NATURE OF WORK: The fundamental reason this position exists is to manage the City’s Planning Department, which includes long-range land use planning, zoning, subdivision regulation, development review, permitting coordination, and transportation planning functions. The Director also serves as the lead administrator for the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). Key responsibilities include developing and managing strategic plans; creating, developing, and maintaining the City’s comprehensive plan; overseeing zoning ordinance and subdivision regulation updates; coordinating and supervising development and land use application reviews; and facilitating public engagement and intergovernmental collaboration. The Director plays a central leadership role in developing the capital improvements program in alignment with the comprehensive plan, managing studies and consultant-led planning projects, securing funding for planning initiatives, ensuring records and documentation are maintained, managing departmental and MPO budgets, supervising multidisciplinary staff, and serving as the City’s representative to Envision 2050 and other regional planning bodies. Supervision is exercised over professional and technical staff responsible for Long Range Planning, Land Use and Zoning, and Transportation Planning, including the MPO. This classification reports to the Planning, Permitting, and Inspections Director.
WORK RESPONSIBILITIES: The following list of work responsibilities was developed through a job analysis; however, it is not exhaustive, and other duties may be required and assigned.
- Develops and manages strategic plans for the overall direction of the Planning Department and MPO, including the development and oversight of policies, procedures, services, and programs in accordance with current professional standards.
- Oversees the development and implementation of the City’s comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance, subdivision regulations, corridor studies, and neighborhood plans.
- Directs zoning and land use regulatory activities, including rezoning, variances, conditional use permits, site plan and subdivision reviews, and enforcement of development standards.
- Supervises the preparation of agendas and reports for the Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Historic Preservation Commission, and other boards and commissions.
- Develops scopes of service for outsourced planning and engineering work, oversees procurement processes, negotiates contracts, and manages consultant performance.
- Leads the public engagement process for planning and development initiatives, ensuring transparency, inclusivity, and timely communication with stakeholders, including neighborhoods, developers, and elected officials.
- Coordinates with permitting and inspection services to streamline development review processes and improve customer service.
- Presents findings and recommendations to the Mayor, City Council, and MPO Board for approval and implementation.
- Ensures that all planning and MPO records, studies, and documentation comply with federal, state, and local requirements.
- Manages departmental and MPO budgets and provides regular financial reporting and analysis.
- Seeks out and secures federal, state, and local funding for planning and infrastructure projects.
- Builds and maintains partnerships with community stakeholders, civic and philanthropic organizations, state and federal agencies, and neighboring municipalities.
- Provides technical assistance and policy guidance on land use, zoning, environmental planning, economic development, and transportation to internal and external stakeholders.
- Supervises multiple employees, including senior-level planners and technical staff, ensuring effective team management, performance evaluation, and professional development.
- Serves as the City’s planning representative for regional and intergovernmental bodies, including Envision 2050.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
- Knowledge of the theory, principles, and techniques of the planning profession and development process.
- Knowledge of federal, state, and local laws, ordinances, and codes pertaining to a wide variety of planning topics.
- Knowledge of theories, principles, and techniques of new urbanism, complete communities, and context-sensitive design.
- Knowledge of the theories, principles, and techniques of custom and hybrid form-based codes.
- Knowledge of the theories, principles, and techniques of SmartCode.
- Knowledge of context-sensitive street design, complete streets principles, and walkable urban form.
- Knowledge of sustainable design practices, green infrastructure, and climate-resilient development.
- Knowledge of funding mechanisms and grant programs for planning, housing, infrastructure, transportation, and community development.
- Knowledge of justice, community, social, and environmental impact of planning decisions on communities.
- Knowledge of integrated planning approaches that address land use, transportation, economic development, housing, and public health.
- Knowledge of the legal foundation for land use regulation.
- Knowledge of participatory planning methods, data-driven analysis, GIS, and visualization tools to support decision-making and community input.
- Knowledge of real estate terminology, laws, practices, principles, and regulations.
- Knowledge of the principles of personnel management, including supervision, training, and performance evaluation.
- Knowledge of budgetary processes includes identifying funding sources, projecting and tracking expenditures, projecting and tracking revenues, and identifying alternative financial sources as needed to implement program (s), relating program plans to budgetary needs, and containing costs.
- Ability to analyze demographic information to discern trends in population, employment, and health.
- Ability to involve a wide range of people in making decisions.
- Ability to function as a mediator or facilitator when community interests conflict.
- Ability to utilize geographic information systems and office software.
