As a central hub in the Metro Vancouver area, the City of New Westminster delivers a broad spectrum of urban services to over 92,000 residents. New Westminster is rich in history with a viable and thriving economy and has a population representative of the diversity of the region. The City is staffed by talented and dedicated employees who work together to achieve its strategic vision. We have earned a proud reputation for civic leadership, service delivery, and outstanding employee relations.
We have an exciting opportunity for a temporary full-time Economic Development Assistant. You'll join a small, close-knit team that supports local business growth and a healthy local economy. This role leads the City's Business Licensing function day to day, while also providing research and administrative support to the Economic Development program. It's a good fit for someone who enjoys variety and can move comfortably between front-line service, regulatory processing, and project support.
This is a 1-year temporary contract, with a possibility of extension up to 18 months.
Your responsibilities will include:
• Act as the front-desk point of contact for business licensing inquiries, providing information and interpretation of departmental procedures, policies, and bylaws to applicants and the public. Draft correspondence responding to licensing and bylaw-related enquiries.
• Lead the processing of business licence applications and renewals, including review of applications for completeness and preliminary compliance; circulating to staff as appropriate; maintain and ensure accuracy of data in associated systems and databases; verify fees for processing, and issue approved business licenses. Identifying system processing issues or areas for improvement.
• Provide research and support for economic development projects and initiatives. This can include completing basic research, municipal scans, industry trends; generating and summarizing relevant data; and, creating and formatting associated economic development documents, reports, and presentations.
• Provide a variety of administrative support for departmental programs and activities. This may include organizing meetings, site visits, and events; assists in developing and posting content to the City’s website to promote business initiatives, events and opportunities.
• Perform other duties related to the position as assigned.
We're looking for someone with many of the following:
• Completion of a post-secondary program in business administration, planning or other relevant field, plus sound related work experience in research or project support; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Considerable knowledge of modern office practices, standard software applications, and recordkeeping procedures, along with strong written communication and numerical skills.
• Some knowledge of the bylaws, policies, and regulations governing business licensing; an interest in local business trends and the local economy is an asset.
• Some knowledge of basic research techniques, and of methods used in statistical analysis; and the ability to identify relevant sources of information.
• Ability to make decisions in accordance with applicable bylaws, departmental policies and procedures.
• Ability to gather, assemble, extract, organize, interpret, and summarize data and narrative information from a variety of sources.
• Ability to prepare narrative and statistical reports, graphs and charts from information gathered.
• Ability to maintain complex records and provide a variety of administrative support as required.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive working relationships with internal and external contacts, including colleagues, the business community, general public, and other contacts; and to effectively interpret and explain applicable bylaws, policies, and procedures.
• Strong communication, organizational, and time-management skills, with the ability to problem-solve and manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to pass and maintain a satisfactory Police Information Check.
