The City of Sugar Land is inviting economic development and tourism professionals who are interested in a full-time position as an Assistant Director of Economic Development to apply to join our amazing City! This exciting position works Monday – Friday during typical business hours as well as occasional evening hours when attending events.

Why Should You Join Our Team?
We are a full-service municipality located approximately 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston that invests in our team and offers real opportunities for career growth. We pay our Assistant Director’s a competitive salary of $89,606 - $113,776, depending on experience. We also offer great benefits and perks, such as 9 paid holidays plus a floating holiday to use at your discretion, generous vacation package that starts to accrue on your first day, a robust pension plan to set you up for a fulfilling retirement, flexible work from home opportunities, a down-to-earth casual environment and dress code, and a positive team-oriented culture. Our full time employees have access to medical, dental, vision, disability, life and other insurance options on the 1st day of employment. If we have your attention… Please. Continue. Reading!

About The City of Sugar Land
The City of Sugar Land, a municipality with a population of 111,026, provides the highest quality of affordable services to meet the needs of its residents. Master-planned communities and welcoming neighborhoods enhance home values and create a sense of belonging. The community offers outstanding schools, libraries, civic organizations, entertainment venues, and other resources that make Sugar Land a great place to work, live and raise a family. Numerous high-profile regional and international corporations have chosen Sugar Land as a corporate home. Sugar Land's aggressive economic development program has created a business-friendly environment, one that includes a variety of incentives, including a corporate aviation facility.

We are proud to have been named one of the Top 50 places to live in the United States by The Press of Atlantic City, as well as the Best Texas cities to raise a family by Dwellics. We hire people based on their potential, not just their experience. We have an informal work environment but are serious about what we do. We believe that happy, talented employees add value to the City. We do our best to hire friendly, professional people who work hard and play well with others. We also promote a healthy work-life balance and personal development.

We are looking for someone who can provide exceptional customer service for a variety of coworkers, supervisors and the general public with professionalism and patience. Ask yourself: Do you enjoy managing and championing staff? Are you able to work in a fast-paced environment? If so, please consider applying for this Assistant Director of Economic Development position today!

What We Need From You as the Assistant Director of Economic Development

The Assistant Director will provide back-up to the Director and Deputy Director of Economic Development for all programs and departmental responsibilities. The position will perform a variety of management and fiscal duties in support of the City of Sugar Land Office of Economic Development Divisions: Business Development, Marketing and Tourism. Essential activities include business retention and expansion, business recruitment, integrated marketing program, tourism, meeting and event attraction, compliance, entrepreneurship/small business assistance, major departmental projects and initiatives, management and support of various funds and boards such as: City Council, Type A & B Corporations, etc.).

This position will interact and work directly with all City departments, the City Council, City-appointed boards and commissions, the general public, corporations, consultants, statewide organizations/ associations and various governmental agencies.

• Provide oversight for recommendations of incentive packages to the City Council Economic Development Committee, the City Council, the Sugar Land Development Corporation, the Sugar Land 4B Corporation and assist in the negotiation of direct incentive agreements, tax abatement agreements and other agreements or new programs that may require funding.
• Initiate, develop, manage, and maintain primary industry recruitment programs – including marketing and strategic initiatives – and aggressively pursue industrial and commercial leads and prospects. Equal responsibilities for the Tourism division and recruitment of conventions, meetings, visitors and events that produce hotel occupancy.
• Provide oversight for the initiation, development, and maintenance of programs that encourage relocation, retention and expansion of existing businesses, industries, real estate development, conventions, meetings and other revenue generating projects within the City.
• Develop relationships with Sugar Land businesses executives, developers, commercial realtors, site selectors, hoteliers, and regional partners as a key point of contact within the City, including hosting business leaders at City events, functions, and venues, such as Constellation Field and the Smart Financial Centre.
• Provide oversight for the performance of economic impact analysis of all business and tourism leads as well as provide oversight for all existing incentive agreements, tax abatement agreements, and other grants (existing or new).
• Provide oversight for the development and implementation of the City’s integrated marketing program through the oversight of the Marketing Division and Sr. Marketing Manager and other staff.
• Oversee the initiation, development, management and maintenance of programs that assist entrepreneurship and start-up businesses within the City.
• Provide retail industry information support to retail brokers, shopping center owners, property managers and retailers.
• Develop and manage annual budgets with staff for the Department, through the Economic Development Corporations, HOT Fund, Cultural Arts Fund and Special Events Fund.
• Oversee the development of surveys and research of economic trends, demographic trends and infrastructure issues relative to Sugar Land in order to effectively promote economic development analyses such as employment trends, commercial building occupancy rates, availability of land sites, etc.
• Oversee the preparation and maintenance of various statistics, data, and narrative economic development reports for presentation to the City Council, City Boards & Commissions, the general public, etc.
• Deliver presentations before business groups, as appropriate, on topics pertaining to the activities of the City’s economic development efforts; work with the Marketing Division and City’s Communications Department to prepare and distribute news releases explaining activities and/or accomplishments of the Department.
• Attend meetings of various boards and committees (e.g., the City Council Economic Development Committee, Sugar Land Development Corporation, Sugar Land 4B Corporation, etc.) as required. Assist in preparing and managing each Board’s annual budget; maintain knowledge of regular reports and recommendations regarding the programs, policies and business affairs of the Corporations.
• Maintain working knowledge of federal, state, regional and local incentive statutes and best practice applications for effective competitive positioning of Sugar Land for corporate recruitment, retention and convention/major event attraction and retention
• Maintain an active role in local, regional, state and national economic development, tourism and real estate organizations, including membership to applicable organizations.
• Assist in managing all Economic Development Department major initiatives and projects including assigned City strategic projects.
• Oversee the management of the City’s Tourism program which includes a Tourism Grant and the attraction of large scale commercial producers and the oversight of the City’s Special Event Ordinance and corresponding interdepartmental Special Events Policy.
• Oversee the management of the City’s visitor center which includes part time personnel, state regulated cash handling processes, and management of a historical building as well as partnership oversight with the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation.
• Required to work as an essential employee before, during and after an emergency or disaster, whether natural or acts of war.
• Stay abreast of, and comply with, all City and departmental policies and procedures.
• Perform all other duties and responsibilities as instructed by the Director or Deputy Director of Economic Development.

If you can do those things and meet the following requirements, we would be happy to speak with you:

Formal Education:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited school or university required, preferably in Business Administration, Public Administration, Real Estate Development, Finance, Hotel and Hospitality Management or related field.
• Additional relevant work experience resulting in acceptable proficiency levels in the above knowledge, skills and abilities may be substituted in lieu of specific education requirements.

Relatable Work Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in an economic development and/or tourism role required. Extensive experience with Texas economic development incentive programs (Type A & B Corporations, Tax Abatements, Direct Incentives, Chapter 380’s, Enterprise Zones, Skills Development, Hotel Occupancy Tax, Art grants and funding etc.) and an understanding of the restrictions associated with the usage of funds derived from these sources is preferred. (Note: experience in the banking, finance or real estate industry alone will not sufficiently satisfy the requirement.)
• The candidate should have a proven track record of developing, implementing, managing and evaluating a wide range of economic development, tourism or marketing programs, projects, and initiatives.
• 4 years of direct supervisory experience is preferred.
• A Master’s degree or a recognized economic development certification may be substituted for 2 years of experience.

• Valid Class "C" Texas Driver License
• Recognized Economic Development Industry Certification is preferred – may include:
  • Certified Economic Developer (CEcD)
  • Professional Community & Economic Developer (PCED)
  • Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP)
  • Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM)