Development Services Director

Theuniversityunion; Maryville (TN); On-site; USD 119,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Paid holidays

Pension

Job summary

Blount County Government in Maryville, TN is seeking a Development Services Director to lead the unified development services department, combining planning, zoning, permits, and stormwater compliance into a single authority.

The role oversees staff, budgets, and advisory relations with the County Mayor, Planning Commission, and boards. A Bachelor's in a related field and 5–7 years of public sector management are required; AICP certification is highly preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Administration, or related field.
• Master's degree is highly desirable.
• Five to seven years of public sector management experience in planning, codes enforcement, or stormwater.
• AICP certification preferred; CPESC or TDEC Level 1/2 within one year of hire; TN driver's license.

Responsibilities

• Planning and Zoning Administration: liaison, agendas, and reviews for planning commissions and BZA.
• Development Review: evaluate plats, site plans, and amendments to align with growth plans.
• Building Permits and Codes Enforcement: permit intake, plan review, and code enforcement.
• Stormwater Management: MS4 compliance, SWPPP review, and erosion control oversight.
• Fiscal Operations: prepare and present departmental budgets.
• Staff Management: supervise and evaluate a multi-disciplinary team.

Skills

Public administration

Customer service

Leadership/Staff management

GIS

CAD

Education

Bachelor's degree in Urban Planning/Civil Engineering/Public Administration

Master's degree desirable

Tools

GIS

CAD

Job description

• Location Blount County,Maryville, TN, 37804,United States
• Base Pay $119,000.00 - $140,000.00 / Year
• Job Category County
• Employee Type Full Time

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.

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.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS TO PERFORM WORK

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in Urban Planning, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science, Public Administration, or a closely related field. A Master's degree is highly desirable.

Experience: Five to seven years of public sector management experience spanning municipal/county planning, structural codes enforcement, or civil stormwater management.

Certifications:

American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification is highly preferred.

Valid certification or capability to obtain a Certified Professional in Erosion and Sediment Control (CPESC) or Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) Level 1/2 certification within one year of hire.

Valid Tennessee Driver's License.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

Must be able to attend frequent evening public meetings and hearings.

Must be able to promote and provide excellent customer service to the public.

Ability to effectively present complex zoning information to public audiences and manage contentious community growth disputes.

Physical capacity to perform occasional field reviews and site visits over uneven rural terrain.

Knowledge of departmental practices and systems.

Skilled in using computers for word processing and/or accounting purposes.

Skilled in using highly technical computer applications, such as GIS or CAD.

Ability to work in a dynamic environment that requires adaptation to changing goals, priorities, and needs.

Ability to supervise, organize, and communicate effectively.

Ability to maintain constructive and cooperative working relationships with others.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently required to sit, reach, and manipulate objects, tools, and/or controls. The position requires mobility. Duties may involve regularly moving materials weighing up to 10 pounds. Manual dexterity and coordination are required over 50% of the work period while operating equipment, such as a computer keyboard, mouse, calculator, and similar machines. The position requires hearing, mental acuity, speaking, and visual acuity.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Most work is performed in a well-lit, modern office setting with centrally controlled heating and air conditioning.

BENEFITS

Full-time benefits include medical, prescription, dental, vision, FSA, HSA, optional USAble, paid holidays, paid sick days, paid vacation, EAP, retirement planning, pension, employee clinic, employee discounts, and more.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described. Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.

Blount County Government participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.