Log In
Sign Up
Job Description We are the movers of the world and the makers of the future. We get up every day, roll up our sleeves and build a better world — together. At Ford, we’re all a part of something bigger than ourselves. Are you ready to change the way the world moves?
Michigan Central is a market leading hub for advancing new technologies and programs that address barriers to greater social, economic, and physical mobility. Michigan Central is both a convening place and a call-to-action–for city, regional and international inventors and investors, academics and entrepreneurs, civil society voices and government leaders, and business owners and corporate partners–to advance a more sustainable, equitable future through a collaborative approach to mobility solutions.
Building on Detroit’s rich history as an engine of change, the transformative Michigan Central project aims to strengthen the city’s competitive advantages while inspiring collective action on the most pressing challenges at the intersection of mobility and society worldwide.
In this position…
At this pivotal moment in its growth, Michigan Central is seeking an Director of Economic Development and Policy to build and deliver the incredible economic development opportunity of the project in close coordination with state, local and federal government.
As the Director of Economic Development and Policy, you will support Michigan Central’s goal to strengthen the city and region’s competitive position through leveraging the unique opportunity of Michigan Central as a world-class, unique platform for piloting and scaling next-generation mobility solutions to create new jobs, and foster skill development at all levels and start and grow new companies. Your role is to design, build, and deliver on Michigan Central’s economic development agenda. You will own the P3 with the state and local government, but expand into other programmatic opportunities with governments to grow the economic impact of Michigan Central.
Responsibilities
What you’ll do…
- Drive the public/private partnership between Michigan Central, the State of Michigan, and the City of Detroit to achieve the economic and community development goals of all three parties.
- Build and manage local/state government stakeholder strategy to create awareness of Michigan Central and support future funding requests, including managing staff and consultants.
- Collaborate with other external stakeholders in the local/state innovation ecosystem to support the growth of available funding and partnerships.
- Manage federal relationships and develop a strategy to make Michigan Central more attractive for federal funding.
- Build the strategies, goals, programs, commitments and execution engines for Michigan Central government partnerships through collaboration with cross-functional colleagues in Innovation Services, Place, and Skills and Newlab who will own and execute the programs, including company attraction efforts, start-up support, skills programming, infrastructure partnerships, R&D partnerships and more.
- Identify and source public funding opportunities to fund the programs associated with government partnerships beyond the existing commitments to meet the for P3 goals.
- Lead the development of grant applications, including managing staff and consultants.
- Oversee the execution of all government programs, adjusting as necessary to deliver on commitments and goals.
Qualifications
You’ll have…
- You are a proven leader with 8+ years of experience with government programs and policy in economic development areas.
- You have at least a bachelor’s degree. Master’s degree in public policy or equivalent graduate degree is preferred.
- You have track record of adeptly managing and growing cross-functional relationships and partnerships.
- You are entrepreneurial, with evidence of creating, funding and managing new programs and initiatives to deliver on job creation goals.
- You are passionate about creative solutions within (or with) government policies to advance new ways of working Experience in advanced mobility and technology is a plus.
You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we’ve outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply!
As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builder…or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including:
- Immediate medical, dental, and prescription drug coverage
- Flexible family care, parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up child care and more
- Vehicle discount program for employees and family members, and management leases
- Tuition assistance
- Established and active employee resource groups
- Paid time off for individual and team community service
- A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day
- Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time.
For a detailed look at our benefits, click here:
New Hire Benefits
Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.
We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660.
