Director of Business Attraction

Background

Tulsa Innovation Labs, LLC (TIL) is a tech‑led economic development organization transforming the Tulsa region into a nationally recognized hub for advanced industries. By building coalitions across companies, research institutions, workforce partners, and public agencies, TIL identifies and removes barriers to innovation, enabling businesses to scale, commercialize new technologies, and compete globally.

The Director of Business Attraction reports to the Head of Business Attraction and serves as a leader driving execution of targeted business attraction strategies. The position is responsible for managing high‑priority corporate recruitment campaigns and comprehensive business development activities that bring new companies and investment to the Tulsa region across TIL’s focus areas.

• Leads the development and execution of corporate recruitment campaigns, including qualified lead generation, prospect qualification, outreach sequencing, meeting preparation, and post‑meeting follow‑up to drive conversions.
• Manages and cultivates stakeholder relationships with regional partners (Chamber of Commerce, state agency, municipality), as well as brokers, consultants, and site selectors to expand deal flow and align joint pursuits.
• Coordination of incentive programs with partners, including application processes, performance monitoring, and program evaluation to ensure competitive, responsible, and timely offers.
• Executes partnership strategies with economic development allies, industry associations, and strategic partners to amplify market reach and accelerate business attraction outcomes.
• Coordinates site visits end‑to‑end, including logistics, itinerary development, stakeholder engagement, presentation preparation, facility and ecosystem tours, and structured follow‑up to advance decision‑making.
• Conducts market opportunity analysis, including competitive intelligence, industry trend research, target sector identification, and data‑driven insights that inform positioning and prospect prioritization.
• Manages the business development pipeline in Salesforce, ensuring timely lead tracking, qualification, nurturing, and conversion activities; maintains high standards of data integrity and documentation.
• Coordinates with the Marketing team to create and tailor pitch materials and collateral—presentations, one‑pagers, case studies, and proposals—that articulate Tulsa’s value proposition and TIL’s differentiated offerings for target sectors.
• Represents Tulsa at conferences, trade shows, and industry events; manages booths, conducts meetings, networks with key influencers, and captures leads for timely follow‑up and pipeline advancement.
• Executes targeted national and international business development meetings and recruitment trips; coordinates with TIL team members and regional allies to maximize impact.
• Leads RFP/RFI response management, including prospect due diligence, proposal development, and stakeholder orchestration to deliver compelling, on‑time submissions.
• Develops and delivers Salesforce‑based reporting (pipeline, activities, conversion metrics, KPIs) for the Head of Business Attraction and key stakeholders; recommends process improvements based on performance trends.
• Works with Marketing and Communications and Research and Data teams to align messaging, validate claims with credible data, and produce sector‑specific materials and campaigns.
• Completes due diligence on prospects and sources background information to prepare for business development meetings and special events promoting the Tulsa region; conducts promotional presentations to market Tulsa to targeted audiences.
• Identifies areas of opportunity and weakness to improve the competitiveness and business climate of the community and TIL’s related efforts; recommends operational enhancements to increase win rates.

• Bachelor’s degree in economic development, business, public administration, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in economic development, strategic partnerships, or business development, preferably leading and managing business…