Role:
The role of the Economic Development Officer will be to actively develop and promote
County Westmeath as an attractive destination for investment, to live and work in.  The
successful candidate will be expected to perform duties in relation to economic development
activities undertaken by Westmeath County Council and will report directly to the Head of
Enterprise, Local Enterprise Office, Westmeath County Council.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assisting in the development and implementation of economic plans for the county/region including the Midland Regional Enterprise Plan and assisting in the development, implementation and reporting of the economic aspects of the Local Economic and Community Plan, Athlone Economic Strategy etc.
• To liaise with local interests, including state agencies, local development bodies, the business sector and the community & voluntary sector regarding the identification of suitable projects which could be developed to generate business/economic activity in the county/region
• Participation in internal and external economic action groups
• Preparing economic applications for funding in respect of Local, National and European funding sources and management and coordination of same amongst various sections of the Council and other stakeholders.
• Management and administration of economic grants and budgets 
• Conducting economic research reports for Council
• Management and the marketing of Westmeath County Council’s current and potential enterprise infrastructure and assets (e-working centres, business parks etc.)
• Management of Digital Marketing Strategy of Co-working space in Westmeath
• Development and implementation of Council and other economic development initiatives such as the Shopfront Enhancement Scheme
• Meetings Administrator for the Economic Development, Enterprise & Tourism SPC
• Promotion and marketing of local areas in Westmeath as a location for investment, singly or in conjunction with the appropriate national body.
• Responding to information requests from the business community
• Promotion of the Councils wider contribution to Economic Development in the County
• Other duties as may be assigned.

1. 1. Character

2. Health

3. Citizenship

1. A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA). The EEA consists of the Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway; or
2. A citizen of the United Kingdom (UK); or
3. A citizen of Switzerland pursuant to the agreement between the EU and Switzerland on the free movement of persons; or
4. A non-EEA citizen who is a spouse or child of an EEA or UK or Swiss citizen and has a stamp 4 visa; or
5. A person awarded international protection under the International Protection Act 2015 or any family member entitled to remain in the State as a result of family reunification and has a stamp 4 visa or
6. A non-EEA citizen who is a parent of a dependent child who is a citizen of, and resident in, an EEA member state or the UK or Switzerland and has a stamp 4 visa.

4. Education/Experience etc.

1. hold a recognised third level qualification (NFQ Level 8) or equivalent professional qualification in business, economics, or a related discipline (applications will be considered from candidates who do not possess such a qualification but who can demonstrate exceptional career achievement in a relevant discipline), and
2. have a minimum of 5 years relevant post qualification experience in a related discipline

• significant experience at management level
• a proven ability to work on their own initiative and in partnership with other agencies to promote the economy of Westmeath.
• experience of implementing agreed strategies to meet objectives and the ability to expand and improve the range, quantity or quality of existing services
• an understanding and experience of Economic, Social and Community Development, Tourism and Planning
• satisfactory experience of developing and maintaining effective partnerships and of engaging and influencing various stakeholders across the socio-economic and planning spectrum
• satisfactory experience in programme management
• previous experience of creating and promoting funding bids
• proven experience in the development of departmental and corporate long-range plans as well as budget formulation and reporting processes
• proven ability to plan and think strategically
• strong business acumen
• excellent organisational skills and discipline, and possess the drive to deliver the required results
• experience of budget and resource management to drive the effective and efficient use of available resources
• experience of managing internal controls to assure process and legal compliance and fraud prevention
• experience in the management and supervision of staff, building effective teams, developing motivation and commitment and maintaining sound employee relations
• experience of putting in place efficient and effective working structures, performance management arrangements and target based objectives
• a high level of customer focus
• superior verbal and written communication and presentation skills