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Vice President Economic Development Jobs in Florida

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Vice President Transportation

Orlando, FL · On-site

$180 - $320/hr

This executive leader will drive transportation excellence through the development and execution of ... Partner with the Commercial organization to ensure customer pricing aligns with network economics ...

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VP of PROCUREMENT

Largo, FL · On-site

$180 - $300/hr

The Vice President partners closely with Finance, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, R&D, ... Optimize payment terms, lead times, minimum and economic order quantities, safety-stock levels ...

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Vice President Economic Development information

What does a vice president of economic development do?

A Vice President of Economic Development leads initiatives to promote economic growth within a specific region, organization, or sector. They develop and implement strategies to attract new businesses, support existing ones, and foster job creation. Their role often involves working closely with government agencies, community leaders, and business stakeholders to drive investment and improve the local economy. Additionally, they may oversee workforce development programs and advocate for policies that encourage sustainable economic expansion.

What are some common challenges faced by a vice president of economic development, and how can they be addressed?

One common challenge for a Vice President of Economic Development is balancing the needs of diverse stakeholders, such as local businesses, government agencies, and community organizations. Navigating shifting economic priorities and securing funding for new initiatives can also be demanding. Building strong partnerships and maintaining open communication channels are essential strategies for overcoming these challenges. Additionally, staying informed about economic trends and leveraging data-driven decision-making can help ensure successful outcomes for both the organization and the community.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a vice president of economic development, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Vice President of Economic Development, you need expertise in economic analysis, strategic planning, and business development, often supported by a degree in economics, business, or public administration. Familiarity with data analysis tools, economic impact modeling software, and CRM systems is typically required. Exceptional leadership, relationship-building, and negotiation skills help drive collaboration among stakeholders and attract investment. These skills are crucial for fostering economic growth, securing funding, and implementing initiatives that benefit communities and organizations.

What is the difference between Vice President Economic Development vs Economic Development Manager?

AspectVice President Economic DevelopmentEconomic Development Manager
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree; often master's; extensive experience in economic developmentBachelor's degree; relevant experience in economic development or related field
Work EnvironmentExecutive-level, strategic planning, high-level stakeholder engagementOperational, project management, community outreach
Employer & Industry UsageUsed by government agencies, large economic development organizationsUsed by municipal governments, regional agencies, private firms

The Vice President Economic Development typically holds a senior leadership role focused on strategic planning and high-level stakeholder relations, requiring extensive experience and advanced credentials. In contrast, the Economic Development Manager handles day-to-day project implementation and community outreach. Both roles are vital in economic growth initiatives but differ in scope, responsibilities, and seniority.

What are the most commonly searched types of Economic Development jobs in Florida?

The most popular types of Economic Development jobs in Florida are:

What are popular job titles related to Vice President Economic Development jobs in Florida?

For Vice President Economic Development jobs in Florida, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Vice President Economic Development jobs in Florida look for?

The top searched job categories for Vice President Economic Development jobs in Florida are:

What cities in Florida are hiring for Vice President Economic Development jobs?

Cities in Florida with the most Vice President Economic Development job openings:

Vice President Economic Development jobs near you
Infographic showing various Vice President Economic Development job openings in Florida as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 85% Full Time, 12% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution.

Executive Vice President for Workforce Development & Strategic Initiatives

Polk State College

Winter Haven, FL • On-site

$122K - $164K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Posted 12 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Provide executive leadership for the institution's workforce development strategy and position the institution as a partner for employers, industry partners, workforce organizations, and regional economic-development partners.

  • Oversee workforce development departments and programs to ensure efficient operation, strategic advancement, and success of students, clients, and budgets.

  • Lead major strategic initiatives, coordinate cross-functional efforts, and monitor progress to ensure measurable institutional, workforce, economic, or community outcomes.

