Director of Planning and Community Development

JOB SUMMARY AND DISTINGUISHING FEATURES OF THE WORK This position formulates and implements plans, and policies that provide for the orderly development of the City while promoting the public health, safety and general welfare of its citizens, protecting property values, and plan for future City needs. Work involves setting policies and goals under the direction of the City Manager. Supervision is exercised over all department personnel. ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Plans and implements short and medium range goals, objectives, and strategies for the department, projects, and programs to ensure efficient organization and completion of work. Plans long-range goals, objectives, organizational structure, and overall direction for the department. Provides overall direction, supervises and works directly on the implementation of all aspects of the department, ensuring that activities are completed consistent with City Council and City Manager goals, objectives, and directives. Carries out supervisory/managerial responsibility in accordance with policies, procedures and applicable laws, including interviewing, hiring and training staff; planning, assigning and directing work; establishing deadlines; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; coordinating, developing and approving staff training; approving leave requests; and addressing complaints and resolving problems. Represent the City in review of development proposals. Negotiate conditions and concessions associated with development proposals. Advocate the City’s position regarding development proposals in legislative, quasi-judicial, judicial and administrative hearing boards. Meet with City Manager, advisory boards and City Council to discuss and review development projects and develop responses reflecting the interests of the City. Represent the City and the department at meetings with citizens, attorneys, developers, engineers, architects, management, agents, and consultants. Represents the City on various boards and organizations on the local, regional, state and federal levels. Represents the department at various board and committee meetings and provides liaison with other departments on related activities. Prepare plans, reports, memos, letters, and special studies ranging in content from detailed planning analysis with recommendations to very brief responses or comments. Draft legislation to enable initiatives identified by the City Council. Secure the services of consultants to provide specific services or general consulting services; define scope of services, negotiate fee, secure approval of contract for services consistent with City purchasing regulations; oversee consultant work. Take products from consulting services and implement projects, ensuring that all purchasing regulations are met, required permits are obtained, conduct value engineering, if necessary, negotiate contract for services, execute contract, and supervise contractors from construction through sign off. Review legislation related to planning matters and recommend action by City Council. Present testimony on behalf of the City. Develop the department’s annual budget, including identify areas of savings and new initiatives, review fees and fines collected by department to ensure that costs reflect true cost of service and to maintain consistency with other agencies. Negotiate private development agreements with developers to define parameters of new development and to expand the City’s authority to review and approve new construction. IMPORTANT JOB FUNCTIONS Represent the City Manager in his absence on an as requested basis. Performs other related duties as assigned. MATERIAL AND EQUIPMENT USED General Office Equipment Planimeter Architect and engineer scales MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED Education and Experience: Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in Urban Planning, City Planning, Urban Studies or a related field; and, Extensive progressively responsible related experience; or, Any combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job. Licenses and Certifications: American Institute of Certified Planners KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES Knowledge of: Principles and practices of urban planning, historic preservation, and land use and zoning laws. Budget development policies and procedures. Administration of staff and activities, either directly or through subordinate supervision. All applicable state, federal and local ordinances, laws, rules and regulations, especially pertaining to planning, community development and historic preservation. Principles and practices of basic accounting. All computer applications and hardware related to performance of the essential functions of the job. Department organization, standard operating guidelines and policies, rules, and regulations. Local, state and federal laws and current city ordinances. Skill in: Planning, organizing, assigning, directing, reviewing and evaluating the work of staff. Operating and maintaining all assigned equipment required to perform the essential functions of the job. Communicating orally and in writing with internal staff, citizens, and other departmental staff in order to give and receive information in a courteous manner. Mental and Physical Abilities Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with fellow employees, city officials, other government agencies, and the general public. Sensory requirements include standard vision requirements; vocal communication is required for conveying detailed or important instructions to others accurately, loudly or quickly; hearing is required to receive detailed information through oral communication and/or to make fine distinctions in sound. This is sedentary work requiring the exertion of up to 10 pounds of force sometimes. Working Conditions Work is performed in a normal office environment with little exposure to outdoor temperatures or dirt and dust. The incumbent’s working conditions are typically quiet. NOTE This class specification should not be interpreted as all inclusive. It is intended to identify the essential functions and requirements of this job. Incumbents may be requested to perform job-related responsibilities and tasks other than those stated in this specification. Any essential function or requirement of this class will be evaluated as necessary should an incumbent/applicant be unable to perform the function or requirement due to a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Reasonable accommodation for the specific disability will be made for the incumbent/applicant when possible. #J-18808-Ljbffr