Economic Development Project Manager Jobs in Raleigh, NC

Salary: $105,654.00 - $158,481.00 Annually
Location : 1003 N. Arendell Avenue, Zebulon, NC
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 00158
Department: Economic Development
Opening Date: 07/13/2026
Closing Date: 8/13/2026 11:59 PM Eastern
Description
About the Opportunity
The Town of Zebulon is seeking a strategic, results-oriented Economic Development Director who can build relationships, advance priority projects, and translate the Town's economic development strategy into measurable progress. This position offers the opportunity to help shape the next chapter of one of the fastest-growing communities in eastern Wake County.
Zebulon is changing quickly. Over the past two years, the Town has grown by approximately 133%, with much of that growth driven by residential development. This growth creates both opportunity and urgency. Zebulon must attract the commercial development, services, amenities, jobs, and investment needed to support residents, strengthen quality of life, and expand the Town's commercial tax base.
At the same time, Zebulon is working to define its identity in the midst of growth. The Town is balancing its small-town character with the realities of becoming a larger, more complex community. With a permanent Town Manager in place, the organization is focused on operational effectiveness, efficiency, public trust, smart growth, and long-term economic viability for residents and businesses.
This is a meaningful opportunity for an economic development professional who is energized by challenge, motivated by steady progress, and interested in helping a growing community turn strategy into results. The successful candidate will understand that economic development results take time and that progress often comes through small wins: a new employer relationship, an activated property, a stronger partner alignment, a business choosing Zebulon, or a clearer project pipeline taking shape.
The Role
The Economic Development Director reports to the Town Manager, serves as part of the Town's executive leadership team, and leads a two-person department. The Director will have the opportunity to hire and supervise the position responsible for Main Street, downtown development, and small business development, while focusing on broader economic development strategy, employer engagement, commercial recruitment, strategic growth areas, partner coordination, investment readiness, and performance reporting.
This is a role for someone who enjoys building structure, setting priorities, forming partnerships, solving problems, and seeing progress take shape over time. The Town is building its economic development capacity, and the Director will help shape the systems, relationships, and practices that support long-term results.
What Zebulon Needs
Zebulon needs a practical, relationship-oriented economic development leader who can help the Town:

• Advance commercial development that supports residents' lifestyle, service, recreational, and daily needs.
• Strengthen and diversify the Town's commercial tax base as residential growth continues.
• Support existing employers and help position them for retention, expansion, and workforce success.
• Attract businesses that improve quality of life, including restaurants, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, personal services, specialty retail, professional services, and other community-serving businesses.
• Advance strategic growth areas, including Wakefield, W. Gannon Avenue, Downtown, Nomaco Stadium, and Triangle East Business Park.
• Support investment readiness by coordinating with Town departments and partners on infrastructure, land use, redevelopment, transportation, workforce, tourism, and capital planning efforts that affect economic development.
• Build and maintain a project and prospect pipeline that helps the Town track activity, communicate progress, and make informed decisions.

Why Zebulon
Zebulon is a community at a defining moment. Growth is already happening. The opportunity now is to shape that growth in a way that strengthens the Town's economy, supports residents and businesses, improves quality of life, and preserves the character that makes Zebulon unique.
For the right candidate, this position offers more than a job. It offers the opportunity to make a visible and lasting impact.
Detailed Work Activities

• Develop and manage annual economic development priorities and a practical work plan aligned with Board goals, adopted plans, available resources, staff capacity, and market opportunities.
• Lead implementation of the Town's economic development strategy with emphasis on clear priorities, measurable outcomes, and coordinated execution.
• Maintain relationships with major employers, existing businesses, developers, property owners, brokers, entrepreneurs, and economic development partners.
• Develop a structured business retention and expansion approach appropriate for a small department, including employer outreach, issue tracking, follow-up, and partner referrals.
• Support business recruitment, redevelopment, investment activity, employer support, site readiness, and infrastructure-related economic development needs.
• Serve as a supportive partner on Town plans, projects, and initiatives that affect economic development.
• Supervise and provide strategic direction to the position responsible for Main Street, downtown development, and small business development.
• Use data, project tracking, and partner coordination to support decision-making, communicate results, and improve accountability.

Qualifications
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a strategic but hands-on professional who enjoys building something meaningful. The Town is looking for someone who can balance vision with execution, communicate clearly, build trust, and lead with persistence.
The successful candidate will be comfortable with complexity, patient with the time it takes to see results, and motivated by steady progress. They should be able to work in a small-department environment, leverage partners effectively, and stay focused on the highest-impact opportunities.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in economic development, public administration, urban planning, business administration, real estate development, public policy, or a closely related field.
• Considerable professional experience in municipal economic development, business recruitment and retention, redevelopment, commercial real estate development, downtown revitalization, or strategic community development.
• Experience working in or with local government is strongly preferred, including coordination with elected officials, appointed boards, Town departments, developers, business owners, property owners, and regional or state economic development partners.
• Experience developing or implementing economic development work plans, project pipelines, business engagement strategies, redevelopment initiatives, or performance reporting systems is preferred.
• Experience supervising staff, managing consultants, or leading cross-departmental project teams is preferred. An equivalent combination of education and directly related experience may be considered.

