SEARCH ANNOUNCEMENT JULY 16, 2018 EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
About the Missoula Economic Partnership The Mission The Missoula Economic Partnership (MEP) works strategically and collaboratively to facilitate increased prosperity through business development while also striving to enhance the business environment and quality of life in the Missoula market. The Organization Launched in June 2011, MEP was created by a broad coalition of public and private partners, including the City of Missoula, the County of Missoula, the University of Montana, and the region s leading private sector, for profit employers. At that time, these investor stakeholders saw a gap in the overall coordination of economic development activities, resulting in a lack of cohesion and mixed messaging about just what the development challenges and opportunities were. Today, the investor stakeholder community has grown, the economic climate has vastly improved, and MEP is recognized as a driving force in improving upon Missoula s economic vibrancy and its extraordinary quality of life. Over the last five years MEP has: Assisted in the creation of 2,500+ jobs, contributing $115 million in new annual payroll; Facilitated more than $100 million in new capital investment; Assisted 20+ companies in relocating to Missoula; Visited with more than 300 existing businesses looking for expansion assistance and provided assistance to hundreds of new, local startups; and, Worked to lower the cost of airfare and support community-wide efforts to attract and retain a high-quality workforce.
The Opportunity We are now faced with the exciting opportunity to write the second chapter of MEP s role in Missoula s growth and development. The important work of recruiting new businesses to the area, strengthening and retaining existing businesses, and supporting the launch of local start-ups will continue. But there is room to do far more. Recognizing the importance of the moment and seizing on a leadership transition, in March of 2018, MEP s Board of Directors engaged Garner Economics, LLC to explore the economic development challenges and opportunities facing both the organization and the region as a whole. The report (http:///2018-competitive-realities-report/ ) assessed current dynamics within the Missoula market and identified ways to improve upon economic development outcomes. Three categories of recommendations emerged from this effort: Enhance the Product Explore and act on policy changes and asset investments that could be made to strengthen MEP s (and the region s) economic development potential. o Advocate for sustainable funding for the community s economic development infrastructure and catalyze programs to use the monies effectively. o Develop a real estate portfolio of additional sites and develop a speculative building for the targeted business sectors. Tell the Story - MEP needs to use to effective storytelling to communicate the Missoula area s existing qualities and assets to better tell the economic development story. o Enhance MEP s marketing tools by developing a unified brand for Missoula and improving the MEP website to address the needs of location consultants and relocating businesses. o Enhance external outreach efforts by developing a better process for lead generation and business target profiling; developing familiarization events for consultants and companies; and, creating a cadre of Economic Development Ambassadors to extend the Missoula brand. o Execute Effectively MEP needs to lead the charge in deepening collaborative efforts and building efficiency among the area s existing economic development organizations. o Realign MEP to enhance overall economic development service delivery in the market. o Create a Business Solutions Center as a one stop location of the various economic development organizations in Missoula that also offers tech space for second stage companies. MEP is now searching for a new Executive Director to lead the exciting and challenging opportunity of working with the organization s board, stakeholder investors, and the operating team to build on past successes, to translate these findings and recommendations into a clear and compelling new economic development strategy for the region, and then execute on strategy implementation.
About the Position What are the expectations and responsibilities? Above all, our expectations are that the new Executive Director will be a visionary and dynamic leader with a passion for economic development. Developing strategy, growing the investor base, and collaborating with an impressive array of businesses, non-profits, and economic development entities are all core responsibilities. Working from Missoula, the new Executive Director will hit the ground running with a first-rate team in place and fresh analysis and recommendations available to inform strategic planning. While managing all existing MEP programs and commitments, s/he will lead the Board of Directors and staff through a strategic planning process to set priorities and goals for the next 5 years. That strategic plan will seek to foster sustainable economic development with an emphasis on increasing access to high-quality employment, enhancing community capacity to support business vitality, and preserving the things that make Missoula special. In implementing the plan, the Executive Director will lead a staff and facilitate governance by a Board of Directors that consists of 23 business, non-profit, and public-sector leaders. S/he will represent MEP interests in business development, community development, and advocacy networks with the goal of furthering competitiveness, entrepreneurship, and innovation. S/he will also lead the preparation and administration of the organizational budget, including setting and executing on fundraising goals. What are we looking for? We are looking for an Executive Director that has the leadership qualities needed to achieve success in economic development and who can serve as both as a catalyst and a facilitator to work with both the public and private sectors to achieve wealth building opportunities for Missoula. That person will be: A Strategist The successful candidate will be a top notch strategic thinker. S/he will be capable of analyzing, understanding, and then simplifying a complex economic development reality to focus in on the most important challenges and opportunities facing our region. S/he will be able to put strategic thinking into writing, communicate it effectively, and win broad support of our economic development strategy. A Collaborator - Missoula is a community full of outstanding businesses, non-profits, and economic development entities. The successful candidate will have fantastic relationship-building and diplomatic skills, with the ability to bring together various organizational types and the personalities that lead them. S/he will be well-positioned to harness the energy of a diversity of organizations and leaders toward pursuit of common goals. A Resource Developer MEP is currently funded by a network of long-term investor stakeholders. Maintaining and managing these investor relations is critically important. So too is developing new sources of income that will sustain and grow the organization into the future. The successful candidate will be creative and resourceful in thinking about alternative revenue streams. S/he will be an effective story-teller and show a willingness and ability to take calculated risks.
A Deal Maker Getting things done is mission critical. A successful new Executive Director will not simply manage forward to maintain the status quo. S/he will grow impact by developing deep collaborative relationships and enhancing efficiency among existing economic development organizations, identifying and executing on policy change and/or asset development that creates new, sustainable streams of income for MEP, and by attracting new and assisting the growth of existing businesses and entrepreneurial efforts. A Manager The next Executive Director of MEP will also need to be an effective manager, capable not just of developing and implementing good strategy, but also of doing things the right way. This will mean developing, empowering, and retaining a great operating team. But also partnering with a Board of Directors to drive the board agenda, facilitate good governance, and manage with accountability to investor stakeholders. Desired Qualifications A typical path to obtain the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to fulfill the expectations and responsibilities of this role would be: Bachelor s degree in business, public policy, social or natural sciences, or other related field; Master s degree in Business Administration or other related field; Minimum of 10 years of experience in an executive-level leadership capacity; and, Intimate knowledge of the Montana economic development landscape. To Be Considered Please send any questions, your resume, cover letter, and salary requirement to Laura Marshall, HR Consultant at lmarshall@missoulapartnership.com. Submissions should be directed to the attention of Scott Burke, Chairman of the Board of Directors. The search will close August 10, 2018. Early submissions are encouraged. MEP is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, ancestry, age, marital or veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, or any protected status.