Director of Research

Job Description

Job DescriptionDescription:

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) is focused on recruiting new businesses to the state, supporting the needs of existing businesses, connecting exporters to global customers, helping small business owners get their start, and attracting tourists and visitors from all over the world.

EDPNC is actively recruiting for the Director of Research role in our Research and Marketing department.

The Director of Research will lead the EDPNC’s research functions, supporting the organization’s efforts to attract businesses and talent to North Carolina and provide expansion services to businesses already in the state. The Director of Research will develop research strategies and identify data resources to enable the success of EDPNC’s efforts to raise awareness of and drive preference for North Carolina as a premier state for doing business. The Director of Research manages the activities of a team of research analysts to provide insightful analysis of industry, workforce, taxation, and other relevant data to support our business development, recruitment, expansion and international trade efforts. Additionally, the Director of Research will lead the team in providing research support for EDPNC’s marketing and communications program, including thought-leadership and content development initiatives. As a leader within the EDPNC’s Marketing & Research group, the Director of Research provides strategic thinking, innovation, and creativity to the work of the team; brings operational efficiency; and is accountable for the achievement of performance objectives and deliverables. This role works collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders, including research partners at the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the EDPNC’s marketing, communications, and events team leads.

About the Role

• Lead research team efforts to provide day-to-day support for the EDPNC’s business development, recruitment, expansion and international trade teams with data and competitive research requests related to potential new projects. Establish workflows and review processes to ensure that work products provide insightful added value for internal and external partners and are completed in a timely manner, with attention to quality, accuracy and detail. Provide training, development, and mentorship to the research team on an ongoing basis.
• Provide strategic insights and thought leadership, contributing to the development of marketing content, presentations, RFP responses and other selling tools. Working with the research team and agency partners, provide analysis to understand North Carolina’s competitive position, and maintain resources that inform development of collaterals, advertising, and web content supporting North Carolina’s business advantages and industry strengths.
• Direct research team workflows to gather and analyze relevant statistical information for regular published reports (e.g., quarterly Community Investment Reports); ensure timely and accurate maintenance of internal database tools and resource library; and lead initiatives to automate data tools and build website resources.
• Develop and maintain strong and strategic partnerships with external economic development stakeholders, including local economic development partners, North Carolina state government entities (e.g., Department of Commerce Labor and Economic Analysis Division, Department of Transportation, NC Community College System, etc.), industry organizations (e.g., NC Biotech Center), and business partners (e.g., Duke Energy, North Carolina Ports).
• Identify, evaluate and implement new research tools and resources, including third-party data software, visualization and information management tools and subscriptions. Stay abreast of new research tools and comparative resources, piloting and testing as appropriate.
• Maintain results-orientation for all research activities. Provide regular reporting of project outcomes and progress toward team KPIs. Provide insightful analysis of results and make recommendations for optimizations and efficiencies. Establish project plans, timelines and activity tracking to ensure timely achievement of team deliverables.
• Provide financial oversight of annual research budget, including management of subscriptions, vendor relationships, and recommendations for additional tools and resources; track expenses versus plan and ensure timely and accurate processing of invoices.
• Other duties as the supervisor deems necessary.
• Nothing in this job description restricts management's right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

Requirements:

What We Are Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy, marketing, library and information science, or related field required, master’s degree a plus.
• 7+ years of experience in market research required; prior experience in economic development ideal.
• Demonstrated expertise in advanced data analysis, ideally in a B2B environment, strong statistical and quantitative skills.
• Proficiency in use of 3P databases, including company, industry, real estate, and government sources; knowledge of mapping software; survey tools; Power BI; SF.com or similar CRM platform.
• Two to three years management experience.
• Proficient with MS Office programs, especially Excel.

Key Competencies

• A mentor and role-model committed to building skilled and collaborative teams.
• Purposeful and intentional team leader focused on producing positive results against collective objectives.
• Customer service focus and behavior; a proactive, responsive and accountable team player.
• A problem solver – thinks creatively and brings solutions; shows mature judgement and discretion.
• Superior written and verbal communication skills – able to synthesize complex information and provide meaningful insights.
• Acute attention to detail and strong organizational skills essential.

Other Details

• This position is located in our Raleigh headquarters and is a hybrid position with a typical week being in the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and then working from remotely on Mondays and Fridays.
• You must be available to be present in our office in downtown Raleigh during the required in-office days.
• The position may entail occasional on-site visits to a client’s facility, which could be a manufacturing, distribution, or similar industrial environment. Domestic and international travel may occasionally be required.