Research Director

About the Job: Research Director

World Business Chicago (WBC) is a public-private, non-profit partnership that drives inclusive economic growth and job creation, supports business, and promotes Chicago as a leading global city.

 The Research team provides cross-functional support to enhance WBC’s thought leadership in attracting, expanding, and retaining businesses, promoting the Chicago region as a global business destination, and designing and scaling initiatives for economic growth.

Job Summary

The Research Director is responsible for assisting the Research team’s work on key initiatives, requests for information, and cross-functional project teams. The individual is a self-starter, hard-working, and eager to engage in an “all-hands-on-deck” small-team environment and a passion for applying research to drive economic development in the Chicago region through WBC’s mission and goals. The position is full-time and reports to the Vice President of Research.

Responsibilities

• Provides analytical support to advance WBC’s economic development initiatives;
• Responds to requests for information from prospective companies and partner organizations;
• Tracks region-wide economic indicators including business expansion and contraction activity to gauge the strength of Chicago’s economy;
• Supervises maintenance and development of knowledge base, internal databases, reports, and presentations for reference on inquiries, client presentations, industry analysis, and other research needs;
• Publishes industry specific news briefs and reports
• Collaborates with WBC Marketing staff on media inquiries, talking points, annual report, etc.;

Skills & Experience Requirements

• Master’s degree in economics, urban planning, or related field
• 8+ years of relevant work experience including prior management or leadership experience
• Analytical background and experience using diverse data sources for economic development research that include government databases (eg: BLS, Census, etc.) and proprietary (eg: Moody’s Analytics, Pitchbook, Lightcast, etc.);
• Excellent overall computer proficiency, including ArcGIS/ESRI; Salesforce; MS Office, especially PowerBI; and data visualization platforms like Canva, Venngage, or Flourish.
• Demonstrated cross-functional collaboration and communication skills, and creative approaches to problem solving with limited resources
• Strong sense of organization, time management, and attention to detail
• Must be fully vaccinated
• Must be willing to work on hybrid schedule with 3 days in the office/ 2 days remote

If interested, please send resume and cover letter to HR@worldbusinesschicago.com