Economic Development Research Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Company Overview

K.L. Scott & Associates (KLSA) is a mission-driven management and technology consulting firm that partners with public-sector organizations to modernize operations, strengthen data and AI capabilities, and deliver measurable impact. KLSA combines strategic advisory services with hands-on delivery; bringing product leadership, secure data engineering, systems integration, and user-centered design to help clients translate complex requirements into scalable, high-quality solutions.

Economic Development Consultant

KLSA is seeking an Economic Development Consultant to support government clients and public-sector partners on economic development strategy, land use policy, infrastructure investment, housing, and program evaluation engagements. This role will help assess how local, regional, state, and federal policies, plans, and public investments influence economic outcomes, development readiness, fiscal resilience, housing affordability, and community revitalization.

The ideal candidate combines rigorous policy analysis, strong writing, practical understanding of public-sector decision-making, and the ability to translate complex planning, zoning, economic, and real estate information into clear findings and actionable recommendations. The consultant will support projects ranging from transit-oriented and infrastructure-adjacent development assessments to broader economic development strategy, grant readiness, performance evaluation, and technical assistance for public agencies.

• Review and synthesize economic development strategies, comprehensive plans, land use plans, zoning codes, form-based codes, housing strategies, capital improvement plans, redevelopment plans, grant applications, maps, project descriptions, and supporting documentation.
• Assess whether local plans, policies, incentives, and implementation tools are aligned with desired economic development outcomes, including job growth, investment attraction, development capacity, housing production and retention, equitable growth, infrastructure readiness, and neighborhood revitalization.
• Evaluate project readiness and policy strength for public investments such as transit, transportation, broadband, utilities, housing, mixed-use development, downtown revitalization, industrial districts, innovation corridors, brownfield redevelopment, and other place-based economic initiatives.
• Identify missing, inconsistent, unclear, or unsupported information in client or sponsor materials; prepare concise clarification requests and recommended follow-up questions.
• Prepare written assessments, technical memoranda, summary profiles, executive briefings, slide content, and decision-ready recommendations for government audiences and stakeholders.
• Develop defensible evaluation frameworks, scoring rubrics, performance indicators, and qualitative/quantitative rating approaches for economic development programs and project portfolios.
• Conduct best-practice research on land use policy, affordable housing tools, development incentives, value capture, tax increment financing, public-private partnerships, workforce development, industry clusters, small business support, rural development, and inclusive economic growth.
• Analyze demographic, employment, land use, housing, fiscal, real estate, infrastructure, and program performance data; translate results into clear tables, charts, maps, and narrative insights.
• Support the development or update of policy guidance, procedural manuals, templates, workbooks, training materials, and webinars for government staff, applicants, grantees, and project sponsors.
• Collaborate with project managers, analysts, planners, economists, data specialists, legal/compliance teams, and client stakeholders to deliver high-quality work on time and within scope.
• Maintain confidentiality, comply with applicable conflict-of-interest requirements, and exercise sound judgment when handling sensitive, procurement-related, proprietary, or pre-decisional information.
• Manage multiple concurrent assignments, shifting deadlines, review cycles, and stakeholder comments while maintaining accuracy, traceability, and strong quality control.

• Economic development effects assessments for major public infrastructure investments and station-area, corridor, or district-scale development initiatives.
• Local and regional economic development strategies, including target industry analysis, workforce alignment, small business ecosystem reviews, and implementation roadmaps.
• Land use, zoning, and development policy reviews to determine whether adopted plans and regulations support growth, density, mixed-use activity, housing supply, and investment readiness.
• Affordable housing, anti-displacement, and equitable development analyses tied to public investment, grant programs, and neighborhood change.
• Grant readiness and application-support analyses for local, state, and federal economic development, transportation, infrastructure, housing, and community development programs.
• Program evaluation, performance measurement, and reporting support for government-funded economic development initiatives.
• Policy guidance, training, and technical assistance for public agencies, grantees, applicants, and community-serving organizations.
• Data-driven research briefs on emerging economic development trends, including incentive design, value capture, public finance tools, housing-production mechanisms, and public-private implementation models.

