Job Description

Director, Economic Development

Background

The Director, Economic Development leads our economic development initiatives in Franklin and Knox, PA. The highest profile initiative is the McElhattan Challenge which invests in the people who will build businesses and create jobs in Franklin and Knox, PA. This position requires a builder, coach, and allocator of capital charged with turning ambition into commercial success.

The Director will operate out of leased office space in either Franklin or Knox and be responsible for, among other things, running the McElhattan Challenge like a venture-backed accelerator. The Director will create applicant pipelines, make recommendations to fund or not, and provide ongoing support to local entrepreneurs. The Director will also manage a limited portfolio of grants dedicated to supporting community development initiatives.

Candidates for this role

must

reside in or near Knox and Franklin, and be able to travel to Pittsburgh at least once a week.

Reports to:

Executive Director

Key Responsibilities

Run the Challenge process: Convene and run the Advisory Committee meetings with crisp agendas, decisions and follow-through. Design and manage the applicant pipeline (marketing outreach, vetting, disciplined selection cycle, funding, reporting), allocating $100k on average to awardees with clear expectations for results.

Structure performance-based agreements (grants/PRIs) with clear deliverables, metrics, and reporting cadences.

Coach and support entrepreneurs. Monitor progress, connect to external resources, troubleshoot obstacles, and ensure Challenge winners live up to their commitments and their potential.

Coordinate with local partners and serve as the McElhattan Foundation's primary liaison to local government officials, business leaders, and civic groups in Franklin and Knox.

Communicate and report: share success stories from the field, build dashboards and reports that inform Foundation leadership and shape future investment.

Continuously improve the model: relentlessly apply Kaizen to every process (reducing timelines, increasing throughput and quality), gather feedback to refine the model and prepare for scaling.

Own the outcome: deliver measurable economic results (businesses launched, jobs created, capital leveraged), set and hit quarterly KPIs and success milestones for each Challenge cohort.

What Success Looks Like

Year-over-year growth in new companies and job creation in Franklin and Knox.

Capital deployed to results: McElhattan Challenge dollars deployed with good judgment and tied to clear performance milestones. Claw-backs are possible when milestones are missed.

Ecosystem: an active pipeline of entrepreneurs and external resources (mentors, space, permitting help, lenders, etc.)

Speed and accountability: fast cycle times from idea to due diligence to decision to funding. Public dashboards showing outcomes.

Continuous improvement to all processes: application flow, due diligence, partner performance.

Qualifications

Required: 5+ years in economic development, entrepreneurship support, venture capital, private equity, or small business loans/investing.

Required: Strong operational skills - proven ability to design systems, track metrics, and execute.

Required: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Required: Currently lives and works within 20 miles of Franklin and Knox. Relocation assistance is available for an exceptional candidate.

Required: Ability to work independently while ensuring continuous coordination and alignment with the Foundation's Pittsburgh-based team.

Preferred: Familiarity with Salesforce, Lean, Kaizen, and continuous improvement.

Preferred: Well-known and respected by local business owners, city officials, and community stakeholders.

The Foundation offers a generous benefits package and competitive compensation commensurate with experience.

To Apply

Please submit a resume and cover letter through Indeed.

About the McElhattan Foundation

The McElhattan Foundation is a philanthropic organization based in Pittsburgh, PA. Funded from the 2017 sale of Industrial Scientific Corporation, we believe philanthropy should operate like a high-performance business - because that's where the money came from. We employ a mindset of continuous improvement, strategic research and planning to address root causes, relentless challenge to the status quo, intentional impact, and, clear metrics and goals. Grants are made in the following program areas: eliminating death in the workplace, economic development in Knox and Franklin, PA, easing suffering at the end of life, and providing high quality out-of-school-time programs in Allegheny County.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $90,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance
Work Location: In person