Sector Lead- Advanced Manufacturing

Job Summary

EDA’s Office of Economic Transformation (OET) accelerates the growth of New Jersey’s economy by developing and implementing initiatives that enhance the state’s long-term economic competitiveness within key strategic sectors, including offshore wind, clean energy, logistics & infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, technology, and life sciences.

EDA’s Advanced Manufacturing Sector Lead is responsible for shaping and leading all of the Authority’s efforts to accelerate Advanced Manufacturing industry growth within New Jersey.  Core responsibilities for the job include: serving as EDA’s industry expert, developing and leading a portfolio of industry development programs, acting as an industry advocate and champion within State government, and building strong relationships with key industry stakeholders.  He/she is a member of EDA’s sector leadership team.

Location of positions: Newark, Trenton, Camden, or North Brunswick

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Serves as EDA’s industry expert
  • Understands firm-level and industry-level value-drivers and dynamics
  • Quantitatively and qualitatively tracks industry progress at the state, regional, and national level
  • Identifies key issues, frames problems, scopes analyses and leads industry analyses / studies
  • Provides regular industry updates to internal and external stakeholders, including local, national, and trade press
  • Provides industry-related policy inputs and guidance to the leadership teams of EDA and the Administration
  • Actively participates in company attraction, expansion, and retention efforts

• Develops and leads portfolio of initiatives and programs that ensure New Jersey’s long-term competitiveness in the industry
  • Identifies potential program and initiatives via conversations with industry stakeholders and monitors successful programs from other states and countries;
  • Prioritizes opportunities based on quantitative and qualitative analyses
  • Pilots and tracks the impact of the highest priority initiatives and programs
  • Manages Senior Industry Project Officers on portfolio initiatives / programs, including providing direction for development of work plans, timelines, specific analyses to be completed, budgets, and individual responsibilities
  • Works across EDA and with external partners to scale and institutionalize successful programs, and transition them, over time, to Program Managers who will be responsible for their long-term execution

• Acts an an industry advocate and champion within the Authority, within State government, and in the broader business community
  • Engages EDA executives, State government leaders, and leaders from partner organizations on critical outreach and policy advocacy matters
  • Provides input on EDA’s response to proposed legislative action which impacts the industry
  • Acts as a public speaker and public relations representative on industry topics, in ways that support the Authority’s profile
  • Actively contributes to and oversees the content and messaging for all industry related social media, marketing content, and web content (e.g., reviews and approves all industry related press, posts and tweets and contributes relevant industry sector content)
  • Creates and delivers industry presentations or memos for key stakeholders (e.g., EDA senior staff, State government leaders, external partners)
  • As needed, serves as spokesperson, representative, and ambassador for the EDA and the OET to a wide variety of constituencies

• Serves as EDA’s relationship manager for key industry stakeholders
  • Actively develops and manages a list of priority private sector companies (e.g., larger companies, high potential growth companies and start-ups, etc.) across the industry value chain, within the State and, as appropriate, outside of the State
  • Cultivates, maintains, expands, and serves as lead relationship liaison with private sector partners, industry associations, and relevant academic and government stakeholders
  • Proactively coordinates engagement with pririoty private sector companies across other State agencies and NGO partners (e.g., NJ Business Action Center and Choose New Jersey)
  • Forms strategic collaborations with partners to develop and drive programmatic initiatives
  • Coordinates and connects resources to available services and support including services and programs provided by EDA as well as those provided by other entities
  • Develops and executes events and programs that facilitate relationship building, enagement, and partnership across the industry

• Demonstrates a leadership and ownership mindset within the Office of Economic Transformation, supporting other Sector Directors and Program Officers and suggesting new ideas for how to improve the division
• Promotes teamwork and communication to encourage an interactive, cooperative, collaborative, and customer- focused work environment among division, EDA staff, and external customers.
• Develops, mentors, and coaches the Senior Program Officers within the OET; sets project and development goals and objectives, provides regular feedback to team members, and provides input to semi-annual and annual reviews
• Supports the development and execution of Office of Economic Transformation department goals; reviews and evaluates own performance against key metrics
• Helps to institutionalize best practices; defines and implements needed systems and policies
• Supports the Senior Vice President on other Office of Economic Transformation strategic initiatives as necessary
• Performs duties to the highest standards of ethics and professionalism

