fund assessments and clean up of brownfield sites, and managing any subsequent projects; work with partners to identify non-grant dependent activities that can support the long-term brownfield remediation strategy.

Community/External Engagement

• Working with central Ohio residents, MORPC members and partners to 1) gather input on community needs and concerns and 2) include their perspectives in shaping a projects implementation.
• Convening key stakeholders and partners as a means to share project updates, identify areas of improvement and best practices, and to form strong working partnerships. As a regional planning council, community engagements and hosting convenings are a significant part of MORPCs staff responsibilities.
• Representing MORPC in various public forums including and inter-agency coordination meetings.

Grants Assistance

• Responsible for identifying sources of grant monies, assisting in the preparation of grant applications, consulting on project development for projects that support economic and community development, and the administration of successful grant requests.
• Supporting major regional competitive grant applications especially those related to current programs in Freight Planning, Brownfield Redevelopment and US EDAs federal grants.

Research & Analysis

• Conducting research and analysis, as needed, to benchmark program offerings and provide background information to the Director and the Chief Mobility and Development Officer on relevant topics and issues related to economic development.
• Preparing a weekly Regional Roundup of major news stories related to economic and community development issues.

Special Projects

• Managing special projects related to economic development; supporting agency planning projects with economic or infrastructure development components; overseeing interdepartmental projects such as collaborating with MORPCs Data & Mapping team to create maps and/or dashboards related to regional economic development projects, or analyzing results related to the Leaders Listen survey, and others.
• Leading the Drive Investment Newsletter process for the Economic Development office.
• Other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Must have strong project management skills and the ability to be creative and entrepreneurial in program design and execution.
• A familiarity with federal, state and local resources for economic and community development and/or infrastructure planning.
• Skilled in grant research and application preparation; grant administration skills are a plus.
• Ability to communicate effectively, and collaborate, with MORPC members, peers partner organizations, state and federal agencies.
• Organizational skills are essential and the ability to use Microsoft Office Suite Programs including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and Teams.
• Must possess strong oral and written communication skills and an ability to work independently and on a team.
• Ability to conduct virtual meetings and webinars.
• Adaptable, analytical and problem-solving skills are desired.

PREFERRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Knowledge of the principles and best practices of public administration, economic and community development planning.
• An understanding of available resources to help identify solutions for those seeking economic development project assistance in central Ohio.
• An out of the box thinker.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors degree in Economics, Public Administration, City and Regional Planning, Geography or comparable subject matter from an accredited college or university.
• PLUS, a minimum of four (4) years of professional experience in economic and community development preferably in planning, community or economic development or related fields and preferably for a public agency, or an equivalent combination of training and experience that provides the necessary knowledge, ability, and skills.

MORPC is an EOE/AAP employer. Please apply online at or you may mail a resume to:

MORPC Attn: MD-3-25

111 Liberty St., Suite 100

Columbus, OH 43215

No phone calls please.

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