- Ability to understand and manage high-profile, sensitive, or controversial political situations.
- Ability to exercise sound and independent judgment within general policy guidelines.
- Ability to think analytically to include defining problems, determining the problem’s significance, making comparisons, noticing discrepancies and inconsistencies, weighing costs and benefits, and identifying causes for issues.
- Ability to build trust, including making and meeting commitments, identifying shared interests and goals, identifying differences, using a win-win approach, demonstrating honesty, and remaining open to others’ ideas and opinions.
- Ability to manage change to include supporting innovation, initiating and implementing change, helping others to manage change, involving appropriate parties in changes, and addressing change resistance.
- Ability to coach others, including clarifying responsibilities and expectations, providing timely feedback, providing guidance, developing employee capabilities, and working with employee behavior problems.
- Ability to communicate in writing, including writing clearly and convincingly, organizing ideas, using an appropriate writing style, tailoring writing to the audience, and using correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
- Ability to communicate orally, including making clear and convincing oral presentations, speaking clearly, tailoring communication to the audience, organizing ideas in a precise, logical flow, maintaining eye contact, and listening.
- Ability to manage conflict, include recognizing differences of opinion and discussing, looking for win-win solutions, working to reduce tension or conflict, finding agreement, and dealing with others in antagonistic situations.
- Ability to make decisions, including identifying and understanding issues and problems, comparing data from different sources, choosing a course of action, taking actions that are consistent with available facts, taking calculated risks, taking responsibility for decisions, and including others in making decisions.
- Ability to delegate, include assigning work functions, communicating the parameters of delegated authority, acting as a resource to employees, and establishing procedures to keep informed of issues and results.
- Ability to develop others, include providing feedback, sharing information and advice, providing coaching, making assignments to develop employee skills, meeting with employees to discuss progress, and setting performance objectives.
- Ability to empower others to include giving people latitude to make decisions based on their level and area of responsibility and skill, providing resources and support, and encouraging groups to resolve problems on their own.
- Ability to influence others, include offering tradeoffs or exchanges, working to make a particular impression on others, seeking out and building relationships with others, taking a personal interest in others, and demonstrating personal knowledge and integrity.
- Ability to demonstrate initiative, including identifying what needs to be done and taking action before being asked, doing more than what is typically required, and taking prompt action.
- Ability to demonstrate innovation, including being receptive to new ideas, adapting to new situations, exhibiting creativity, taking calculated risks, combining ideas in unique ways, developing new products or services, and developing better, faster, and less expensive ways to do things.
- Ability to relate well with others, include considering and responding appropriately to the needs and feelings of others, maintaining confidentiality, demonstrating consistency and fairness, being tactful and compassionate, and providing timely and constructive feedback.
- Ability to manage performance to include setting clear goals for employees, tracking employee progress, providing feedback, and dealing firmly and promptly with employee performance problems.
- Ability to manage projects, include defining outcomes and expectations, developing plans, anticipating problems, monitoring project status, and setting deadlines.
- Ability to provide direction, include providing structure, identifying vision and direction, aligning staff to goals, delegating, motivating others, giving clear direction, and setting goals.
- Ability to provide motivational support to include recognizing and rewarding people for their achievements, acknowledging and thanking people, expressing pride, being personally present and involved at key events, and tackling morale problems.
- Ability to solve problems using a balance of technical competence, creativity, and hardheaded pragmatism, include defining the problem, collecting data, distinguishing between relevant and irrelevant data, making inferences, and using logic and intuition to arrive at decisions or solutions.
- Ability to manage technology, including purchasing equipment, software, and IT-related items, exploring new applications or enhancements, and using efficient and cost-effective approaches to integrate technology into the workplace.
- Ability to think strategically, including formulating strategies, researching trends, analyzing policy issues, and developing plans.
- Ability to continually learn, which includes demonstrating an understanding of new information, mastering new technical and organizational concepts, building on strengths and addressing weaknesses, pursuing self-development, seeking feedback from others, and seeking opportunities to master new knowledge.
PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS: American Institute Certified Planners (AICP) certification is strongly preferred. Candidates without current certification must be eligible and willing to obtain it within two years of hire. Active membership in the American Planning Association (APA) is encouraged
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Public Administration, or a related field and six (6) years of experience supervising and managing a primary planning function or division responsible for long-range planning, transportation planning, or similar. Two years of qualifying experience can substitute for the master’s degree.
NOTE: Qualifying education, training, and experience that provide the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the job will be considered.
