COORDINATOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT I - PLNG & DEV

City of Chicago; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 71,000 - 87,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Chicago is seeking a Coordinator of Economic Development I to oversee the BID and SSA programs, support business incentives, and assist with related duties in the Department of Planning & Development. Location is Chicago, with standard Monday–Friday hours and occasional after-hours work.

Requires multiple levels of education in business or urban planning and several years of economic development experience, plus strong data, presentation, and regulatory skills.

Qualifications

• Six (6) years of economic development work experience, OR
• Bachelor's degree plus two (2) years of economic development work experience, OR
• Associate's degree plus four (4) years of economic development work experience, OR
• Master's degree plus one (1) year of economic development work experience

Responsibilities

• Manages the BID and SSA programs, including communicating with applicants and stakeholders, program marketing, reporting and data management, data visualization, program evaluation, and compliance
• Makes public presentations to prospective organizations, applicants, and stakeholders to inform the public about the BID and SSA programs and answer questions
• Advises sponsoring organizations regarding BID and SSA policies and procedures
• Reviews boundary maps and funding formulas to confirm proposed BID and SSA districts meet policy and state law
• Reviews BID and SSA applications and makes recommendations to leadership
• Creates BID and SSA ordinance packages for submission to the Department of Law
• Monitors existing BID and SSA districts to ensure performance and compliance
• Attends BID board and SSA Commission meetings as needed
• Updates marketing materials and presentations
• Presents at annual trainings
• Assists with other SBD programs as directed
• Additional duties may be required for this position

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Urban Planning or a directly related field

Master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Urban Planning or a directly related field

Associate's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Urban Planning or a directly related field

Job description

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT

Job Number: 420821

Coordinator of Economic Development I

DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT

Bureau of Small Business Development

Number of Positions: 1

Starting Salary: $78,768.00

New hires are paid the starting rate. Current employees' pay rate is determined by their job title and years of service

Applications for this position will be accepted until 11:59pm CDT on 10/02/2026

Under general supervision, the Coordinator of Economic Development I is responsible for managing the Business Improvement District (BID) and Special Service Area (SSA) programs. These programs offer local commercial districts a resource to self-fund and administer services above and beyond those the city is able to provide on a city-wide basis. This position will also support other business incentive programs offered by DPD's Small Business Development Bureau, and perform related duties as required.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

• Reports to the Assistant Commissioner to manage the BID and SSA programs including communicating with applicants and stakeholders, program marketing, reporting and data management, data visualization, program evaluation, and compliance


• Makes public presentations to prospective organizations, applicants, and stakeholders to inform the public about the BID and SSA programs and answer any questions they may have about the program


• Facilitates program applications, and community awareness by advising sponsoring organizations regarding BID and SSA policies and procedures


• Reviews boundary maps and funding formulas to confirm proposed BID and SSA districts meet DPD policy and state law


• Reviews BID and SSA applications and makes recommendations to the Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner


• Manages legislative process creating BID and SSA ordinance packages for submission to the Department of Law


• Monitors existing BID and SSA districts to ensure performance and compliance


• Attends regular BID board of directors meetings and SSA Commission meetings as needed


• Updates marketing materials and presentations


• Presents at annual trainings


• Assists with other SBD programs as directed

Additional duties may be required for this position

Location

Location: 121 N LaSalle St, 10th Floor

Days: Monday - Friday

Hours: 9:00am - 5:00pm (occasional evening or weekend hours may be required)

THIS POSITION IS EXEMPT FROM THE CAREER SERVICE

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Six (6) years of economic development work experience, OR


• Graduation from an accredited college with an Associate's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Urban Planning or a directly related field, plus four (4) years of economic development work experience, OR


• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Urban Planning or a directly related field, plus two (2) years of economic development work experience, OR


• Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master's degree in Business Administration, Public Administration, Urban Planning or a directly related field, plus one (1) year of economic development work experience

SELECTION REQUIREMENTS

This position requires applicants to complete an interview which will include a skills assessment as part of the interview. The interviewed candidate(s) possessing the qualifications best suited to fulfill the responsibilities of the position, based on the oral and written parts of the interview will be selected.

APPLICATION EVALUATION

Initial evaluation will be based on the information provided on the application and the documents submitted. Department of Human Resources staff will review applications after the final posting date. Staff will follow all required employment/hiring plan provisions, federal, state, and local laws, and collective bargaining agreements when applicable. Staff will apply hiring preferences as required by the municipal code. Placement on an eligibility list is not an offer or guarantee of an interview nor employment with the City of Chicago

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY

To further our commitment to hiring applicants with diverse experience, the City of Chicago has adopted ordinances 2-74-020 and 2-74-075. The ordinances provide a preference to applicants who meet the minimum qualifications and who are veterans of the Armed Forces of the United States, residents of Socio-Economically Disadvantaged Areas (SEDA), and/or Chicago Public School (CPS) high school graduates. These hiring preferences do not apply to bidders. For positions covered by a collective bargaining agreement, bidders will be considered before external candidates. The learn more about our hiring processes, please

ALL REFERENCES TO POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP OR RECOMMENDATION MUST BE OMITTED FROM ALL APPLICATION MATERIALS SUBMITTED FOR CITY EMPLOYMENT.

The City of Chicago in an Equal Employment Opportunity, Military Friendly, and Fair Chance Employer.

City of Chicago

Brandon Johnson, Mayor