Research Coordinator in Fort Wayne, Indiana at NORTHEAST INDIANA FOUNDATION INC

Position Description | Research Coordinator

Reports to: Senior Research & Data Analyst

Status: Non-Exempt

Overview

The Research Coordinator (Coordinator) plays an active role in managing and fulfilling research requests submitted to the Research and Analytics team in line with NEI’s mission to drive business investment and strengthen the region’s global competitiveness and economic resiliency. Additionally, the Coordinator will assist with strategy, data gathering/management, and analytics in support of NEI lead generation and business attraction objectives as well as Regional Initiatives. The Coordinator may be assigned to manage interns who assist with these duties, assigning projects to them as needed and reviewing their work.

Key Responsibilities

Research Pipeline Management

• Manage multiple research projects simultaneously without missing delivery deadlines.
• Interface with community members to facilitate collection and assembly of relevant information with clients.
• Provide research support and advice to other internal teams to co-develop marketing materials, strategic documents and other analyses consistent with the organization’s economic development objectives.
• Develop financial and economic impact modeling and conduct other socio-economics analysis.
• Create data visualizations and maps.
• Write concise and effective briefs, reports, white papers and presentations.
• Maintain detailed project documentation of sources and rationale per established processes.

Business Attraction Strategy Support

• Reseach and compile information to make a compelling business case for prospective clients interested in the region and in support of industry cluster development strategies.
• Oversee weekly automated email campaigns, including data generation, data cleaning, upload to CRM and notification of internal stakeholders.
• Support Business Development team at trade shows and conferences, either through conference portal outreach or one-off email campaigns.
• Maintain metrics for recurring campaigns and perform analyses of outreach efforts as needed.
• Interface with different NEI departments to execute goals described above and communicate results to relevant teams.

Regional Initiatives Support

• Process funding requests submitted to the Regional Development Authority (RDA) and Strategic Development Commission (SDC).
• Track and report on state-funded project progress and outcomes to the Senior Director of Regional Initiatives. Work with the Regional Initiatives Team to prepare communications for the RDA and SDC boards and stakeholders.
• Assist the Senior Director of Regional Initiatives in coordinating communications regarding project funding requests/updates for board meetings. Produce reports and queries to evaluate and report on overall funding progress and outcomes.
• Work with the Director of Regional Initiatives to input projects into the grant management system, ensuring the efficient and effective submission of projects to the state.
• Provide support for financial analysis and assist in auditing financial disbursement requests for grant recipients.

Qualifications

• BA/BS degree or higher in economics, business, public policy, urban and regional planning, or related fields is required
• Familiarity with Excel, GIS and other data visualization tools preferred
• Familiarity with common economic demographic and other data sources
• One year of relevant professional experience
• Strong organization, analysis, and visualization skills
• Work within a team of both full-time staff and interns to complete projects and assure accuracy in reporting
• Proficient with quantitative and qualitative research design and techniques
• Highly motivated self-starter who works well independently and with teams in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
• Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written) with customers; asks questions to best meet needs
• Strong tendency to document workflow and any applicable metadata
• Sense of urgency to meet or exceed goals
• Professional demeanor at all times

Behavioral Competency Accountabilities

• Achievement: Sets and meets challenging goals and seeks long-term improvement
• Leadership: Is a role model for effective leadership
• Customer Service: Senses and addresses underlying needs of customers
• Agility: Adapts tactics/approaches to situation
• Effective Communication: Confident and articulate, even in unfamiliar surroundings
• Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving: Identifies best possible solutions to problems/obstacles
• Entrepreneurship: Explores new ways to solve problems
• Professional Confidence: Acts independently, provides an opinion from one’s own area of expertise
• Planning & Organization: Plans workload for oneself; project manages the day-to-day workload of the team; assesses and reassess priorities as required and resolves competing priorities