is now recruiting for
General Manager, Investment Attraction
Applications close midnight, Thursday 27th August 2026
Overview
AUSTRALIA’S FASTEST GROWING CITY
$49.4B
GRP in 2024
approximately $775M above forecast
$6.2B
international exports in 2024
30% growth
2.5M
people
within 1 hour drive
About Us
Invest Gold Coast Pty Ltd is an investment and economic development organisation newly established by the City of Gold Coast to facilitate growth and increase investment into the Gold Coast, Australia’s fastest growing city.
Invest Gold Coast was formerly an internal department of the City. It is now an independent entity with an expert board and dedicated team focused on expanding its reach and capabilities.
It is responsible for promoting our city to Australian and overseas investors, facilitating major new priority investment projects and attracting new businesses, providing independent, commercial advice to Council on investment opportunities, and continuing to support and strengthen our local business community including through export growth.
This new structure will enhance agility, transparency and connections to increase investment into the Gold Coast, grow our economic base and maximise returns for ratepayers.
Invest Gold Coast is a sister company to the City’s other controlled entities: Experience Gold Coast and Brand Gold Coast. All activities and functions of these entities are audited through Council’s existing processes as well as the Queensland Audit Office.
WHY GOLD COAST
The gateway to the rest of the world
South East Queensland (SEQ) is Australia's breakthrough international region. With increasing global interest for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, along with investment in regional assets, SEQ is primed for investment.
SEQ at a glance:
$306.9 billion gross regional product.
$36.5 billion investment in road and rail infrastructure.
4 million people.
Invest Gold Coast drives the economic growth of the Gold Coast and facilitates major investments.
The Gold Coast is a city rising to emerging opportunities, pushing the boundaries of its past and reaching for all the future holds. This forward-thinking attitude and significant investment attraction program make the Gold Coast the right place, at the right time, to invest, live and work.
This is the Gold Coast. And there’s nowhere else like it.
High-performing industry sectors
We are prioritising economic sectors that drive a sustainable economic future, are aligned to the Gold Coast’s competitive advantages, and protect and enhance our unique lifestyle. Strategic investment will deliver transformational growth and change to our city, enhancing our strong economic position.
About the Role
General Manager, Investment Attraction
The General Manager, Investment Attraction is a commercially focused leadership role at the centre of the organisation's redesigned investment attraction platform, responsible for identifying, originating and converting the investment opportunities that will diversify and grow the Gold Coast economy.
The role is responsible for attracting capital, companies and major projects to the Gold Coast, to open doors that would not otherwise open, and to build the relationships and pipeline that turn ambition into measurable economic outcomes. The General Manager, Investment Attraction is the organisation's primary commercial interface with industry, investors and government, engaging regularly with the Board. The role leads the investment attraction function directly and provides strategic oversight of economic research and analysis, ensuring market intelligence is connected to commercial action.
Roles and Responsibilities
Investment attraction, origination and conversion
Proactively identify, qualify and convert investment opportunities across Invest Gold Coast's (IGC) strategic priority sectors, translating commercial intelligence into measurable economic outcomes.
Build and maintain a structured pipeline of inbound and outbound investment opportunities, applying rigorous commercial discipline at every stage.
Open doors and build networks that attract companies, capital and major projects to the Gold Coast, including domestic and international operators that would not otherwise consider the region.
Position the Gold Coast as a globally competitive, investment-ready destination through targeted engagement, trade and market development activity.
Commercial leadership and strategy
Develop and execute the investment attraction strategy in partnership with the CEO, balancing high-value strategic opportunities with a pipeline of growth projects.
Provide strategic advice to the CEO on investment opportunities, sector dynamics and commercial priorities.
Provide oversight of economic research and analysis, ensuring insight and market intelligence directly inform investment decisions and narratives.
Manage budgets, resources and external partners to deliver effectively across the function.
Stakeholder engagement at the commercial and public interface
Engage credibly with senior business leaders, institutional investors, council representatives and government stakeholders simultaneously, with the judgement to navigate complex political and commercial environments.
Navigate council processes, planning pathways and regulatory frameworks on behalf of industry, reducing friction and helping businesses reach decisions faster and with greater confidence.
Build trusted partnerships across industry, investor and government networks that advance the city's investment agenda.
Represent Invest Gold Coast (IGC) and, where appropriate, the CEO and Board at priority events, forums and delegations.
Ecosystem and supply chain development
Map supply chain and cluster opportunities within priority sectors, identifying complementary operations that could establish or expand on the Gold Coast.
Build ecosystem thinking into the function, recognising that the strongest economic outcomes come from connected industries rather than individual deals.
Identify and progress trade and investment opportunities that strengthen the Gold Coast's position in target sectors globally.
Function building and team leadership
Lead and develop the Investment Attraction function and build out the function's capability over time as the organisation scales.
Contribute to the rebuild of Invest Gold Coast's (IGC) investment attraction methodology, service catalogue and reporting frameworks.
Help establish a culture of commercial discipline, measurement and accountability, supporting the transition from a legacy economic development model to a commercially focused operating model.
Mandatory Requirements and Qualifications
Demonstrated investment attraction, origination or commercial business development capability, with a demonstrated ability to identify opportunities, build relationships and convert them into real-world commercial outcomes.
Strong commercial foundations built in a private capital, banking, advisory, infrastructure, institutional investment or similarly rigorous commercial environment.
A natural networker and door-opener, able to build trusted relationships quickly and credibly with senior business, investor and government stakeholders.
Sound commercial judgement, with the ability to assess opportunities, identify priorities and translate insight into action.
Experience operating at, or genuine readiness to operate at, the intersection of commercial and public sector environments, with the judgement to move industry forward without overstepping political or governance boundaries.
Some leadership or management experience, with the ambition and capability to grow into a broader executive leadership role. Extensive senior leadership experience is welcomed but not essential; drive, commercial capability and potential matter more.
Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex commercial or economic intelligence into compelling investment narratives and stakeholder materials.
The personal attributes of adaptability, work ethic, resilience, self-direction and the ability to operate with limited hand-holding in a changing, lean environment.
Exposure to board-level audiences, investment committee processes or strategic planning cycles.
Tertiary qualifications in Business, Economics, Finance, Public Policy or a related field.
How to Apply
To be considered, please provide the following information in your online application, for the assessment of your suitability:
A short (no more than two pages) statement focusing on how you align with the core accountabilities outlined in the role statement below.
Your current CV highlighting your relevant experience, qualifications, and achievements.
If you need assistance with your application please reach out to us.
Applications for this role close midnight, Thursday 27th august 2026
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Confidential Enquiries
JANE ELLIS
Managing Partner, Executive & Boards
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