Special Requirements

• Valid North Carolina driver's license, or ability to obtain one within the timeframe established by the Town.
• Certification through the North Carolina Economic Development Association, International Economic Development Council, or another relevant professional organization is preferred. If not certified at hire, certification is desired within three years of appointment.
• Attendance at occasional evening meetings, public meetings, business events, partner meetings, and community events is required.

The Town of Zebulon is dedicated to providing unique benefits that meet the needs of our employees and their families. We offer the following benefits to all full-time permanent employees:
Please note that the following is only a summary of Town employee benefits and policies. For further details and additional information, please refer to the Town of Zebulon Personnel Administration Policy handbook or see Human Resources. This document does not constitute a guarantee of benefits.

1. Annual Leave:Vacation accrues as follows:

Vacation is accrued on the 2nd Payroll of each month. Employees hired on or before the 15th of the month accrue annual leave during that month. Employees hired after the 15th do not accrue annual leave for the month in which they are hired. Employees are not permitted to use their vacation time during their probationary period except when approved by the Town Manager. Employees are permitted to accumulate vacation time with no maximum throughout the year. However, all accumulated vacation time over 240 hours at the end of the calendar year will be transferred to your sick leave.

1. Sick Leave: All employees earn eight hours of sick leave each month. There is no maximum accumulation of sick leave. Any employee hired on or before the 15th of the month accrues sick leave during that month. Employees hired after the 15th do not accrue sick leave for the month in which they are hired.

1. Petty Leave: Each employee earns 14 hours of petty leave per year (1.17 hours per month). Petty leave may be taken by employees with the approval of their supervisor. Any amount after two hours will not be approved as petty leave. Petty leave lapses at the calendar year end.

1. Holidays: The Town follows the basic holidays that the State of NC follows, except we add the employees birthday as a holiday. Each employee receives 13 holidays per year: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Birthday, Good Friday, Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving (2 days), Christmas (3 days), and Employee's Birthday.

1. Maternity/Paternity Leave: Maternity/Paternity leave is composed of approved paid and unpaid time away from work for pregnancy or placing of a child related reasons. A combination of compensatory time, sick, vacation, and leave without pay may be used during this time if the necessary requirements are met.

1. Bereavement Leave: Bereavement leave may be used to attend the funeral for a death in the employee's immediate family, but may not exceed three days for any one occurrence.

1. Civil Leave: An employee called for jury duty or as a court witness for the federal or state governments or subdivision thereof shall receive leave with pay for such duty during the required absence without charge to accumulated vacation or sick leave. Any court fees paid to the employee are allowed to be retained by the employee. While on civil leave, benefits and leave shall accrue as though on regular duty. Employees required to be in court for their own case, defendant or plaintiff, must use compensatory, petty or vacation leave.

1. Military Leave: Any employee who is a member of an Armed Forces Reserve Organization or the National Guard will be granted ten workdays per year for military training. This leave is not charged to annual leave; however, any salary payment that the employee receives from the military shall be deducted from the employee's regular salary paid by the Town.

1. FMLA Leave: Any employee eligible under the Family and Medical Leave Act is eligible for 12-weeks of leave. FMLA leave will run concurrently with all workers compensation leave, short term disability, maternity and any other leave that qualifies. The employee is required to notify their supervisor and Human Resources of the need to be out on leave and must also provide Human Resources with the necessary documentation.

1. Social Security Deductions: Employees are covered under FICA (Federal Medicare and Social Security program). The FICA deduction is taken each pay period. The Town of Zebulon matches and contributes this amount to the Social Security Administration.

1. Workers' Compensations Salary Supplement: All full-time employees are covered by worker' compensation. Employees with a job-related injury are paid 66 percent of their salary from the Town via an independent workers' compensation insurance carrier. The employee may elect to use accumulated compensatory time, vacation or sick leave to augment workers' compensation pay.

1. Credit Union: Employees may join the North Carolina Local Government Employees' Federal Credit Union. For information contact the Credit Union at 919/269-5477 or refer to the NCLGFCU packet.

1. Health Insurance: The Town provides health insurance coverage for all full-time employees. Insurance coverage becomes effective 30 days after hire date. Spouse, dependent, or family coverage is also available. Employees are responsible for paying additional premiums for any dependent coverage. See your health care package for further details.

1. Dental Insurance: Dental insurance is provided for Town employees at no cost to the employee. Insurance coverage becomes effective 30 days after hire date. Spouse, dependent, and family coverage is also available. Employees are responsible for paying additional premiums for any dependent coverage. See your dental care package for further details.
2. Vision Insurance: Vision insurance is provided for Town employees at no cost to the employee. Insurance coverage becomes effective 30 days after hire date. Employee has the opportunity to purchase vision insurance for their family members.

Note: As part of the Town's cafeteria plan you may choose to not be carried under the Town health insurance plan, provided you can show proof of some other type of group health coverage. You also may opt out of the dental insurance plan. If you choose not to be carried under the plan, you may receive a portion of the premiums that would be paid if you selected to be covered under the Town's plan. Any opt out pay is determined by the Board of Commissioners