Salary: $77,122.00 - $98,331.00 Annually
Location : 433 Hay Street, Fayetteville, NC 28301, NC
Job Type: Regular Full-Time
Job Number: 04538
Department: City Manager's Office
Opening Date: 08/23/2026
Closing Date: 9/4/2026 11:59 PM Eastern

Description
The City of Fayetteville is currently recruiting for a Downtown & Urban Development Manager to serve as the City's chief steward of Downtown Fayetteville and provides visionary leadership to advance the downtown as the community's economic, cultural, civic, entertainment, and tourism center. The position is responsible for fostering economic vitality, encouraging redevelopment and private investment, enhancing placemaking, strengthening public-private partnerships, preserving the community's historic assets, and ensuring exceptional stewardship of the downtown experience and public realm.

Serving as the City's lead professional for downtown revitalization, the Downtown & Urban Development Manager plans, directs, implements, coordinates, and evaluates comprehensive strategies and initiatives that promote business recruitment and retention, redevelopment, destination development, place management, historic preservation, placemaking, and quality-of-life improvements. The position leads the City's day-to-day downtown management function by proactively identifying, prioritizing, and coordinating the resolution of issues affecting the public realm, including cleanliness, litter, graffiti, landscaping, sidewalks, streetscapes, lighting, parking, accessibility, signage, wayfinding, code compliance, beautification, and other quality-of-life concerns. Working collaboratively across multiple City departments-including Public Services, Engineering, Traffic Services, Police, Fire, Community Safety, Transit, Parking, Parks and Recreation, Code Enforcement, and other City departments-as well as elected officials, partner organizations, businesses, property owners, developers, and community stakeholders, the position ensures Downtown Fayetteville remains clean, safe, welcoming, economically competitive, and attractive for residents, visitors, businesses, and investors.

The Downtown & Urban Development Manager serves as the City's principal advisor on downtown revitalization strategies, redevelopment opportunities, economic development initiatives, placemaking, urban design, and downtown policy. The position exercises considerable independent judgment, initiative, and professional discretion while developing innovative solutions, building consensus among diverse stakeholders, facilitating public-private partnerships, and coordinating complex, cross-departmental initiatives that advance the City's strategic priorities.

Success in this position is measured through demonstrable improvements in private investment, redevelopment activity, business recruitment and retention, commercial occupancy, downtown housing, public realm quality, cleanliness, safety, visitor experience, activation of public spaces, stakeholder satisfaction, and the overall vitality, competitiveness, and long-term sustainability of Downtown Fayetteville.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Coordinate activity of downtown by facilitating engagement and activity between the City and downtown entities, ensuring that communication between stakeholders is well established.
2. Serve as the City's primary coordinator for downtown revitalization, redevelopment, placemaking, and economic competitiveness.
3. Develop and implement long-range strategic initiatives that increase downtown investment, business activity, residential development, tourism, and economic vitality.
4. Recruit, retain, and assist restaurants, retailers, office users, entertainment venues, hospitality businesses, and other commercial enterprises.
5. Manage all administrative aspects of the downtown program, including purchasing, record-keeping, budget development and accounting, preparing all reports required for approved grants, assisting with the preparation of reports to funding agencies and supervising part-time employees or consultants.
6. Identify redevelopment opportunities and work proactively with developers, investors, brokers, property owners, and City departments to facilitate public and private investment.
7. Coordinate implementation of downtown capital improvement projects including streetscapes, public spaces, lighting, gateways, public art, pedestrian amenities, parking improvements, and beautification projects.
8. Develop and/or support strategies for downtown economic development while maintaining historic preservation. Become familiar with all persons and groups directly or indirectly involved in the downtown commercial district being mindful of the roles of various downtown interest groups.
9. Develop and maintain productive working relationships with downtown property owners, business owners, developers, neighborhood organizations, educational institutions, Fort Bragg, regional partners, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
10. Coordinate closely with Cool Spring Downtown District, Downtown Alliance, Chamber of Commerce, Convention and Visitors Bureau, Arts Council, Fayetteville Public Works Commission, Cumberland County, NCDOT, and other strategic partners.
11. Coordinate with Police, Fire, the Office of Community Safety, homeless outreach providers, behavioral health organizations, and community partners to improve both actual and perceived public safety while supporting coordinated, compassionate responses to quality-of-life issues affecting downtown.
12. Represent the City before elected officials, advisory boards, business organizations, neighborhood groups, developers, investors, state agencies, media representatives, and the public.
13. Develop and implement marketing, branding, and destination development initiatives that strengthen Downtown Fayetteville's identity and regional competitiveness.
14. Pursue, prepare, administer, and manage local, state, federal, and private grant opportunities that advance downtown revitalization objectives.
15. Develop and maintain data systems to track the process and progress of the downtown program. These systems should include economic monitoring, individual building files, and information on growth, activity, job creation, and business retention.
16. Constantly review the physical appearance of the downtown infrastructure (streets, lights, sidewalks, parking lots, etc.) and coordinate with existing City departments to ensure that a high level of maintenance is adhered to at all times.

For a complete job description, click here.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Any combination of experience and training that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience:
Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in downtown management, economic development, redevelopment, planning, public administration, commercial real estate, community development, Main Street management, business improvement district management, or closely related fields, including experience leading complex projects and working collaboratively with diverse stakeholders.

Preferred:
Experience working within a municipal government or public-private partnership environment.

Training:
Equivalent to a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Public Administration, Urban Planning, Community Development, Business Administration, Economic Development, Architecture, Historic Preservation, Real Estate, or a closely related field; A Master's degree is preferred.

LICENSING & CERTIFICATIONS:

Required:

None.

Preferred:
Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), Project Management Professional (PMP), National Main Street Credential or equivalent downtown management certification or International Downtown Association professional credentials.

01

Responses to the supplemental questions must reflect the information provided under the "Work Experience" section of the application. Your responses will be used to determine whether or not you possess the minimum qualifications required for this position at the time of application.

• I have read and complied with the above statement.

02

Are you a current City of Fayetteville employee?

• Yes
• No

03

Have you held an out-of-state driver's license (other than NC) in the past 3 years?

• Yes
• No

04

Please indicate the highest degree you currently possess.

• Master's Degree or higher
• Bachelor's Degree
• Associate's Degree
• None of the Above

05

From the list below, please indicate the major coursework of your highest degree.

• Architecture
• Business Administration
• Community Development
• Economic Development
• Historic Preservation
• Public Administration
• Real Estate
• Urban Planning
• Other Related Field
• None of the above

06

If you s