Place Investment Specialist - Northampton, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom - West Northamptonshire Council

Description

This is an exciting time to join our Inward Investment & Business Growth team We're a relatively new local authority, created in April 2021. We're at the beginning of our journey of shaping what the Economic Growth & Inward Investment service looks like at West Northants Council, so there areplenty of opportunitiesto develop processes, and shape our offering so we can provide the best possible service to our local businesses and residents, as part of the wider Communities & Opportunities directorate.

We are seeking a determined and creative individual to join our dynamic team here at West Northamptonshire Council. We are looking to recruit a variety of new roles as part of our enhanced new Economic Growth & Inward Investment Service and the Place Investment Specialist will play a key role in delivering our inward investment, business growth & visitor economy services. It is the perfect time to join our Team as we amplify our activities and establish a new strategy for the service.

West Northamptonshire is a place of huge opportunity, world renowned skills, and locational advantage. We in the Economic Growth & Inward Investment Service are at the forefront of capitalising on these strategic assets and establishing new opportunities for growth. Working innovatively, we are proactive in our approach to supporting and growing the local economy with a strong focus on the following areas:

• Business Growth
• Inward Investment & Place Marketing
• Skills & Employment
• Tourism & the Visitor Economy
• Funding Programmes & Projects

Home to over 20,000 businesses and more than 425,000 residents, the value of West Northamptonshire's economy (GVA) was valued at around £11.5bn in 2022, supporting around 214,700 jobs. In addition, around 20m visitors flock to the area each year, generating over £1bn and supporting 14,000 jobs. We want to support and grow the local economy, meaning that our Team must establish a high-profile reputation across the world that West Northants is a place where everyone can thrive, supporting businesses & investors to locate & grow here, upskilling the local labour market and ensuring there are opportunities for all. We must showcase West Northants as a destination for investment, business, tourism and quality of life.

This role will be essential in showcasing West Northamptonshire as a destination for visitors, businesses and inward investment, combining project management, relationship management, expert communications and marketing knowledge, prior experience and knowledge, and new ideas to achieve tangible outcomes to showcase West Northamptonshire as the ultimate destination.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28days annual leave per year, 29days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme
• Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or area member ofa professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

Working alongside our colleagues in the wider Economic Growth & Inward Investment service, you'll act as a key delivery officer in respect of activities to attract investors, businesses and visitors into the area. You will focus on creating and delivering effective place marketing strategies to maximise opportunities for inward investment and the visitor economy, including dynamic and innovative initiatives and marketing campaigns to raise the profile of West Northamptonshire.

You will support the development and articulation of the local investment & tourism offers, working alongside our Communications and Marketing Team to provide compelling materials and collateral to attract engagement and opportunities.

You will work in partnership with other stakeholders in the visitor economy sector to position Northamptonshire as an excellent destination for visitors, developing innovative campaigns to promote the place, including getting involved with the exploration of a Local Visitor Economy Partnership for Northamptonshire.

Identifying and developing new and existing ideas and innovations related to attracting inward investment and destination making will be a top priority, delivering events, festivals, and niche marketing campaigns to promote tourism and enhance the visitor experience.

Designated as a flexible worker type, you will attend meetings & events to build effective relationships with partners and stakeholders; you'll work with commercial property agents, communications specialists, neighbouring local authorities, internal and external stakeholders and partners to facilitate opportunities to secure investment and engagement. You will utilise a CRM system to handle enquiries, maintain communication and maximise engagement and opportunities to achieve tangible outcomes resulting in business growth, more jobs & visitors and an improved local economy.

Each day will look slightly different and you'll be able to get involved in various projects across the directorate, including marketing strategies and campaigns, consultation and engagement exercises, event planning and many other opportunities for continual professional development and to share best practice. You will be involved with the creation of a new Economic Growth & Inward Investment strategy and will input into the processes to handle enquiries and stakeholder engagement.

We're looking for a place-marketingexpert in the field with proven experience & skills, able to drive and implement initiatives to attract visitors and investment, developing effective long-term relationships with businesses and stakeholders within the area. You will be passionate about working innovatively to showcase and market West Northamptonshire as the perfect destination for investment and tourism, combining creativity with finely honed project management and communications skills to achieve tangible outcomes.

Exceptional interpersonal and collaboration skills are key. We are also looking for significant experience of marketing and communications to achieve high performance and significant, sustainable accomplishments for the service. You'll thrive when working collaboratively and understand place-marketing specifically relating to economic growth.

You'll need to have a solutions driven and adaptable approach to working, thrive in a busy environment with a positive approach to challenges

Ideally you will have previous experience of delivering place marketing within a local authority, with experience of project management, growing the visitor economy and an understanding of the commercial landscape. You will be able to smoothly manage and develop a pipeline of enquiries, handling all relevant processes whilst being able to use your own initiative to 'think outside of the box'. You'll use your great attention to detail to ensure our activities are innovative, creative and achieve high level results.

Finally, your knowledge of achieving economic growth initiatives will be utilised as part of the wider service, showing your ability to thrive as a team player as well as lead on projects relating to business growth. You will combine sales and marketing experience, along with expert knowledge to champion business growth and investment in the area.

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential. We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions- watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us .

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.