Economic Development Research Team Member
The economic development research team compiles and analyzes economic data to assist in business attraction, business development and business expansion. The team compiles research and organizes data comparing business costs, workforce availability and pipeline, international trade and foreign investment. The EDR team acts as the ACA’s knowledge center, sharing data and information on a vast range of topics such as the ACA’s target industry sectors, business supply chains, Arizona’s tax system and a plethora of economic data.
The position is open to a variety of experience levels; skills and experience will influence rank and salary. The EDR team needs someone who has good judgement and the ability to extract important insights from data and the key skill of explaining complicated information to a non-technical audience.
We’re looking for someone who can work quickly, changing direction on short notice, while holding to high standards for accuracy and presentation quality. We need someone who is organized and process-oriented and who works well with others.
We’re looking for someone who is less interested in esoteric economic theory and more interested in finding new ways to identify and use a wide variety of data to formulate answers to challenging questions when no single, obvious answer exists. This is where we are truly innovative.
The EDR team is collaborative and informal and is looking for a new member who will value and uphold that culture as well.
Day-to-day tasks will vary, but generally might include:
- Gathering and analyzing statistical data from federal data sources such as the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and others, usually using Excel.
- Digging into private data sources for trade and workforce information to answer queries in innovative ways. Very few of the EDR team’s tools are designed for use in the niche world of economic development; we dig into obscure use cases to find data and information that works for our purposes.
- Responding quickly to time-sensitive data requests and communicate precise, actionable answers.
- Presenting data in a clear and compelling way.
Job Summary
A qualified applicant must have:
- Professional experience in some type of research, preferably related to business, economics or community or economic development is preferred.
- A bachelor’s degree is preferred, however not required.
- We have a strong preference for a degree in economics.
- Extensive experience writing clear, concise reports with technical elements, such as financial, tax or demographic data.
- Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
- Excel skills should include use of pivot tables and formulas.
- The ability to work collaboratively, but also to take control of a project and see it through on your own.
- The ability to work on more than one project at a time, often on tight deadlines.
- High attention to detail and organization skills.