Economic development specialist with five years in city and regional economic development, focused on business attraction and small-business programs. Closed 9 business attraction deals bringing 1,100 jobs and $220M in capital investment. Brings incentive analysis, site selection support and trusted relationships with employers and workforce partners.
Experience
Economic Development Specialist, City of Piedmont Falls Office of Economic Development (Greenville, SC)
Jul 2022 – Present
Managed 9 business attraction projects to close, bringing 1,100 jobs and $220M in capital investment
Built fiscal impact models for incentive packages, keeping every deal under a 6-year payback
Launched a small-business grant program that awarded $1.5M to 140 businesses, 60% minority- or women-owned
Respond to 30+ site selector RFIs a year with property, workforce and utility data
Research Analyst, Blue Ridge Economic Partnership (Greenville, SC)
Jan 2021 – Jun 2022
Maintained a 10-county property database and labor-market profiles in JobsEQ
Prepared 25 prospect proposals for advanced manufacturing and logistics projects
Hosted 15 site selector tours and prepared follow-up proposals
Education
M.A. City and Regional Planning, Clemson University (Aug 2019 – Dec 2020)
B.A. Economics, Furman University (Aug 2015 – May 2019)
Skills
Economic development: business attraction and retention, incentives, site selection, TIF
Certifications: Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP)
How to write a Economic Development Specialist resume
A strong Economic Development Specialist resume shows the programs, policies and public services you delivered, the budgets and rules you worked within, and the measurable outcomes for residents. Lead with scope and impact: the size of the systems, budgets or teams you influenced, and the decisions you owned.
Sections, in order
Summary
Experience
Education
Skills
Certifications
Length: One page is ideal; two pages are fine with 10+ years of relevant experience.
Summary: Open with your specialty and years of experience, then one or two signature results.
Skills to feature
Policy analysis
Program evaluation
Budget development
Regulatory compliance
Stakeholder and community engagement
Grant administration
Data analysis (Excel, Tableau, ArcGIS)
Briefing and plain-language writing
Public procurement (FAR or state code)
Interagency coordination
Example bullet points
Cut average permit review time from 42 to 19 days by redesigning intake and adding online plan submission
Wrote the fiscal analysis for a $38M affordable housing bond approved by 61% of voters
Coordinated 14 agencies through a FEMA-funded hazard mitigation plan update adopted on schedule
Tips from recruiters
For federal roles on USAJOBS, list hours per week, GS grade and exact dates for each role, and mirror the specialized-experience wording in the announcement.
Name the laws, programs and funding streams you worked with (for example CDBG, FEMA BRIC, the FAR or the state open meetings act).
Quantify public impact in residents served, dollars managed or days saved rather than describing duties.
Recommended templates
Classic (ATS-friendly): Jake's-style LaTeX classic: small caps and hairline rules
Meridian (ATS-friendly): Modern serif with a hairline date rail on the right
Ivy (ATS-friendly): Harvard-style Times layout with centered headings
Economic Development Specialist resume FAQ
What should a Economic Development Specialist resume include?
A Economic Development Specialist resume should show the programs, policies and public services you delivered, the budgets and rules you worked within, and the measurable outcomes for residents. Use these sections in this order: Summary, Experience, Education, Skills and Certifications. Lead with scope and impact: the size of the systems, budgets or teams you influenced, and the decisions you owned.
What is the best resume template for a Economic Development Specialist?
Classic, Meridian and Ivy work well for Economic Development Specialist roles. They are single-column with standard headings, so applicant tracking systems (ATS) parse them reliably.
How long should a Economic Development Specialist resume be?
One page is ideal; two pages are fine with 10+ years of relevant experience.
Which skills should a Economic Development Specialist put on a resume?
Prioritize the skills named in the job posting. Common ones for Economic Development Specialist roles are Policy analysis, Program evaluation, Budget development, Regulatory compliance, Stakeholder and community engagement and Grant administration.
How do I write strong Economic Development Specialist resume bullet points?
Start with an action verb, say what you did, and end with a measurable result such as residents served, budget managed and processing time. For example: "Cut average permit review time from 42 to 19 days by redesigning intake and adding online plan submission."