Director, Strategy and Research

Greater Baltimore Committee; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

The Greater Baltimore Committee seeks a dynamic Director to support the organization's work to advance economic opportunity in the Baltimore Region. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, the Director leads with GBC staff and regional stakeholders, designing multi-year strategies for All In|2035 and guiding policy analysis and research to inform investment and development decisions.

Responsibilities include coordinating with partners, producing dashboards and briefs, aligning research with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Economics, Geography, Urban Planning or Public Policy; master's preferred.
• 8-10 years of progressive experience in economic development/metropolitan policy.
• Expertise in quantitative research, data analysis, and related software tools.
• Experience managing diverse stakeholder groups to consensus and defined outcomes.
• Experience serving as an organizational representative on policy and community committees.
• Strong written, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Excellent project management and cross-team collaboration skills.
• Experience working in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Responsibilities

• Assist in the design and implementation of All In|2035 strategies.
• Collaborate with GBC team, partners, local leaders, and other stakeholders to design multi-year strategies.
• Engage partners and leaders via steering committees, working groups, and relationship building.
• Align research, policy, and program development to support strategy implementation.
• Conduct research and policy analysis on latest economic trends, policies, and practices.
• Produce dashboards, briefs, newsletters informing partners, site selectors, and investors.
• Develop metrics to monitor progress on All In|2035 strategy implementation.
• Conduct objective research and evaluation of local, regional, and state policies.
• Represent GBC on committees and with policymakers; track policy support for All In|2035.

Skills

Quantitative research

Data analysis

Stakeholder management

Policy advocacy

Written communication

Public speaking

Project management

Strategic thinking

Fast-paced environment

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Economics, Geography, Urban Planning, Public Policy or related field

Master's degree strongly preferred

Tools

Statistical software

Data analysis tools

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Greater Baltimore Committee seeks a dynamic Director to support the organization's work to advance economic opportunity in the Baltimore Region. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, the Director:

• works with GBC staff, Partners, and other regional stakeholders to develop process and project plans for implementing All In|2035, GBC's ten-year plan for the Baltimore Region,
• undertakes and communicates research and analysis related to key areas of the plan (e.g., business expansion and retention, regional investment and economic impact analyses, industry strengths and trends)
• explores local, state, and federal policy issues and opportunities, and
• engages with GBC Partners, policymakers, and other regional stakeholders.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Greater Baltimore Committee seeks a dynamic Director to support the organization's work to advance economic opportunity in the Baltimore Region. Reporting to the Chief Strategy Officer, the Director:

• works with GBC staff, Partners, and other regional stakeholders to develop process and project plans for implementing All In|2035, GBC's ten-year plan for the Baltimore Region,
• undertakes and communicates research and analysis related to key areas of the plan (e.g., business expansion and retention, regional investment and economic impact analyses, industry strengths and trends)
• explores local, state, and federal policy issues and opportunities, and
• engages with GBC Partners, policymakers, and other regional stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in the design and implementation of strategies outlined in All In|2035:
• Work with GBC team, Partners, local economic development and community leaders, and other regional stakeholders to design specific multi-year strategies aimed at meeting All In|2035 goals;
• Work with GBC team to engage Partners, local economic development and community leaders, and other regional stakeholders around strategy implementation via steering committees, working groups, and general relationship building;
• Work with GBC team to align GBC research, policy, and program development to support strategy implementation.
• Conduct research and policy analysis:
• Stay up-to-date on the latest economic, industry, social, real estate, and land use trends, policies, and best practices globally, nationally, and within the Baltimore Region;
• Produce dashboards, briefs, newsletters, and other materials to inform GBC partners, site selectors, businesses, and potential investors regarding the Baltimore Region's economic investment, industry, workforce, demographic, and other key trends and opportunities;
• Help create and maintain metrics to monitor progress on All In|2035 strategy implementation;
• Conduct objective research, analysis, and evaluation of local, regional, and state economic development policies.
• Engage with GBC partners, local economic development and community leaders, and policy makers:
• Build and maintain working relationships with GBC Partners, local economic development and community leaders, and policy makers on economic development and related issues;
• Represent the GBC by serving on various committees, task forces, commissions, and working groups regarding economic development issues;
• Track and represent GBC in support of federal, state, and local policies that align with All In|2035 goals and GBC initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Economics, Geography, Urban Planning, Public Policy or related field. Master's degree strongly preferred;
• 8-10 years of progressive experience in the economic development and/or metropolitan policy and planning field;
• Expertise in quantitative research, data analysis, and related software tools;
• Experience managing diverse stakeholder groups to consensus and defined outcomes;
• Experience serving as an organizational representative on policy and community committees;
• High level understanding of federal, state, and local policy related to economic development and planning;
• Superb writing, presentation, and interpersonal communications skills;
• Excellent project management skills, including strong time management, planning, and working with other teams internal and external to the organization;
• Creative ability to develop and recommend new ideas and strategies that can improve the outcomes and execution of new programming;
• Experience working in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Compensation

The salary range for this position is $100,000-$110,000/year commensurate with qualifications and experience, with potential for an annual bonus based on performance.

Organizational Overview

The Greater Baltimore Committee (GBC) is the leading voice for the private sector in the Baltimore region, providing insightful economic and civic leadership to drive collective impact. Composed of over 300 organizations, including large, mid-size, and small companies, nonprofits, foundations, and educational and healthcare institutions, the GBC is dedicated to fostering the prosperity of the Greater Baltimore region.

In May 2023, the GBC announced a Multi-Year Agenda with 12 initiatives for 2024 - 2026. Learn more at gbc.org.

In the last 4 years, GBC merged with the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore and acquired UpSurge Baltimore, an ecosystem-building organization focused on growing and supporting startups in the region. As part of this merger, the organization is in the middle of a significant digital transformation roadmap. In addition to Salesforce, GBC is executing a SharePoint implementation, Monday.com project management rollout, and beginning to execute AI and automation acceleration across priority use cases.

The GBC's staff structure includes six teams:

• Operations: Provides fiscal, operational, HR, IT, performance, and digital transformation leadership for the organization, driving change management, strong governance, and operational excellence, including through event management support.
• Strategy: Develops public policy, data-driven research, and bold strategies while engaging elected officials and regional stakeholders to advance GBC's Collective Impact agenda across infrastructure, transportation, vacant housing, workforce development, and public safety.
• Economic Investment: Leads regional business retention, expansion, and recruitment while advancing investment in regionally significant projects and managing the Baltimore Region's federal Tech Hub designation and Regional Innovation Office.
• Partnerships: Positions GBC as the premier vehicle for regional economic development investment through its membership and engagement model, activating high-impact steering committees, and managing partnerships with local, state, and national peers.
• Communications: Leads organizational and regional messaging to grow and modernize audiences, strengthen stakeholder engagement, execute the Baltimore Region Bold Moves brand, and support GBC's events and convenings.
• UpSurge: Operates as GBC's innovation and startup engagement arm, supporting high-potential and high-growth companies through relationship management, convenings, and targeted programming that feeds innovation into the region's economic investment pipeline.

The Greater Baltimore Committee shall provide equal employment opportunity to all qualified candidates, and will consider candidates without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.