Development Services Director

Blount Partnership; Maryville (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Blount Partnership seeks a Development Services Director to oversee a unified department responsible for long-range community planning, land-use zoning, permit issuance, and code enforcement in Tennessee. The role consolidates planning, building, and environmental compliance under one executive authority.

The Director advises the County Mayor and boards, manages budgets and personnel, and ensures adherence to Tennessee codes, local zoning laws, and state environmental mandates.

Responsibilities

• Directs staff in preparing agendas, public legal advertisements, and technical reviews for the County Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).
• Evaluates subdivision plats, site plans, and zoning amendments to ensure alignment with the county's Master Comprehensive Growth Plan.
• Facilitates policy improvements as directed by the Planning Commission and County Commission.
• Prepares and maintains policy plans, land use plans, major road plans, and related plans; prepares yearly reports on implementation of plans.
• Oversees the intake, plan review, fee collection, and issuance of local residential and commercial building permits.
• Manages the county’s certified building inspectors to verify field compliance with ICC standards as adopted by the State of Tennessee.
• Directs code enforcement actions to resolve structural safety violations, illegal dumping, and hazardous land conditions.
• Prepares and presents the departmental budget before the County Commission.
• Directly hires, trains, supervises, and evaluates a multi-disciplinary team of planners, permit technicians, building inspectors, and stormwater technicians.

Job description

The Development Services Director performs administrative and highly technical professional work managing the county's unified development services department. This executive-level role consolidates long-range community planning, land-use zoning, building permit issuance, building code enforcement, and environmental stormwater compliance into a single point of authority. The Development Services Director ensures all public and private county development aligns with Tennessee Code Annotated (T.C.A.) regulations, local county zoning laws, state residential/commercial building codes, and TDEC environmental mandates. The position manages department personnel, administers budgets, and acts as the primary advisor to the County Mayor, County Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), and the Board of County Commissioners.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Planning and Zoning Administration

• Commission Liaison: Directs staff in preparing agendas, public legal advertisements, and technical reviews for the County Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA).
• Development Review: Evaluates subdivision plats, commercial site plans, and zoning text or map amendments to guarantee alignment with the county's Master Comprehensive Growth Plan.
• Facilitates policy improvements as directed by the Planning Commission and County Commission.
• Prepares and maintains policy plans, land use plans, major road plans, and related plans;
• Prepares yearly report on implementation of plans and participates in other local and regional planning activities;

Building Permits and Codes Enforcement

• Permit Program Management: Oversees the intake, plan review, fee collection, and issuance of local residential and commercial building permits.
• Inspection Supervision: Manages the county’s certified building inspectors to verify field compliance with the International Code Council (ICC) standards as adopted by the State of Tennessee.
• Code Enforcement: Directs code enforcement actions to resolve structural safety violations, illegal dumping, and hazardous land conditions.

Stormwater Management and TDEC Compliance

• MS4 Permit Management: Serves as the county’s legally responsible official for the federal Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program, ensuring full enforcement of local illicit discharge and land disturbance rules.
• SWPPP Engineering Review: Reviews site-specific Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPPs) and issues county land disturbance permits before any earth-moving construction occurs.
• Erosion Control Oversight: Coordinates field inspections of active construction sites to check that sediment control barriers meet state standards and protect local watersheds from runoff pollution.

Executive Department Leadership

• Fiscal Operations: Prepares and presents the comprehensive departmental budget before the County Commission.
• Staff Management: Directly hires, trains, supervises, and evaluates a multi-disciplinary team of planners, permit technicians, building inspectors, and stormwater technicians.