Polk State College rating

7.2

Company rating: 7.2 out of 10

Based on 7 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

390th of 629 rated colleges and universities

Job description

Salary: $122,469.88 - $164,951.96 Annually
Location : Lakeland
Job Type: Full-Time
Job Number: 202600196
Org: President
Opening Date: 08/24/2026
Please label all uploaded documents with your full name (for example: Jane_Doe_Resume). This helps ensure your materials are properly matched to your application.
If you are a currently active Polk State College employee, please create an account using your polk.edu staff email address. Our HR system will not recognize you as an active employee.
Description
The Executive Vice President for Workforce Development & Strategic Initiatives serves as a senior member of the President's executive leadership team and provides institution-wide leadership for workforce development, strategic partnerships, economic and community development, and high-priority institutional initiatives.
Reporting directly to the President, the Executive Vice President (EVP) translates institutional strategy into measurable initiatives, partnerships, and outcomes that strengthen the institution's position as a workforce and economic-development leader.
The EVP is a member of the executive leadership team and serves as a strategic advisor to the President on emerging workforce development needs, employer and industry priorities, regional economic trends, strategic opportunities, and initiatives that advance institutional growth and impact.
This position has significant responsibility for developing external partnerships, identifying new opportunities, mobilizing resources, leading complex cross-functional initiatives, and ensuring measurable results.
Essential Functions/Duties
Workforce Development Strategy:
Provide executive leadership for the institution's workforce development strategy and position the institution as a premier partner for employers, industry partners, workforce organizations, and regional economic-development partners.
  • Develop and implement an institution-wide workforce development strategy aligned with regional and state workforce needs.
  • Identify emerging occupations, skills gaps and employer needs and evaluate opportunities for expansion into emerging industries and workforce markets.
  • Lead strategies for workforce solutions to increase employer engagement and demonstrate measurable value to workforce partners.
Program Oversight:
Provide oversight of workforce development departments and programs to ensure efficient operation for exceptional customer service, strategic advancement, and student, client, and budgetary success.
  • Oversee the College's Advanced Technology Center (Clear Springs/Bartow) including the Corporate College and other programs and personnel at the center.
  • Oversee the JD Alexander Center (Lake Wales) and its personnel.
  • Provide leadership and supervision for the College's Learning Technology and Online Education department.
  • Provide administrative oversight for the Kenneth C. Thompson Institute for Public Safety (KCTIPS) and the National Public Safety Innovation Academy (NIA).
  • Oversee the College's apprenticeship, internship, and experiential learning programs and personnel.
Strategic Initiatives :
Lead major strategic initiatives that require coordination across multiple organizational units and community partners.
  • Implement strategic initiatives on behalf of the President, including special events and programming focused on civic engagement and civil discourse, as well as the expansion of systems and processes to track, coordinate, and facilitate student community-service engagement.
  • Translate institutional priorities into clearly defined initiatives, implementation plans, milestones, and outcomes.
  • Serve as executive sponsor for major cross-functional initiatives within the EVP's portfolio coordinating with appropriate internal and external stakeholders to move initiatives from concept to implementation.
  • Identify barriers, dependencies, resource requirements, opportunities, and develop and implement solutions to advance with strategic initiatives.
  • Monitor progress of programs and initiatives to ensure that strategic initiatives produce measurable institutional, workforce, economic, or community outcomes, and provide regular reports to the President and executive leadership.
Strategic Partnerships and Economic Development:
Develop high-value partnerships that advance the institution's strategic priorities to position the institution as a significant contributor to regional economic growth and community vitality.
  • Cultivate and maintain strategic relationships with major employers, industry associations and leaders, workforce development boards, economic development organizations, non-profit organizations, and community partners and identify opportunities for strategic alliances, joint ventures, sponsored programs, and other collaborations.
  • Develop partnership strategies that generate opportunities for students, employers, communities, and the institution.
  • Align institutional workforce development programming with regional economic development priorities by identifying opportunities to support business attraction, business expansion, entrepreneurship, innovation, and talent development.
  • Lead or support major regional initiatives in which the institution can serve as a workforce/economic development partner.
  • Communicate the institution's economic and workforce impact to internal and external stakeholders.
Innovation and New Opportunities:
Identify and evaluate opportunities that advance the institution's mission, reach, relevance, and financial sustainability.
  • Monitor emerging markets, occupations, industries, technologies, and workforce needs.
  • Identify opportunities for new programs, services, partnerships, and delivery models, and partner with appropriate internal stakeholders for academic or operational implementation.
  • Develop business cases and recommendations for new strategic opportunities.
  • Encourage entrepreneurial and innovative approaches to institutional challenges.
Grants, Contracts, and External Resources:
Lead strategic efforts to secure resources that advance workforce development and institutional priorities.
  • Work collaboratively with the Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Accreditation and Research to identify available grant funding opportunities and develop strategies to support the workforce development initiatives and programs.
  • Collaborate with the grants team for the tracking, coordinating and management of the Perkins Grant and Workforce Pell initiatives.
  • Identify appropriate personnel to serve as subject matter experts for workforce development and strategic initiatives that are pursued through grants, contracts, or external funding.
  • Provide strategic direction regarding workforce needs, employer partnerships, program outcomes, and external opportunities to inform grant and contract development.
  • Oversee contractual partnerships including articulation agreement and memorandums of understanding with postsecondary partners and develop relationships with potential resource partners.
  • Monitor the strategic outcomes and institutional impact of funded initiatives and collaborate with the appropriate institutional offices to ensure alignment with institutional priorities and effective, sustainable implementation.
Data, Market Intelligence, and Institutional Impact:
Establish a strong evidence base for workforce development and strategic decision-making.
  • Analyze labor-market information, employer feedback, economic data, enrollment trends, and other intelligence to identify opportunities and risks.
  • Establish and implement appropriate performance measures for workforce development and strategic initiatives.
  • Supervise the development of executive-level dashboards and reports that communicate progress and impact.
  • Evaluate and present the effectiveness and return on investment of major initiatives.
  • Recommend adjustments, expansion, or discontinuation of initiatives informed by data.
Executive Leadership and Presidential Advising:
  • Serve as a strategic advisor and executive partner to the President.
  • Advise the President on workforce development, economic, partnership, innovation, and strategic opportunities.
  • Participate actively in institutional decision-making and bring forward emerging issues and opportunities requiring executive attention.
  • Provide leadership on complex issues that cross organizational boundaries.
  • Represent the President and institution, as appropriate.

