City of Austin - JOB DESCRIPTION

Deputy Director, Economic Development

Under general direction of the Econmic Development Director, this position is responsible for assisting the Director to plan, direct, manage, and oversee the activities and operations of the Economic Development department. Directs personnel involved in providing programmatic, financial, and managerial support for the department.

1. Assists with ensuring that all activities are carried out in compliance with department policies; and Local, State, and Federal regulations and laws governing activities.
2. Assists with directing the activities related to the development, implementation, and evaluation of initiatives, organizational structure, and daily operations.
3. Assists with overseeing activities designed to enhance organizational health and welfare of employees to include safety and employee health activities, reward and recognition activities, etc.
4. Assists with reviewing agendas, reports, and policy statements for presentation to boards, commissions, and City Council.
5. Assists with analyzing fiscal impact of proposed policies and programs and recommends options to the department Director and Deputy Director.
6. Oversees the development of performance measures and reporting systems and utilizes them to establish accountability, determine progress, evaluate alternatives, assess productivity, and obtain agreement on expectations in order to achieve required department/division business results.
7. Delegates activities, responsibilities, and authority, as necessary and desirable, to division staff while retaining overall responsibility and accountability for performance.
8. Ensures that responsibilities, authority, and accountability of all direct subordinates and unit supervisors are defined and understood.
9. Develops excellent working relationships with key staff, division and departmental employees, other governmental organizations, and with external services, such as consultants, legal counsel, boards and commissions, and City Council.
10. Informs the Director about current trends, problems and activities in these areas to facilitate decision making.
11. Represents Director at City Council meetings, board and commission meetings, and community events as directed.

Evaluation, counseling and recommendation for dismissal.
Evaluate job performance.
Manage division/section activities.
Monitor departmental budget expenditures.
Develop and revise operating procedures.
Review work for accuracy and completeness.
Assign job duties and monitor task completion.
Recommend personnel actions, i.e., promotions, transfers, hires, fires, etc.
Prioritize projects and work activities.
Resolve work-related problems for subordinates.

• Knowledge of public policy development and analysis.
• Skill in preparing and analyzing budgets, reports and studies.
• Skill in communicating effectively both orally and in writing.
• Skill in handling multiple tasks and prioritizing.
• Skill in using computers and related software applications.
• Skill in data analysis and problem solving.
• Skill in evaluating bids and making recommendations.
• Ability to plan strategically.
• Ability to plan and schedule operations.

Graduation with a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Business Administration, Public Administration, Urban Planning, or a related field, plus five (5) years of experience in managing and directing a complex organization. Minimum of five (5) years supervisory experience.