Vice President, Development

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Vice President (VP) of Development supports the Executive Vice President (EVP) of Development in building and managing the City of St. Louis' development pipeline with a focus on real estate projects, developers, and investors.

This role serves as a key driver for deal flow and developer engagement at SLDC. The VP works directly under the EVP to ensure that developers and investors experience a clear, coordinated, and predictable pathway to executing projects in the City.

The VP of Development supports the strategy, systems, and team responsible for:

• Generating qualified development opportunities
• Managing relationships with developers and investors
• Delivering a high-quality, coordinated "developer experience"
• Collect and analyze St. Louis and competing commercial real estate data to evaluate project feasibility and support attraction and retention strategies.

Success in this role is measured by supporting the strength, quality, and conversion of SLDC's pipeline into executed projects and sustained economic activity.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Development Pipeline Creation & Management

• Assist in building and maintaining a qualified pipeline of:
• Real estate development projects
• Active and prospective developers
• Business attraction opportunities
• Apply established criteria for what constitutes a "qualified opportunity"
• Track pipeline progression from initial engagement through project execution
• Support partnerships with Major Projects, LRA, and Strategy teams to ensure pipeline alignment with City priorities

2. Developer & Business Relationship Management

• Support the EVP in managing developer relationships across the City
• Help maintain consistent engagement with:
• Local and national developers
• Site selectors and intermediaries
• Build long-term trust with repeat developers and real estate investors

3. Developer Experience (Single Point of Coordination)

• Help operationalize a best-in-class developer experience model, including:
• Serving as a clear point of contact for assigned projects
• Assisting in the coordinated navigation of City processes and approvals
• Maintaining transparent timelines and expectations
• Help ensure developers receive:
• Accurate and timely information
• Coordinated access to incentives and resources
• A consistent and professional experience across SLDC and City departments

4. Incentives Strategy & Deployment

• Support the alignment of incentives with development strategy and project feasibility
• Help ensure incentives are:
• Structured effectively
• Deployed efficiently
• Aligned with City priorities and financial sustainability
• Coordinate directly with Finance, Legal, and Policy teams as directed

5. Commercial Real Estate Market Intelligence & Analytics

• Gather and Maintain Regional Market Data: Systematically track, aggregate, and analyze commercial real estate market data—including vacancy rates, absorption, lease rates, construction pipelines, and transaction activity for the City of St. Louis and competing regional markets.
• Inform Development Strategy & Deal Feasibility: Utilize local and comparative market intelligence to assess project viability, evaluate developer proposals, identify sector growth opportunities, and support the EVP in tailoring competitive site attraction and retention strategies.
• Integrate & Standardize Market Tools: Collaborate with internal teams to incorporate market analytics, digital twin capabilities, and platform insights into SLDC’s CRM and reporting dashboards to guide data-driven decision-making across the development pipeline

6. Systems & Operational Infrastructure

• Utilize and refine internal tools to support pipeline management, including:
• CRM (e.g., Salesforce) optimization
• Pipeline tracking and reporting systems
• Assist in implementing advanced tools such as digital twin capabilities and market intelligence platforms
• Maintain performance dashboards and reporting mechanisms for the EVP

7. Cross-Functional Coordination

• Work closely with key internal partners under the EVP's guidance:
• SVP, Real Estate (project readiness and execution)
• Director, LRA (land strategy and site control)
• COO (operational alignment and performance management)
• Support seamless handoffs between pipeline creation, project execution, and asset stabilization

8. Performance & Accountability

• Help manage and report on established KPIs, including:
• Pipeline size and quality
• Project conversion rates
• Time-to-deal execution
• Support regular performance reporting to the EVP, CEO, and Board
• Drive a culture of execution, responsiveness, and accountability

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• SLDC maintains a visible, active, and growing pipeline of development opportunities
• Developers describe St. Louis as a clear and predictable place to do business
• Projects move from concept to execution faster and with fewer breakdowns
• SLDC maintains an accurate, up-to-date market database that directly informs project feasibility, sharpens competitive positioning against peer markets, and speeds up deal execution
• SLDC is recognized as a high-functioning, coordinated economic development organization

Experience & Education

• Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred
• Demonstrated professional experience in economic development, real estate development, business development, or related field
• Experience in:
• Working within complex stakeholder environments
• Supporting teams responsible for deal flow or pipeline generation
• Structuring or supporting development projects and/or business attraction

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Strong understanding of:
• Real estate development processes
• Economic incentives and public finance tools
• Ability to:
• Build and manage relationships
• Translate strategy into executable systems
• Operate effectively in a fast-paced, politically dynamic environment
• Strong communication and negotiation skills

LEADERSHIP PROFILE

The ideal candidate:

• Is highly execution-oriented and outcome-driven
• Brings clarity and structure to complex, ambiguous environments
• Builds trust quickly with both internal teams and external stakeholders
• Holds team members accountable while enabling them to succeed
• Balances urgency with discipline in decision-making

WORKING CONDITIONS

Consistent with SLDC roles: full-time, exempt, hybrid schedule with evening/weekend work as needed.

POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK
This is a full-time, exempt position with health benefits and paid time off. While our traditional work hours are from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, SLDC follows a standard work schedule of 40 hours per week for full-time employees. Evening and weekend work is required as job duties demand.

SLDC is committed to building a team with a wide range of experiences and perspectives. SLDC strongly encourages applications from people of color, persons with disabilities, women, and LGBTQ+ candidates, and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, or any statuses protected by law. The position may be financed (in part) (wholly) through an allocation of Community Development Block Grant funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the City of St. Louis' Community Development Administration