Current jobs related to Planning Director - Converse - City of Converse

Job Title: Planning Director (“Director”)

Department: City Hall

Reports to: Assistant City Manager

General Description

The Director performs highly complex professional planning activities involving advanced planning, community development and special projects. Work involves directing, coordinating, and overseeing the activities of the City’s planning activities. The Director will direct supervision over assigned personnel. The incumbent will develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of the City. He or she will perform variety of duties including planning and zoning activities, subdivision platting, variance administration and community development permitting processes. The Director will coordinate the activities of the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission and communicates directly with co-workers and the general public on a daily basis providing information about city planning and development regulations and requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

Preference will be given to applicants with an advanced degree in Urban Planning, Urban Design or a closely related field, or certified with the American Institute of Certified Planners.

Essential Job Duties

The Director must be able to perform the following essential job duties with or without reasonable accommodation.

1. Responsible for all city planning and development services and activities, including land development, comprehensive long and short term planning, neighborhood planning and recommends and administers policies and procedures.
2. Provide information to the public regarding zoning and land use regulations, permitting processes, site requirements, subdivision platting, and other development requirements.
3. Explain planning processes to citizens, property owners, realtors, consultants, developers, and the general public; this includes zoning changes, plats, site plans, variances, specific use permits, limited use permits, and all other planning processes.
4. Review applications for zoning permits, site plans, subdivision plats, variances and other development plans, ensuring conformance with City regulations and provide comments and recommendations.
5. Prepare staff reports, exhibits, memorandums and other documentation for planning matters and present findings and recommendations to various Boards, Commissions and/or the City Council. Create and maintain GIS data sets. Manage and execute digital and hard copy file organization.
6. Attend after-hours meetings, workshops, and public hearings as required.
7. Enforce or assist in the enforcement of ordinances and regulations pertaining to planning and development as contained within the City’s Code of Ordinances, and relevant State laws.
8. Enforce conditions and requirements as approved on planning and development documents for specific use permits, limited use permits, variances, site plans, plats.
9. Conduct research and develop planning studies and reports to support updates to local plans, policies, and regulations.
10. Prepare studies, designs, reports or plans as component parts of major planning or development projects, including long-range planning documents, impact fee studies, capital improvement programs, thoroughfare planning, subdivision ordinance revisions, and zoning ordinance amendments.
11. Assist with annexation and development agreement procedures and processes, including the enforcement of active development agreements.
12. Coordinate with various City departments, consultants, contractors, and State and Federal agencies on the implementation of planning and/or development projects.
13. Be helpful, cooperative and courteous, and demonstrate a good attitude in all dealings with the public, co-workers and others.
14. Be punctual and in attendance on a regular basis.
15. Demonstrate initiative and diligence in the prompt and proper completion of all job duties, whether or not listed in this Job Description.
16. Safeguard City property and recognize and report needed repairs.
17. Work safely, follow safety rules and training, and maintain a clean, safe and healthful working environment.
18. Maintain appropriate confidentiality with regard to Police and other City business.
19. Make presentations as needed, highlighting Department needs, statistics, crime data and other information as directed.
20. Perform other duties as assigned by the Assistant City Manager or City Manager.

Education and Basic Requirements

The Director must meet the following minimum requirements.

1. Four (4) years of increasingly responsible urban planning experience to include one (1) year supervisory or management experience.
2. Bachelor's Degree from an institution accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency.
3. Satisfactory results of background and employment screening checks including physical exam and driver license check.
4. Have and maintain a clear and valid Texas Class C or higher driver’s license and a satisfactory driving record.

Other Requirements

The Director must have significant knowledge, skills, and abilities as shown below.

Knowledge of:

1. Land Use and General Planning and Zoning processes;
2. Basic principles and practices of urban planning and development;
3. Basic statistics and data gathering methods;
4. Basic principles of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applicable to municipalities; Microsoft Office, ArcGIS, and Adobe software.
5. Modern office procedures methods and computer equipment and programs;
6. Property boundary descriptions, local zoning and subdivision regulations and the ability to learn to interpret them;
7. Research methods and techniques and pertinent federal, state and local laws, codes and regulations; and
8. Fundamental understanding of laws underlying general plans, zoning and land divisions.

Skill in:

1. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking appropriate questions and not interrupting inappropriately;
2. Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents;
3. Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems;
4. Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions in order to choose or recommend the most appropriate action; and
5. Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Ability to:

1. Interpret planning and zoning programs;
2. Understand, interpret and utilize documents and maps, current literature, information sources and research techniques in the field of urban planning;
3. Use job-related software at an intermediate level of proficiency;
4. Perform basic plan checking activities;
5. Communicate clearly, concisely and effectively, both orally and in writing;
6. Interpret, administer, update and apply state and local policies, procedures, laws, codes, and regulations;
7. Prepare spreadsheets and reports and conduct research using appropriate sources;
8. Create and maintain GIS datasets and online mapping services, and prepare maps as requested,
9. Provide exceptional customer service regarding planning and zoning and respond to and resolve difficult and sensitive citizen inquires and complaints; and
10. Work independently and creatively.

Physical and Mental Requirements

In order to successfully achieve the goals of the City, the Director must meet the following physical and mental requirements with or without reasonable accommodation.

1. The ability to understand, learn, remember and communicate information about the job.
2. The ability to understand the meaning of words and use the English language to speak understandably and communicate effectively.
3. Good hearing and listening abilities, that is, the Director must be able to hear spoken words from co-workers, supervisors and others.
4. Ability to logically process information.
5. Work efficiently and effectively under pressure in order to meet deadlines.
6. Sit, stand, move around, bend, stoop, reach, stretch, grasp, push and/or pull, and remain upright for extended periods of time. Must be able to lift or move objects weighing as much as twenty-five (25) pounds. The activities and the approximate amounts of time required per day for each are shown below. The individual times may not sum to one hundred (100) percent.
7. Sitting - 75%
8. Bending - 25%
9. Standing - 25%
10. Lifting and/or moving objects up to 25 pounds - 5%
11. Pushing or pulling - 10%
12. Reaching - 10%
13. Moving around, in and out of the office environment - 25%