Mohawk Valley Times

The City of Amsterdam is now hiring a Community & Economic Development Director

 Located in the scenic Mohawk Valley of Upstate New York, just 25 miles west of the State Capital of Albany. We are centrally located with direct access off the New York State Thruway. Amsterdam is the largest and only City in Montgomery County with a population of 18,000. The Mohawk River runs through the middle of the city, allowing residents to have access from both the north and south. 

 Amsterdam is the MVREDC’s Round 3 Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) awardee; a $10M plan that focuses on administering 14 projects. The City recently had two separate Brownfield Opportunity Areas (BOAs) designated by the State in 2022 and is in the process of working with a selected firm on completing the fourth in the West End of the City. The City is also beginning to update their Comprehensive Plan, the last plan originally designated in 2003. Amsterdam became part of the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) network in 2022. With a focus updating downtown infrastructure the CED department has issued RFPs for both a Complete Streets overhaul and the design of a new Multimodal Facility in the heart of downtown. 

The ideal candidate will have a strong planning background, a proven track record in administering economic development initiatives, and will oversee the areas of economic development and planning, while maintaining a close and collaborative relationship with building, and code enforcement.  The Mayor and City Council seeks a forward-thinking visionary to join an organization to take a leadership role during an exciting evolution towards becoming a more innovative, collaborative, and responsive department committed to efficiency and quality customer service. This Director will lead the department and have supervisory capacity over the Community Development and Grants Assistant position, while streamlining and modernizing internal functions for greater efficiency.

The next Director will recognize the importance of honoring the City’s historic legacy and pave a new path by modernizing and adapting for the City’s future development and economic needs. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic, team-oriented, out-of-the-box leader who will work collaboratively with internal and external partners to realize the next chapter of housing, jobs, retail and economic growth in Amsterdam. Candidates who are motivated by the opportunity to make transformational change are highly desirable.

TYPICAL WORK ACTIVITIES

• Manage the city's community and economic dev projects, while securing financing to move the projects to fruition, this includes bidding and procurements, negotiating, and administering the entirety of the project
• Development all major projects which includes responding to client requests for proposals and negotiation of incentives
• Be a project manager to consultants that are conducting projects and plans for the city; in charge of staying to budget and timeline
• Supervise the Community Development and Grants Assistant position
• Represent the city and present at conferences and agency meetings
• Develop and maintain relationships with businesses, industries, regulatory agencies, and public officials about the advantages of continuing economic growth
• Understanding of planning and zoning code to be a liaison to the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals
• Work in conjunction with Codes to ensure proposed projects go through the proper process and procedure
• Have an understanding and partnership with State, Federal, local organizations and the Regional Council
• Grant writing and grant administration knowledge with State, Federal, and other funding agencies
• Answer inquiries from residents and business owners on available funding and projects
• Knowledge of GIS mapping and programming

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Either:

A Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with a bachelor’s degree in public or business administration, planning, economics, political science or related field and two years administrative experience in community or economic development or planning; or

B Graduation from a regionally accredited or New York State registered college or university with an associate degree in public or business administration, economic, planning, or related field and four years’ experience as listed in A above; or

C Graduation from High School or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and six years of experience as listed in A above; or

D An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of A B and C above.

COMPENSATON PACKAGE:

Salary: $66,870.00 - $76,932.00 per year

Benefits:

• NYS Retirement plan
• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible schedule
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance

Interested applicants should send cover letter, references and resume to Kim Brumley, Director of Employee Relations no later than Friday, March 24, 2023. Email: kbrumley@amsterdamny.gov

Original source can be found here.