• Economic development, land use, housing, and policy assessments
• Plan and policy gap analyses with actionable recommendations
• Technical memoranda, research reports, and executive summaries
• Project profiles, scorecards, rating narratives, and decision-support materials
• Data workbooks, summary statistics, charts, maps, and presentation exhibits
• Guidance documents, templates, standard operating procedures, and training materials
• Stakeholder-ready briefing decks and talking points
• Quality-controlled written products that are concise, clear, and defensible

Required Qualifications: 

• Bachelor's degree in economics, urban or regional planning, public policy, public administration, real estate, geography, finance, business, political science, transportation, civil engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of relevant experience in economic development, public-sector consulting, urban planning, infrastructure advisory, housing policy, government program evaluation, grant strategy, real estate development, public finance, or related work. Candidates with 7+ years may be considered at the Senior Consultant level.
• Working knowledge of land use planning, zoning, development regulations, transit-oriented development, infrastructure-led development, affordable housing tools, public incentives, and local government implementation mechanisms.
• Demonstrated ability to review large volumes of technical material and synthesize findings into clear, concise, well-organized written products.
• Strong analytical skills, including comfort working with demographic, employment, parcel, land use, housing, real estate, fiscal, and program performance data.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint or comparable Google Workspace tools; ability to create client-ready documents, tables, charts, and briefings.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain technical findings to senior leaders, agency staff, elected officials, applicants, and non-technical audiences.
• Strong project management habits, including deadline discipline, version control, documentation of assumptions, issue tracking, and responsiveness to review comments.
• Ability to work independently in a remote or hybrid environment while coordinating effectively with multidisciplinary teams.
• Eligibility to work in the United States and willingness to comply with applicable confidentiality, ethics, and conflict-of-interest requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in a relevant field such as planning, economics, public policy, public administration, real estate development, finance, geography, or transportation.
• Experience supporting local, regional, state, or federal government clients, public authorities, metropolitan planning organizations, economic development organizations, or community development entities.
• Experience preparing or reviewing grant applications, technical submittals, program guidance, compliance documentation, or performance reports for government-funded programs.
• Familiarity with federal, state, and local funding programs related to economic development, infrastructure, transportation, housing, broadband, disaster recovery, climate resilience, community development, or workforce development.
• Experience with GIS or mapping tools such as ArcGIS, ArcGIS Online, QGIS, Esri Business Analyst, Google Earth, or similar platforms.
• Experience using public datasets such as Census/ACS, LEHD, BLS, BEA, HUD, EPA, Treasury, state labor market information, local assessor data, permitting data, or real estate market sources.
• Knowledge of public finance and implementation tools such as tax increment financing, special assessment districts, value capture, tax credits, PILOTs, grants, revolving loan funds, land banks, community benefits agreements, and public-private partnerships.
• Professional certifications or credentials such as AICP, CEcD, EDFP, PMP, GISP, or related credentials.
• Comfort facilitating virtual or in-person workshops, trainings, interviews, and working sessions with agency staff and stakeholders.
• Experience with quality assurance for public-facing or oversight-sensitive deliverables.

Working Conditions:

• This role is designed for a consultant who can operate effectively in a remote or hybrid setting, manage defined assignments with limited oversight, and collaborate across time zones. Most work is expected to be performed from the consultant's primary work location; occasional meetings, workshops, or site visits may be required depending on client needs.
• Because the work may involve government programs, procurement-sensitive material, applicant submissions, proprietary documents, or pre-decisional policy discussions, the selected candidate may be required to complete confidentiality agreements, conflict-of-interest disclosures, and project-specific compliance training.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401K
• "Discretionary" PTO
• Professional development opportunities
• A dynamic and collaborative work environment

If you are a results-driven professional and have the above qualifications, we encourage you to apply for this role. Join our team and contribute to our continued growth and success.  To apply, please send your resume and a cover letter detailing your relevant experience and why you are the ideal candidate for this role.

K.L. Scott & Associates is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes candidates from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted.