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Economic development officer Green Job

Economic development officers get companies to set up businesses in an area to create new jobs, facilities and growth.

Annual Salary

£24,000 to £45,000

Average UK salary in 2022 was £33,200
(source Office for National Statistics)

Working hours

37 to 39 a week

You could work: evenings; occasionally

2.4%
Future employment

There will be 2.4% more Economic development officer jobs in 2027.

Day to day tasks

As an economic development officer, you could:

  • develop projects to support local business growth
  • build partnerships with communities, business networks and local government
  • bid for funding and manage budgets
  • set up training schemes for local businesses and unemployed people
  • advise local businesses and community groups
  • promote the local area to attract new employers and increase tourism
  • work on neighbourhood renewal projects
  • organise business fairs and give presentations

Working environment

You could work in an office.

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • an apprenticeship
  • working towards this role
  • applying directly
University

You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma, degree or postgraduate qualification in one of the following subjects:

  • regeneration
  • planning and surveying
  • economics
  • marketing
  • business management
  • construction management
  • housing

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
  • a degree in any subject for a postgraduate course
For more information
Apprenticeship

You could do a professional economist degree apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a degree apprenticeship
For more information
Work

You could start as an assistant, researcher or administrator in an economic development unit.

You could then work your way up through training and promotion to become a development officer.

Direct application

You could apply directly if you've got a background in bidding for funding, managing projects, controlling budgets or marketing.

You'll usually need experience from working in a related area like:

  • town planning
  • community development
  • regeneration
  • business advice
  • construction management

More information

Professional and industry bodies

You could become a member of the Institute of Economic Development to build your network and access training opportunities.

Further information

You can learn more about working in economic development through the Institute of Economic Development.

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With experience, you could:become a senior officer or economic policy manager; move into freelance consultancy; work abroad with international development agencies

You can learn more about working in economic development through the Institute of Economic Development.

Skills required and how your skills match up

What skills are required?

You'll need:

  • the ability to work well with others
  • analytical thinking skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • persistence and determination
  • ambition and a desire to succeed
  • business management skills
  • the ability to use your judgement and make decisions
  • maths skills
  • legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
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