Economic Development Specialist

Downtown Phoenix Inc; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 55,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Downtown Phoenix Inc. is seeking an Economic Development Specialist to help attract and retain businesses in the downtown core, developing placemaking projects that activate public spaces and strengthen urban identity.

The role partners with DPI teams and community stakeholders, conducts data and GIS analysis, prepares presentations, and supports grant-funded initiatives to enhance vibrancy and long-term growth downtown.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Economic Development, Urban Planning, or related field preferred.
• 2–5 years of professional experience in economic development or urban planning.
• Experience activating public spaces as part of downtown development strategies.
• Experience with project coordination, budgeting, and grant-funded initiatives desirable.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Familiarity with Downtown Phoenix and its neighborhoods preferred.

Responsibilities

• Support placemaking initiatives to enhance public realm and long-term urban development objectives.
• Identify opportunities for activating streets, parks, plazas and other spaces.
• Collaborate with city departments, developers, property owners, and community partners.
• Assist with planning and execution of public realm improvements and art installations.
• Coordinate across departments to ensure timely installation and program growth.
• Support events and activations to increase vibrancy and economic activity downtown.
• Develop presentations, reports and stakeholder communications related to placemaking.
• Provide data collection, Salesforce maintenance, GIS mapping, and marketing materials support.

Skills

Placemaking

Public engagement

Data analysis

Project coordination

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Economic Development or related field

Tools

Salesforce

GIS (ArcGIS)

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Description

Position Summary

Formed in 2013, Downtown Phoenix Inc. (DPI) delivers enhanced municipal services to the Downtown business core, marketing and event production to Greater Downtown, and manages the work plans for Phoenix Community Alliance and Downtown Phoenix Community Development Corporation. DPI and its affiliate organizations are committed to making Phoenix a vibrant urban destination and one of the nation's great cities.

The mission of DPI is to facilitate collaboration, cultivate connections, and contribute to both the growth and vitality of our community. To generate progress on issues, work toward sustainable growth and build a stronger, more inclusive city core generates positive perceptions, memorable experiences and a sense of pride in Downtown.

The Economic Development Specialist performs a wide variety of activities to assist with business attraction and retention in the Downtown Phoenix business core, with an emphasis on developing and implementing projects that activate public spaces to strengthen Downtown's sense of place and identity and support long-term urban development goals.

The Economic Development Specialist will also assist the Economic Development Manager with more complex projects, perform data maintenance, statistical comparisons and trend analysis to be used in marketing and promotional materials, and other related duties as assigned.

The position works in collaboration with DPI's Community Engagement, Marketing, Events, and Street Level Operations teams, and serves as a connector between residents, commercial and retail businesses, property owners, artists, developers, nonprofit partners, and public agencies to ensure placemaking initiatives contribute to a thriving and welcoming urban core.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Support the planning and implementation of placemaking initiatives that enhance Downtown Phoenix's public realm, strengthen the connection between the people and the places they share, and contribute to long-term urban development objectives
• Identify opportunities for activating streets, parks, alleys, plazas, and other public spaces through creative programming, temporary installations, public art, tactical urbanism, and pedestrian-focused improvements
• Collaborate with city departments, developers, property owners/managers, neighborhood organizations, artists, and community partners to advance projects that improve quality of place
• Assist with the planning and execution of public realm improvements including wayfinding, streetscape enhancements, beautification efforts, and public art installations
• Manage the Downtown Street Pole Banner Program, including scheduling, client communication, production coordination, and execution.
• Collaborate cross-departmentally with Streets, Administration, and Marketing + Events to ensure timely installation and continued program growth.
• Support DPI-produced events and partner activations that increase vibrancy, economic activity, and community participation throughout Downtown
• Assist in developing presentations, reports, grant applications, and stakeholder communications related to placemaking and urban revitalization projects
• Provide targeted research support, including but not limited to data collection, preparation of information for marketing and PR efforts, Salesforce database management, GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping, and a variety of other duties related to writing, updating, and designing marketing and promotional materials for business recruitment, retention and expansion.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of training, certification, education or experience in Economic Development, Urban Planning, Urban Studies, Commercial Real Estate, Research/Analytics, Landscape Architecture, Public Administration, or a related field preferred
• 2 - 5 years of employment in a professional level capacity in economic development, urban planning or a related area
• Experience executing public space activation and/or urban design as part of downtown development strategies
• Experience with project coordination, budgeting, and grant-funded initiatives is desirable
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Familiarity with Downtown Phoenix and its neighborhoods is strongly preferred

Core Competencies

• Strong understanding of placemaking as economic development principles, urban revitalization, community engagement best practices
• Excellent relationship-building and meeting facilitation skills
• Creative problem-solver with the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously
• Comfortable working collaboratively across public, private and non‑profit sectors and with diverse community stakeholders