Required Skills and Abilities

• Relevant industry experience
  • Deep industry knowledge (or) experience in other related industry (e.g, for offshore wind, related industries would include infrastructure, oil and gas, onshore wind, other clean energy technology) and outstanding qualifications on other job requirements
  • Strong business acumen and ability to engage credibly and thoughtfully in conversations with industry and government leaders
  • Comfort with engaging in technical details of the industry and related supply chain development, with moderate preference for those who are already technically fluent
  • Ability to quickly master an understanding of EDA’s exisiting programs and services
  • Strong knowledge and understanding of economic development, sector development approaches, project finance, and public policy and governance

• Entreprenuerial leadership
  • Demonstrated ability to self-motivate and self-lead own work planning and execution with a strong results orientation
  • Exceptional history of strong performance and consisten high-quality delivery on commitments
  • Ability to prioritize own workload - must be highly organized, detail-oriented, handle various tasks simultaneously, and work independently within limited time constrains with little supervision
  • Energetic, flexible, collaborative and proactive; a leader who can positively and productively impact both strategic and tactical initiatives
  • Ability to adapt to changes in work environment and manage competing demands
  • Excellent judgement, negotiation, and conflict- resolution skills

• Problem solving and communication
  • Demonstrated profiency in creative and analytical problem solving, including the ability to structure issues, define critical analyses or facts required, execute complex analyses with limited errors and oversight, synthesize findings, and propose actionable solutions
  • Exceptional written (presentation, memos, and emails), oral, interpersonal and presentation skills, and the ability to effectively interface with a broad range of audiences, including senior management, EDA Board of Directors, staff, government officials, business and industry partners, as well as individual customers and prospects
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and the ability to learn new software packages

• Customer orientation
  • Ability to build strong relationships and contacts within the industry (strong preference for individuals who have an exisiting network within the industry both in New Jersey and nationally)
  • Must be able to maintain confidentiality and deal effectively and diplomatically with business professionals and EDA staff
  • Understands private- sector culture and service expectations and consistently delivers at high-levels

• Management and ownership mindset
  • Thinks strategically: makes sound, well-informed and strategic decisions; understands the impact and implications of decisions
  • Demonstrated interpersonal and management skills, including ability to influence and engage direct and indirect reports and peers
  • Demonstrates respectful behavior and promotes teamwork and communication to encourage an interactive, cooperative, collaborative and customer- focused work environment among division, EDA staff, and external customers
  • Encourages new ideas, initiatives, and contributions; creates opportunities for change
  • Ability to lead small project teams through complex and challenging work
  • Ability to mentor and coach direct and indirect reports with diverse levels of expertise and focus
  • Maintains strong ethical orientation, including exercising sound financial stewardship of the organization’s assets and controls expenses whenever possible
  • Strong commitment to and passion for EDA’s mission and inspires a sense of shared purpose

Required Qualifications

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree, preferably in a relevant field such as business, policy, energy, engineering, or environmental studies
• Strong preference for Master’s degree, preferably in a relevant field such as business, policy, energy, or environmental studies
• A strong track record of professional success
• Seven to ten years of practical business experience related to the industry with significant exposure and credibility (or) within a similar position in another capital intensive industry
• Experience in program development, public policy development and basic financial principles
• Minimum of five years experience in a client-oriented work environment that required development and engagement with a broad professional network
• Minimum of five years of program development and management experience

Physical Demands

• Minimal
• Ability to work outside normal business hours, as needed

Travel

• As necessary to events, meetings, businesses, etc.

Certificates and Licenses Required

• Valid driver’s license

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job description. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed. This job description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope, general nature and level of work performed by job holders within this job.  This job description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of qualifications, skills, efforts, duties, responsibilities or working conditions associated with the position.

Your employment at NJEDA is voluntary and subject to termination by you or NJEDA at will, with or without cause, or with or without notice, at any time.  Nothing in this job description shall be interpreted to conflict, eliminate or modify the employment-at-will status of NJEDA employees. 

This position is considered exempt and is excluded from minimum wage, overtime regulations, and other rights and protections afforded nonexempt workers under FLSA.

NJEDA reserves the right to amend/revise this job description as necessary to meet current and changing business needs.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Position Requirements

• Must comply with the “New Jersey First Act” which requires employees hired after September 1, 2011 to reside in New Jersey. Non-New Jersey resident employees must relocate to New Jersey within one year of their date of hire and provide proof of residency to Human Resources.
• Must complete an Outside Activity Questionnaire (disclosure of outside office or employment) on an annual basis.