RW Ventures: Associate job opening

Associate (Full Time Position)

RW Ventures, LLC Overview:

RW Ventures, LLC specializes in creating products and enterprises that drive inclusive economic growth within industries, neighborhoods and regions. Based in Chicago, the firm is recognized as a national leader in market-based economic development. RW Ventures manages large-scale, complex economic growth projects by assembling interdisciplinary teams of national experts, including partners such as the Brookings Institution, LISC and the MacArthur Foundation. Illustrative projects include:

• Developing economic growth plans in more than a dozen regions building upon the Metropolitan Business Planning initiative; for instance: ScaleUP Sacramento, an overarching economic development strategy with recommended initiatives to make Sacramento an inclusive and prosperous place to work, live and play;

• Creating the Chicagoland Food and Beverage Network, an inclusive cluster organization for food and beverage manufacturers;

• Developing inclusive growth strategies for specific industries; for instance: a cluster analysis and associated strategy creation for the emerging energy infrastructure cluster in Illinois, to support the region’s EDA Build Back Better Regional Challenge application;

• Sourcing, evaluating, and supporting transformative neighborhood development projects for philanthropic partners; and

• Inventing and deploying sophisticated analytics, financial products and commercial real estate deal-brokering capacity to drive neighborhood change through creating Chicago TREND, a social enterprise focused on catalyzing leading-edge urban retail development.

The firm has also designed and launched new organizations, such as the New Growth Innovation Network (NGIN), a national, practitioner-led institution driving innovation in the field of inclusive economic growth, and the Southland Development Authority (SDA), a ground-breaking development authority model charged with driving comprehensive, transformative and inclusive economic growth in 40 South Suburbs of Chicago. In all our projects, we seek to bridge the gap between theory and practice, driving rigorous research from a practitioner perspective, and translating results into practical programs. For more information on the firm, its partners, clients and projects, please visit our website: www.rw-ventures.com.

Position Overview:

We seek an innovative and motivated Associate with strong critical thinking and organizational skills to play an integral role in every aspect of the firm’s work, from research to product and strategy development to project management. The position provides the opportunity to learn and grow quickly, working with leading national experts on projects at the forefront of the economic development field. The firm’s project pipeline encompasses a wide variety of work, including an actionable inclusive economic development strategy for the Portland region; conducting a market analysis of the Chicago region’s “blue economy,” leading to strategies to grow water-related industries, jobs, and investments; co-creating with key partners an initiative at the intersection of economic growth and climate change; co-creating a proposal for a 3D Printing Innovation Center accessible to underserved communities in Chicago; and designing and launching a multi-partner initiative to support small metals manufacturers entering new markets in the South Suburbs of Chicago.

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Responsibilities:

Working closely with the rest of the team, the Associate will:

• Conduct research, literature reviews and market analysis of business, workforce, housing and other economic activity in neighborhoods and regions, utilizing quantitative and qualitative methodologies

• Draft memos, papers, and reports, describing economic frameworks, analysis and research results; suggesting possible strategies; and analyzing varied economic opportunities • Translate these findings into presentations for clients and Advisory Groups

• Co-invent new frameworks, products, initiatives and organizational models to address specific challenges and opportunities in inclusive economic development (e.g., manufacturing innovation, urban industrial land re-use, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems), often tailored to specific industries and geographies

• Write proposals to secure funding for the above-mentioned frameworks, products, and initiatives – or, assist the team in writing proposal responses to RFPs

• Organize, lead and participate in project and team meetings

• Assume varied management and administrative duties

Qualifications:

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in economic development, economics, urban planning/policy or a related field • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Ability to think critically and generate new ideas

• Analytical skills to compare and draw conclusions from complex data and material • Organizational and time management skills to balance multiple projects concurrently • Capacity to rapidly acquire new knowledge and skills

• Ability to work as member of a team in a low-structure environment

• Strong computer skills, including intermediate-level skills in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint Preferred

• Prior work experience or expertise in economic development or a related field • Advanced degree related to economic development and analysis, urban policy or a related field • Project management experience

• Familiarity with statistical software such as Stata, R or SPSS

• Familiarity with GIS software such as ArcGIS or QGIS

Compensation: Salary commensurate with experience. Generous benefits and bonus opportunities.

Location: Position is based in Chicago; the work model is hybrid – part-time from home, part-time from the office.

To Apply: Submit cover letter, résumé and 3- to 5-page writing sample to Monita Blunt-Daniel at monita@rw-ventures.com.