Downtown & Urban Development Manager

Hiring range: $77,122 - $98,331/year (D.O.Q.)

About the Role

The City of Fayetteville is recruiting for a Downtown & Urban Development Manager to serve as the City's chief steward of Downtown Fayetteville, providing visionary leadership to advance the downtown as the community's economic, cultural, civic, entertainment, and tourism center. This position fosters economic vitality, encourages redevelopment and private investment, enhances placemaking, strengthens public-private partnerships, preserves historic assets, and ensures exceptional stewardship of the downtown experience and public realm.

As the City's lead professional for downtown revitalization, the Downtown & Urban Development Manager plans, directs, implements, coordinates, and evaluates comprehensive strategies and initiatives that promote business recruitment and retention, redevelopment, destination development, place management, historic preservation, placemaking, and quality-of-life improvements. The role leads day-to-day downtown management by proactively identifying, prioritizing, and coordinating the resolution of issues affecting the public realm, including cleanliness, litter, graffiti, landscaping, sidewalks, streetscapes, lighting, parking, accessibility, signage, wayfinding, code compliance, beautification, and other quality-of-life concerns.

Working collaboratively across multiple City departments—including Public Services, Engineering, Traffic Services, Police, Fire, Community Safety, Transit, Parking, Parks and Recreation, Code Enforcement, and others—as well as with elected officials, partner organizations, businesses, property owners, developers, and community stakeholders, the position ensures Downtown Fayetteville remains clean, safe, welcoming, economically competitive, and attractive for residents, visitors, businesses, and investors.

The Downtown & Urban Development Manager serves as the City's principal advisor on downtown revitalization strategies, redevelopment opportunities, economic development initiatives, placemaking, urban design, and downtown policy. The role exercises considerable independent judgment, initiative, and professional discretion while developing innovative solutions, building consensus among diverse stakeholders, facilitating public-private partnerships, and coordinating complex, cross-departmental initiatives that advance the City's strategic priorities.

Success in this position is measured through demonstrable improvements in private investment, redevelopment activity, business recruitment and retention, commercial occupancy, downtown housing, public realm quality, cleanliness, safety, visitor experience, activation of public spaces, stakeholder satisfaction, and the overall vitality, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability of Downtown Fayetteville.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate activity of downtown by facilitating engagement and activity between the City and downtown entities, ensuring well-established communication between stakeholders.
• Serve as the City's primary coordinator for downtown revitalization, redevelopment, placemaking, and economic competitiveness.
• Develop and implement long-range strategic initiatives that increase downtown investment, business activity, residential development, tourism, and economic vitality.
• Recruit, retain, and assist restaurants, retailers, office users, entertainment venues, hospitality businesses, and other commercial enterprises.
• Manage all administrative aspects of the downtown program, including purchasing, record-keeping, budget development and accounting, preparing reports for approved grants, and assisting with reports to funding agencies, as well as supervising part-time employees or consultants.
• Identify redevelopment opportunities and work proactively with developers, investors, brokers, property owners, and City departments to facilitate public and private investment.
• Coordinate implementation of downtown capital improvement projects, including streetscapes, public spaces, lighting, gateways, public art, pedestrian amenities, parking improvements, and beautification projects.
• Develop and/or support strategies for downtown economic development while maintaining historic preservation.
• Become familiar with all persons and groups directly or indirectly involved in the downtown commercial district, mindful of the roles of various downtown interest groups.
• Develop and maintain productive working relationships with downtown property owners, business owners, developers, neighborhood organizations, educational institutions, Fort Bragg, regional partners, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
• Coordinate closely with Cool Spring Downtown District, Downtown Alliance, Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Arts Council, Fayetteville Public Works Commission, Cumberland County, NCDOT, and other strategic partners.
• Coordinate with Police, Fire, the Office of Community Safety, homeless outreach providers, behavioral health organizations, and community partners to improve both actual and perceived public safety while supporting coordinated, compassionate responses to quality-of-life issues affecting downtown.
• Represent the City before elected officials, advisory boards, business organizations, neighborhood groups, developers, investors, state agencies, media representatives, and the public.
• Develop and implement marketing, branding, and destination development initiatives that strengthen Downtown Fayetteville's identity and regional competitiveness.
• Pursue, prepare, administer, and manage local, state, federal, and private grant opportunities that advance downtown revitalization objectives.
• Develop and maintain data systems to track the process and progress of the downtown program, including economic monitoring, individual building files, and information on growth, activity, job creation, and business retention.
• Constantly review the physical appearance of downtown infrastructure (streets, lights, sidewalks, parking lots, etc.) and coordinate with existing City departments to ensure a high level of maintenance is adhered to at all times.

Requirements

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

• Experience: Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in downtown management, economic development, redevelopment, planning, public administration, commercial real estate, community development, Main Street management, business improvement district management, or closely related fields, including experience leading complex projects and working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. Preferred: Experience working within a municipal government or public-private partnership environment.
• Training: Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Urban Planning, Community Development, Business Administration, Economic Development, Architecture, Historic Preservation, Real Estate, or a closely related field. A Master's degree is preferred.

Qualifications

• Required Licensing & Certifications: None.
• Preferred Certifications: Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Project Management Professional (PMP), National Main Street Credential or equivalent downtown management certification, or International Downtown Association professional credentials.

Applicants offered a position may be subject to a criminal history record check of State and National repositories of criminal histories conducted by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) in accordance with G.S. 143B-1209.26. The City may consider the results of these criminal history record checks in its hiring decisions.

Benefits

• Health and Dental Insurance: Comprehensive and affordable health and dental coverage for all regular status employees scheduled to work 30 hours or more per week. Coverage is also available for eligible dependents. The premium is deducted on a pre-tax basis, with the City paying a portion of the premium. Qualifying employees are eligible for benefits on the 1st day of the month following 30 days of service.
• Employer-Paid Leave:
  • Vacation Leave: Regular employees begin accruing vacation leave on the first day of employment. Accruals are based on years of service and the number of hours scheduled to work.
  • Sick Leave: Regular employees begin accruing sick leave on the first day of employment. Accruals are based on the number of hours scheduled to work; regular full-time employees accrue eight (8) hours per month. Sick leave hours accumulate without limits and may be used toward creditable service upon retirement from the NC Local Governmental Retirement System.
  • Holidays: The City observes 12 paid holidays per calendar year. When Christmas Day is on a Wednesday, an additional holiday is provided, making for 13 paid holidays.
  • Bereavement Leave: Regular employees are eligible for 24 hours of bereavement leave per calendar year to mourn or attend a funeral or memorial service of a family member.
• Retirement: The City participates in the NC Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System. Regular employees scheduled to work 20 hours or more per week become members upon employment and contribute 6% of their gross salary on a tax-deferred basis.
• Deferred Compensation Plans: The City offers two supplemental retirement savings programs (NC 401(k) and NC 457 plans) administered by Empower. Regular full-time and part-time employees working at least 20 hours per week may save a portion of their salary on a tax-deferred basis. The City currently contributes 4% of base salary to an eligible employee’s NC 401(k) account.
• Cafeteria Plan / Supplemental Benefits: Employees may supplement City-provided benefits through payroll deduction, including:
  • Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) – Healthcare and Dependent Care Reimbursement Accounts (pre-tax)
  • Short-Term and Long-Term Disability Insurance
  • Optional Life & Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance
• Death Benefit: The first year an employee contributes to the retirement system, the City provides a $3,000 death benefit once the employee is benefits eligible. After one year as a contributing member, a death benefit equal to the highest 12 months’ salary in a row during the 24 months before death (no less than $25,000) is provided by the NC Retirement System.