Rural Development Specialist (SE Region)

State of Oklahoma; Oklahoma; On-site; USD 70,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce seeks a Rural Development Specialist for the Southeast Region. This full-time role leads the ODOC presence across 11 counties, coordinating with local entities, private sector partners, and workforce initiatives to support BR&E programs and regional growth.

Candidates should have a background in economic development, public administration, or related fields, plus strong communication, data-entry, and presentation skills. Travel is required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred in economics, public administration, or related field.
• Experience in economic development, community or business development.
• Ability to travel across the Southeast region and beyond Oklahoma.

Responsibilities

• Provide BR&E program support and incentives information to businesses.
• Coordinate with local agencies and private sector partners.
• Deliver updates to the Rural Services Director and maintain CRM records.
• Develop regional partnerships and community development projects.

Skills

Economic development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Rural Development Specialist (SE Region)

Agency

160 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Supervisory Organization

Department of Commerce

Job Posting End Date

Refer to the date listed at the top of this posting, if available. Continuous if date is blank. Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the posting end date above.

Full/Part-Time

Full time

Job Type

Regular

Compensation

Compensation: $70,000 - $75,000

Job Description

The Oklahoma Department of Commerce is the State economic development office. Our mission is to cultivate an environment where businesses and communities can grow and thrive. We are a trusted government agency that partners with businesses and communities for strategic and sustainable growth and success, moving Oklahoma forward to becoming a top-ten state. The Oklahoma Department of Commerce seeks to fill a Rural Development Specialist (RDS) - Southeast Region position. This position is a full-time position in the state government. Oklahoma Department of Commerce offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a generous benefit allowance to offset the cost of insurance premiums for employees and their eligible dependents. For more information about the benefit allowance, visit the Oklahoma State Benefits Overview. The annual salary for this position is up to $75,000 based on education and experience.

Qualified applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and list of references.

Basic Purpose

The Southeast (SE) Regional Development Specialist (RDS) serves as the lead representative of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce (ODOC) in the 11-county SE service region, which includes Atoka County, Bryan County, Choctaw County, Coal County, Haskell County, Hughes County, Latimer County, LeFlore County, McCurtain County, McIntosh County, Pittsburg County, Pontotoc County, and Pushmataha County. As a member of the ODOC Regional Development Team, the SE RDS is responsible for coordinating with and interfacing with local and regional community and economic development entities, private-sector companies, local elected officials, workforce development, statewide partners/service providers, and regional partnerships in the Southeast region. In conjunction with local economic development entities, the Commerce representative directly assists companies through business retention and expansion (BR&E) program and delivery of state business incentives. In addition, the SE RDS identifies resources, facilitates regional dialogue on community and economic development issues/goals, assists in forming regional partnerships, and works with municipalities (and others) to develop local community and economic development projects. The successful candidate will be familiar with the Southeast region's communities and economic development entities, have a sound working knowledge of the community and economic development programs and practices, and live in the Southeast service region. Candidates must possess experience and expertise in all aspects of economic development, maintain a high degree of professionalism and personal initiative, and be capable of functioning independently.

Typical Functions

• Work with private sector businesses to provide information on state business incentives to eligible companies.
• Work directly with businesses and communities regarding delivering comprehensive business retention and expansion assistance and establishing community-based BR&E programs, providing appropriate tools and resources to enhance their overall development needs.
• Provide timely updates of activities to the Rural Services Director and input into the ODOC Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database.
• Connect public and private sector individuals and entities with appropriate resources designed to fit their needs.
• Provide technical assistance and resources to develop and support regional economic development partnerships.
• Provide resources and expertise to communities and regional entities to assist them in developing comprehensive local entrepreneurship programs and small business development, including retail.
• Assist communities and regional entities in developing business attraction programs.
• Assist in workforce initiatives, connecting economic development professionals to workforce initiatives.
• Assist communities and local leadership with developing community and economic development projects.
• Deliver success stories to the Marketing Department for inclusion in the Success Stories Program.
• Provide presentations and other learning opportunities designed to educate communities on a wide range of community and economic development principles and practices.
• Assist other ODOC divisions with program outreach, including Quality Jobs, Community Development, and Oklahoma Main Street Services.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education And Experience

A bachelor's degree is preferred, preferably in a related field. Examples of related fields would include (but are not limited to) economic development, city planning, public administration, business administration, economics, finance, etc.

Applicants must have a skill set related to economic development, community assistance, business assistance, project management, or public administration.

EDI graduates or direct experience in business assistance, finance, business retention & expansion, community development, and economic development are preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities And Competencies

• The successful candidate will possess skills and experience in all phases of executing local/regional business retention and expansion assistance, including developing regional and local business visitation programs.
• The candidate must also possess applied knowledge and expertise in the workforce, entrepreneurship, and community and economic development, including a working knowledge of state and federal development and financing programs, including state incentives.
• Must be an effective communicator with the ability to motivate others and build strong working relationships with business leaders, communities, and service providers.
• The position requires a high degree of flexibility, good listening and cooperative skills, facilitative expertise, and team-building skills.
• In addition, candidates must possess a high degree of computer literacy, data-entry skills, and strong written and oral presentation skills.
• The applicant must be available to work extended hours and travel to communities throughout the Southeast region and the State of Oklahoma.
• The applicant may be called upon to support Division call trips and conferences outside of Oklahoma requiring overnight stays of several days.

Equal Opportunity Employment

The State of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of genetic information, race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, or disability.

Current active State of Oklahoma employees must apply for open positions internally through the Workday Jobs Hub.