Research Director
The Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP) is seeking a Research Director to lead a team of five analysts and economists within the Research Division. This team supports VEDP’s mission by producing data, information, and insights on target sectors, specific companies, and Virginia’s competitiveness relative to other states. It is a highly collaborative position that works with stakeholders across the organization, state government, and other partner organizations.
Responsibilities:
- Lead work to maintain a comprehensive body of knowledge on Virginia’s value proposition (competitive advantages, assets, etc.) for VEDP’s 14 target industries
- Advise staff on the data, analysis, and visualizations that can be used to build a thoughtful and compelling businesses case for Virginia
- Prepare customized information and analysis for requests for information, company and industry presentations, and materials for lead generation activities
- Serve as product owner for several data-focused applications, ensuring data is kept up to date, and working with data and development teams to ensure update processes are efficient and timely
- Take a leading role in providing targeted, timely project management, methodological expertise, and analytical support for select initiatives/projects
- Serve as a subject matter expert on macroeconomic conditions/trends and provide expertise to agency leadership and Governor’s Office on economic issues of strategic interest
- Cultivate strong working relationships with internal and external partners
- Ensure application of internal procedures and project management protocol and continuously identify opportunities for improvement
Skills/knowledge:
Qualified applicants will have:
- Outstanding organizational and project management skills
- Ability to analyze problems and collaboratively identify creative solutions
- Strong analytical skills and familiarity with different research methods
- Intellectual curiosity and willingness to quickly develop working knowledge of new subject matters
- Ability to synthesize information/data from different sources in a clear and concise manner
- Ability to work well under pressure and manage tight deadlines
- Strong oral communication and interpersonal skills
- High level of attention to detail
- Sound knowledge of macroeconomic principles/understanding of major trends shaping the economy
- Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office products, especially Excel and PowerPoint
Highly competitive applicants will also have one or several of the following:
- Ability to visually represent data in creative ways
- Knowledge of Extract, Transform and Load process and data management tools
- Knowledge of Stata, Tableau, Python, or R
- Knowledge of economic development or regional / urban planning
- Familiarity with Virginia’s economy
Education/Experience:
- 7+ years of relevant professional experience (e.g., consulting, economic/market research, policy analysis, etc.)
- Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Master’s preferred)
- Experience leading teams in a matrix environment
- Experience interacting with executive-level stakeholders