Downtown Development Authority and Main Street Director
Job Description
1. Work Objectives
The Downtown Development Authority and Main Street program director
coordinates activity within a downtown revitalization program which utilizes
historic preservation as an integral foundation for downtown economic
development.
He/she is responsible for the development, conduct, execution, and documentation
of the DDA and the Main Street program. The director is the principal on-site staff
person responsible for coordinating all program activities locally as well as for
representing the Community regionally and nationally as appropriate.
2. Full Range of Duties to be Performed
a. Coordinate activity of Downtown Development Authority which also serves as the
board for the Main Street program; coordinate committees ensuring that
communication between committees is well-established; assist committees with
implementation of work plan items.
b. Manage all administrative aspects of the Main Street program, preparing all reports
required by the State Main Street Program and by the National Main Street Center,
assisting with the preparation of reports to funding agencies and supervising part-time
employees or consultants.
c. Develop, in conjunction with the Main Street Program’s board of directors, strategies
for downtown economic development through historic preservation utilizing the
Community’s human and economic resources. Become familiar with all persons and
groups directly or indirectly involved in the downtown commercial district. Mindful
of the roles of various downtown interest groups, assist the Main Street programs
board of directors and committees in developing an annual action plan for
implementing a downtown revitalization program focused on four areas:
design/historic preservation, promotion, organization/management, and economic
restructuring/development.
d. Develop and conduct the ongoing public awareness and education program designed
to enhance appreciation of the downtown’s architecture and other assets and to foster
an understanding of the Main Street program’s goals and objectives.
e. Assist individual tenants or property owners with physical improvement projects
through personal consultation or by obtaining and supervising professional design
consultants; assist in locating appropriate contractors and materials; when possible,
participate in construction supervision; provide advice and guidance on necessary
financial mechanisms for physical improvements.
f. Assess the management capacity of major downtown organizations and encourage
improvements in the downtown community’s ability to undertake joint activities such
as promotional events, advertising, uniform store hours, special events, business
recruitment, parking management, and so on. Provide advice and information on
successful downtown management. Encourage a cooperative climate between
downtown interests and local public officials.
g. Advise downtown merchants organizations and/or chamber of commerce retail
committees on Main Street program activities and goals and assist in the coordination
of joint promotional events, such as seasonal festivals or cooperative retail
promotional events, in order to improve the quality and success of events to attract
people downtown; work closely with local media to ensure maximum event
coverage; encourage design excellence in all aspects of promotion in order to advance
an image of quality for the downtown.
h. Help build strong and productive working relationships with appropriate public
agencies at the local and state levels.
i. Utilizing the Main Street program format, develop and maintain data systems to track
the process and progress of the local Main Street program. These systems should
include economic monitoring, individual building files, thorough photographic
documentation of all physical changes and information on job creation and business
retention.
3. Resource Management Responsibilities
The program manager supervises any necessary temporary or permanent
employees, as well as professional consultants. He/she participates in personnel
and project evaluations. The program manager maintains local Main Street
program records and reports, establishes technical resource files and libraries, and
prepares regular reports for the state Main Street program and the National Main
Street Center.
4. Job Knowledge and Skills Required
The program manager should have education and/or experience in one of the
following areas: architecture, historic preservation, economics, finance, public
relations, design, journalism, planning, business administration, public
administration, retailing, volunteer or nonprofit administration, and/or small
business development. The program manager must be sensitive to design and
preservation issues. The manager must understand the issues confronting
downtown business people, property owners, public agencies, and community
organizations. The manager must be entrepreneurial, energetic, imaginative, well organized
and capable of functioning effectively in a very independent situation.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential. Supervisory skills
are desirable.
