Job type

Economic development officer

£22k - £50k

Typical salary

37 – 39

Hours per week

Economic development officers work with communities, local government and business to bring investment, jobs and facilities to an area.

More info

  • Work to improve the economy and prosperity of your community through regeneration
  • Core business skills like communication, negotiation, organisation and teamwork are important for this role
  • Opportunities to progress into Government or policy work

DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES

  • Developing projects to support local business growth
  • Building partnerships with communities, business networks and local government
  • Bidding for local, national and European funding
  • Setting up training schemes for local businesses and unemployed people
  • Advising local businesses and community groups
  • Promoting the local area to attract new employers and increase tourism
  • Working on neighbourhood renewal projects
  • Organising business fairs and giving presentations
  • Managing budgets
  • Attracting inward investment or bidding for funding

DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT

You'll work in an office.

You'll need

This role would be ideal for someone with excellent communication and presentation skills, planning and organisational skills, the ability to manage several projects at once and meet deadlines.

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma, degree or postgraduate qualification in one of the following subjects: regeneration, planning and surveying, economics, marketing, business management, construction management or housing.

You could also complete a professional economist degree apprenticeship or you could start as an assistant, researcher or administrator in an economic development unit, and then work your way up through training and promotion to become a development officer.

You can apply directly for this role if you've got a background in bidding for funding, managing projects, controlling budgets or marketing. You'll usually need experience from working in a related area, like town planning, community development, regeneration, business advice or construction management.

CAREER PROSPECTS

With experience, you could progress to senior officer or economic policy manager. You could also move into freelance consultancy work, or work abroad with international development agencies.