Cape Breton Partnership

Full-Time Contract

Weekdays

Description

Employer: Cape Breton Partnership (CBP)

Reports to: Director of Economic Development

Position type: Full-time contract, 40 hours per week

Service area: Inverness County, Richmond County and the Town of Port Hawkesbury, with assigned business support in member First Nation Communities within the assigned counties.

Work location: Home office, scheduled municipal office presence, and business and community visits.

Compensation: Competitive salary, based on knowledge and experience. Paid vacation, sick and personal days, plus an additional week of paid time off in December, health and dental benefits, and access to our Employee & Family Assistance Program.

Application deadline: November 20^th, 11:59 pm Atlantic Standard Time.

About the opportunity

The Cape Breton Partnership is seeking a Regional Economic Development Officer to turn local priorities and business needs into practical services, investment opportunities and projects across southern Cape Breton. You will help entrepreneurs navigate their next steps, engage existing employers, advance development opportunities and deliver agreed partner initiatives as part of a broader regional team.

Municipal contributions anchor local delivery, complemented by First Nation participation, provincial and federal programs such as the Regional Economic Partnership Program (REPP), and the Partnership’s wider resources.

What you can achieve

Your work will help businesses move forward on growth and succession, improve investment readiness, and bring municipal projects and assigned First Nation business initiatives to agreed milestones. Partners will receive practical advice and clear updates on progress, while local work contributes to opportunities across Unama’ki – Cape Breton.

Local priorities

• Inverness County: housing and growth enablers, innovation, strategic projects and local Creative/Film opportunities, alongside business retention, expansion and investment attraction.
• Richmond County: business growth, investment and regional coordination, including energy and major-project opportunities alongside the shared Energy Services function.
• Town of Port Hawkesbury: port, industrial and energy opportunities, investment attraction and evidence-based advocacy connected to wider Strait initiatives.
• First Nation businesses: growth, investment and training opportunities in member First Nation Communities within the assigned counties, respecting the Nation’s priorities and economic development capacity and collaborating with First Nation-led organizations and initiatives.

What you will do

Business support, retention and expansion

• Provide business navigation, follow-through and pathfinding: assess inquiries, connect clients with relevant programs and specialists, agree next steps and follow up. Contribute to and draw on the broader team’s regional, national and international networks and partnering opportunities.
• Help businesses navigate planning, zoning, permitting, servicing and other development requirements with responsible municipal staff and agencies.
• Undertake proactive employer outreach and Business Insights Program (BIP) interviews to identify expansion, succession and workforce needs, recurring barriers and opportunities for shared workshops or responses.

Help entrepreneurs strengthen business cases, align with market and funding opportunities, and communicate their unique selling proposition through pitches and customer-facing messaging, with appropriate specialist support.

Investment and municipal readiness

• Identify, qualify and advance investment opportunities through outreach, investor information, site visits and coordinated follow-up.
• Maintain commercial land, business park and site-readiness information, including support for the business and industrial parks. Improve development guides and digital investment information with municipal and Communications colleagues.

Project delivery and regional collaboration

• Develop workplans with the Director, in consultation with municipal and other partners, with clear responsibilities, milestones and achievable deliverables.
• Lead or support assigned housing-readiness, tourism infrastructure, workforce and other economic development projects. Coordinate partners and approved budgets, monitor progress and bring barriers or decisions to the Director promptly.

• Connect local priorities with regional initiatives and program commitments, including REPP navigation, BIP and collaboration. Work across communities and organizations to strengthen supply chains, workforce connections, shared infrastructure and investment readiness while reducing duplication.

Partner relationships and team collaboration

• Maintain productive relationships with chief administrative officers (CAOs) or designates, municipal staff, businesses, elected officials and community partners. Support the Director and chief executive officer (CEO) in relationships with the Nation’s Chief and Council, CEO or Band Manager and other government representatives.
• Coordinate business outreach in member First Nation communities with designated representatives and the Director. Work with and support the Creative Economy Development Officer (CEDO) on local Creative/Film delivery, training and follow-up, including work funded through Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage (CCTH).
• Support the Design Cube project lead with local delivery and site management under Growth and Development-funded programming. Connect employers with the Partnership’s Labour Market & Immigration team.

• Collaborate with the externally employed Strait Manager of Energy Services, jointly supported by Richmond County and Port Hawkesbury, and other Partnership specialists on local opportunities.

Reporting and accountability

• Maintain accurate, confidential client and project records in Monday.com and designated customer relationship management (CRM) systems to support follow-up and reliable impact reporting.

• Prepare local partner updates, council briefings and presentations, and provide information for funder reporting, coordinating relevant team contributions with the Director.

What you will bring

• Relevant post-secondary education in business, commerce, economics, community development, public administration or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience in economic or business development, municipal government, planning, tourism, real estate or development, entrepreneurship support or a related field.
• Knowledge of rural and regional economic development, business retention and expansion, investment readiness and municipal development processes.
• Strong relationship-building, project management, analytical, presentation and written communication skills, with political awareness, discretion and initiative.

• Ability to manage competing priorities independently, collaborate respectfully with diverse partners, and use Microsoft 365, virtual meeting tools and client or project tracking systems.

Assets include regional economic knowledge; experience with Indigenous or Acadian communities; additional relevant languages; relevant professional credentials; and experience building national or international networks and securing funding.

Working conditions

Work normally takes place Monday to Friday through a home office, scheduled municipal office presence and community visits. A confidential workspace and reliable internet are required. The role involves frequent travel throughout the service area and elsewhere on the Island, with flexibility for evening council sessions and community meetings. A valid driver’s licence and reliable vehicle are required. Employment is conditional on successful completion and maintenance of a valid Criminal Record Check.

About the Cape Breton Partnership

The Cape Breton Partnership works with businesses, investors, municipalities, First Nations and community partners to support economic development across Unama’ki – Cape Breton. Our team brings together business navigation, investment attraction, creative economy, workforce, immigration and innovation expertise to help local opportunities progress.

Location Information

Community

Sydney

County

Cape Breton Regional Municipality

Province

Nova Scotia

Country

Canada

Opportunity Information

Employer

Cape Breton Partnership

NOC Code

—

Experience Required

Yes

Available Openings

1

Pay Type

To be Determined

Pay Period

To be Determined

Remuneration Per Pay Period

Estimated Weekly Hours

—

Start Date

—

End Date

—

Language

English

Posted on

November 2nd 2026

Expires

November 20th 2026