Business Engagement & Inward Investment Advisor

Business Engagement & Inward Investment Advisor

Join to apply for the Business Engagement & Inward Investment Advisor role at Essex County Council

Employment type: Permanent, Full Time, 37 hours per week

Salary: £32,701 to £38,471 per annum

Location: Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom

Working style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 14th January 2026 (23:59)

Essex County Council is a systems leader for Skills and Economic Growth, partnering with public and private sectors to position Essex as a hub of innovation, enterprise, and ambition. Through our business-facing services, we drive an inclusive, integrated approach to skills development, business support, sector growth, and inward investment across the County.

The Business Engagement and Inward Investment Advisor supports the delivery of ECC’s business partnership growth and engagement initiatives, related to existing partnerships, Greater Essex business collaboration, and building a Greater Essex partnership and delivering activities to attract and secure foreign and domestic investments into Greater Essex. The role will involve supporting the development of strong public/private sector partnerships for growth sectors (e.g., construction, the visitor economy), using creative multi-agency collaboration that makes Greater Essex stand out and compete as an attractive place to invest, work, visit, study and live.

• Working with colleagues across ECC business-facing services, economic growth and procurement, the role supports implementation of key business and partnership activities by providing support focused on business and partner engagement, project procurement, delivery and report writing.
• Support the Inward Investment Leads in building and managing a supportive network that attracts inward investment through organising collaborative activities to: define compelling inward investment offers; select and engage potential investors; convert leads to wins; provide aftercare; influence policies to improve the Greater Essex investment offer.
• Support secretariat functions for the Greater Essex Business Board and any existing and emerging business and public sector partnership activity.
• Provide data-driven insights and strategic recommendations to support collaborative cross-functional working groups that enable a cohesive, data-driven approach to ECC’s economic development goals, reinforcing the role of outcomes measurement in achieving strategic objectives.
• Lead research into benchmarking and best practice to support service innovation and continuous improvement.
• Prepare detailed reports and presentations on programme performance, client feedback, and economic insights, providing data and analysis to support strategic decision-making and continuous improvement across business-facing functions.
• Engage directly with Essex-based businesses to understand their capacity and readiness to supply to public and private sector projects.
• Assist in the development and maintenance of a structured client engagement and business account management approach, facilitating effective communication and coordination with Essex businesses.
• Facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration between ECC, local authorities, educational institutions, and other partners to strengthen a cohesive business support network and drive local supply chain resilience.
• Assist in promoting ECC’s business-facing services through outreach activities, workshops, and events, helping to raise awareness and connect businesses with relevant support programs and procurement opportunities.
• Deliver ECC’s business account management approach and serve as a primary point of contact to build and maintain trusting relationships with businesses, industry representatives and partners.

• Educated to RQF level 4 in a business-related area or equivalent through experience.
• Knowledge of competitive inward investment attraction processes and best practices, including in defining investment opportunities; selecting and engaging potential investors; client management and lead conversion.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and knowledge of the Essex economy and its key…