Typical Qualifications
Required Skills:
  • Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional initiatives.
  • Experience working with business, industry, government, nonprofit, and community organizations.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategies that produce measurable outcomes.
  • Strong financial, analytical, communication, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
  • Evidence of using appropriate software and technology to analyze data, communicate virtually, make decisions, and implement programs and initiatives.
  • Fostering collaborative, consultative, and meaningful internal and external partnerships through various and adaptable leadership styles.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate effectively, in both written and oral forms.
Working Conditions/Additional Information:
  • This position is a full-time on-campus position located at our Lakeland campus but will travel between College and community locations as necessary. (Remote/hybrid options are not available.)
  • Weekend and evening work may be required.
  • Position may be required to work during College closures (such as winter/spring break, holidays, and inclement weather closures).
  • Reliable transportation is required for travel to campuses, centers, and community locations. Possession of a valid Florida's Driver's License is required (or must be eligible to obtain a Florida's license within 30 days).
  • Standard office work environment with potential for long periods of sitting and extended time at a computer.
  • This position will require the ability to lift at least 10 lbs.
Salary and Benefits Information:
  • This position is level P23.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage; short-term disability; paid holidays and sick leave; vacation (excluding faculty positions); retirement benefits for eligible employees; and college fee waivers.
Required Education:
  • Master's degree from an accredited institution.
Required Experience:
  • Substantial executive leadership experience in workforce development, higher education, economic development, business/industry partnerships, organizational strategy, or a closely related field.
Preferred Experience:
  • Doctoral degree or equivalent.
  • Senior leadership experience in a higher education or workforce development environment.
  • Experience leading regional or statewide workforce development initiatives.
  • Experience with employer-sponsored training, apprenticeships, credentials, or customized workforce solutions.
  • Experience securing and managing major grants, contracts, or public-private partnerships.
  • Partnership with economic development, talent development, entrepreneurship, or innovation initiatives.
  • Demonstrated experience working with boards, presidents/CEOs, senior executives, and other high-level stakeholders.

Supplemental Information
Submissions that do not include all parts of the following required information will not be considered:
  • a resume
  • cover letter
  • an electronic job application (all sections MUST be completed)
Important Information
  • If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be canceled, suspended, or deemed ineligible depending upon the date of your retirement.
  • Polk State College participates in E-Verify. Candidates must provide documentation of eligibility to work in the United States. Polk State College does not provide visa sponsorship.
  • To request Veteran's Preference, please be sure to upload all necessary documents (DD-214, etc.) to your application.
  • Polk State College is a drug-free workplace.
  • Polk State College is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to applicants and employees with disabilities. Reasonable accommodation is considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Employment visa sponsorship is unavailable for this position. Applicants requiring employment visa sponsorship now or in the future (e.g., F-1 STEM OPT, H-1B, TN, J1 etc.) will not be considered.
  • Reference checks, successful completion of a background check, and third-party Education Verification for all stated degrees will be required prior to employment.
  • Polk State College does NOT provide relocation assistance for this position.

Equal Opportunity Statement
Polk State College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs, activities, or employment. For information about the College's equal access and equal opportunity policies and procedures, or to file a complaint, please contact:
Title IX Coordinator
3425 Winter Lake Road
Lakeland, FL 33803
863.669.2903
For additional information, visit
We encourage applicants to provide feedback of their experience or request help at Careers@polk.edu
We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, and vision

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