Economic Development Director Jobs in Raleigh, NC

Company Description
Work with Us. Change the World.
At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world's most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.
There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.
We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.
Job Description
AECOM Advisory is seeking a Director, Economics, Real Estate and Urban Policy to lead and expand our economics, urban policy and real estate service offering. The selected candidate will join our growing Advisory business line, a team of 400 staff globally comprised of business and policy analysts, economists, commercial strategists, technologists, sustainability and resilience planners, and human capital and change management practitioners. We integrate strategic consulting with policy and technical expertise to help investors, developers, cities and other public agencies tackle challenges and better serve their constituents. We are recruiting for this role in one of the following metro areas: Boston, MA, New York, NY, Washington DC, Raleigh, NC, or Miami, FL.
Building off AECOM's considerable expertise in infrastructure design and implementation, AECOM Advisory is a trusted adviser to senior level clients and executive teams on their most pressing enterprise and strategic needs. We serve the full value chain of clients active in infrastructure, the built environment, and community vibrancy, including: national governments, regulatory entities, city agencies, utilities, transit agencies, infrastructure operators, private corporations, developers and investors.
This position would focus primarily on our real estate, economic, and public policy services. The successful candidate can lead quantitative and qualitative analysis to develop and/or evaluate strategies that address policy, design, supply chain and social challenges. Projects may cover market analysis, financial feasibility and affordability studies, funding and financing strategy (including prioritizing relevant incentives or evaluating value capture opportunity), economic and fiscal impact analysis, and program/policy evaluation to address economic and demographic disparities.
In addition to technical proficiency, the candidate will be expected to effectively lead business development activities and to direct project teams to ensure quality and timely work products that satisfy clients' needs. The position requires the ability to manage a project team while working closely with other disciplines and balancing multiple projects and deadlines, delegating and mentoring staff, and communicating clearly with both clients and other team members. Business development expectations include responding to requests for proposals and representing our team internally and externally for opportunities.
You will join as a leader in a fast-paced and supportive team of diverse consulting professionals. We pride ourselves on our strong culture of mentorship and collaborative problem-solving and our mission of addressing our client's most complex and impactful problems, paired with career pathways that nurture professional development and personal growth.
Role:
As a Director, Economics, Real Estate and Urban Policy in AECOM Advisory's US East Region , your day-to-day role will include driving business development, overseeing engagement delivery and supporting practice development. These tasks will include, but not be limited to:

• Directing multiple delivery teams comprised of 5-8 team members across various and inter-dependent workstreams. Project types may include:
• Adaptive reuse and neighborhood revitalization studies
• Funding and financing strategies, including value capture and special assessment districts
• Economic and fiscal impact analysis
• Pro forma modeling to determine financial feasibility
• Evaluation of pro-housing policies such as density bonuses and inclusionary zoning
• Leading client interactions
• Delivering highly-polished deliverable production to meet client expectations and firm standards
• Meeting project financial performance and supporting overall practice area operational performance improvement
• Being present in industry conversations and professional networks to identify and originate business development opportunities
• Managing all aspects of proposal responses as Capture Manager, including: narrative development, coordination across multiple teams to develop technical solutions, pricing, team definition, subcontractor engagement, internal risk review, and compliance procedures
• Coaching and mentoring junior staff on developing core skills

Required competencies include:

• Strong interpersonal skills, client-service mindset and ability to act as a trusted adviser to clients
• Ability to maintain poise, maturity and work well in a high-tempo, client-facing environment
• Strong technical foundation in economics and real estate, including comfort working with economic and land use data, developing data-driven and appropriately contextualized assumptions, and an ability to both conduct and review technical analysis
• Ability to be self-directed, anticipatory and comfortable working across a highly matrixed consulting organization
• Solid communication skills, with the ability to summarize and convey key technical insights in a digestible manner to executive and senior management audiences
• Collegial team-player who can work within a small, motivated team of diverse consulting professionals

Qualifications
Minimum qualifications required:

• At least 12 years of real estate, economics, public policy and/or related industry experience or demonstrated equivalency of experience and/or education
• Bachelor's degree in economics, urban planning, public policy, business, real estate or a related field

Preferred qualifications:

• 15+ years of professional experience at a planning and economics consulting firm, or equivalent professional experience in urban economics, real estate, urban planning, public policy, or related fields
• Master's degree from an accredited university in a related field
• Experience leading quantitative and qualitative economic analysis related to economic development, real estate, and public finance
• Experience working closely and collaboratively with many disciplines, including urban planners and urban designers as well as infrastructure experts in transportation, ports, water, environment, and/or energy
• Experience presenting and developing content for proposals, interacting with clients, having leadership on multiple parallel projects, managing project teams, presenting professional work at meetings, workshops, and industry conferences
• Fluency with Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel
• Strong technical skills, including experience with one or more of the following software packages:
• ArcGIS and other spatial or data analysis tools (e.g., R, Python, Costar)
• Evaluation of financial cashflows, particularly public finance, via Excel.

Additional Information

• This position will not offer sponsorship now or in the future
• Relocation is not available for this position
• Offered rate of compensation will be based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. The range for this position is $190,000 to $300,000

About AECOM
AECOM is proud to offer comprehensive benefits to meet the diverse needs of our employees. Depending on your employment status, AECOM benefits may include medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, disability benefits, paid time off, leaves of absences, voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, well-being resources, employee assistance program, business travel insurance, service recognition awards, retirement savings plan, and employee stock purchase plan.
AECOM is the global infrastructure leader, committed to delivering a better world. As a trusted professional services firm powered by deep technical abilities, we solve our clients' complex challenges in water, environment, energy, transportation and buildings. Our teams partner with public- and private-sector clients to create innovative, sustainable and resilient solutions throughout the project lifecycle - from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm that had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. Learn more at aecom.com.
What makes AECOM a great place to work
You will be part of a global team that champions your growth and career ambitions. Work on groundbreaking projects - both in your local community and on a global scale - that are transforming our industry and shaping the future. With cutting-edge technology and a network of experts, you'll have the resources to make a real impact. Our award-winning training and development programs are designed to expand your technical expertise and leadership skills, helping you build the career you've always envisioned. Here, you'll find a welcoming workplace built on respect, collaboration and community-where you have the freedom to grow in a world of opportunity.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in your potential and are here to help you achieve it. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.