This paper, drawing on job imprinting theory, investigates the relationship between policy entrepreneurs' initial job attributes and the performance of regional emerging industry development during official mobilization. We examine how this relationship is influenced by regional innovation levels and individual educational qualifications before and after an official's tenure. Our study utilizes a unique dataset from statistics on the mobility of principal officials at the prefecture-level city level in China (2000-2020). The analysis introduces an explanatory mechanism for the influence of official characteristics on regional innovation performance, considering endogenous factors: "officials' first work experience - officials' mobility - innovation policy choices - emerging industry development performance." Results demonstrate that an official's first job experience creates a lasting imprint affecting individual policy preferences and innovation sensitivity, influencing decision-making in future roles. Specifically, officials with a research-oriented first job exhibit a distinctive job imprint, making them more attentive to cutting-edge innovative technologies and knowledge, impacting the novelty performance of the region's emerging industries. Furthermore, this research-based job imprint is more favorable when the city's innovation level is higher both before and after the official's transfer, particularly when the official holds a postgraduate degree or higher.