Planning & Development Services Director

County of Morgan; Utah; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Morgan County seeks a Planning and Development Director to lead the Planning and Development Department, guiding ordinance development, policy implementation, and urban-rural planning initiatives. The Director acts as lead advisor to the County Commission and oversees zoning and floodplain administration.

The role requires directing staff, coordinating with departments, and maintaining strong public relations while ensuring compliance with county and state laws.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of planning and development codes and procedures.
• Ability to lead and manage planning staff and performance.
• Experience with budget development and ordinance implementation.
• Ability to communicate clearly with the public and officials.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate planning division work and act as Senior Planner for current and long-range planning.
• Review development applications for conformity with plans and ordinances.
• Provide staff support to officials and public inquiries on planning matters.
• Develop contracts and promote customer service within the department.
• Prepare department budgets and oversee implementation with the County Commission.
• Attend evening Planning and County Commission meetings as directed.

Skills

Staff leadership

Planning & development codes

Interagency coordination

Public administration knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in urban planning/related field

Master’s degree preferred

Job description

MORGAN COUNTY

Position: Planning and Development Director

Employment: Full-time

Department: Planning and Development

FLSA Status: Exempt

Supervisor: Morgan County Administrative Manager

Employer: Morgan County

Oversees the management, coordination, and policy implementation of all aspects of planning and development within the County. Is responsible for ordinance and policy development, natural resources planning, and special projects of significant complexity; serves as lead planning advisor to the Morgan County Commission; and functions as Morgan County Zoning Administrator and Morgan County Floodplain Administrator.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

• Coordinates work in the planning division; works as the County's Senior Planner; coordinates current and long range planning, general plans, ordinance development, and enforcement of development and zoning codes.
• Reviews development applications for conformity to long range plans and current County Ordinances.
• Coordinates activities of the Building Official.
• Provides staff support to elected and appointed officials with regard to planning goals and objectives; answers questions of the general public regarding planning in Morgan County; works with and provides technical assistance to neighborhood groups and associations.
• Develops contracts with government agencies, community leaders, land developers, contractors and builders in a timely manner or within generally accepted timelines; promotes a high level of customer service in the Department and provides good public relations.
• Attends evening meetings of Morgan County Planning Commission and the County Commission as directed.
• Responsible for the recruitment, selection, retention, and development of department employees; provides direction, guidance, and performance management; actively manages, coaches, and provides feedback to Planning and Development Services staff; responsible for documentation of performance issues.
• Prepares and submits department organizational plans and programs to the County Commission and is responsible for the execution and implementation of the same.
• Responsible for the creation and management of the Planning and Development Services Department budget under the direction of the County Commission.
• Actively pursues means of streamlining the development process; responsible for analyzing new and proposed development; ensures all development applications are properly monitored and tracked to ensure timely review and completion.
• Implements ordinances, policies, procedures, standards, and qualifications regulating development.
• Works with applicants to provide complete development submittals for Planning Commission and County Commission review and provides recommendation for the same; provides detailed information to all applicants of requirements necessary in obtaining permits.
• Provides detailed feedback to any applicants who fail to meet the necessary requirements in obtaining a permit; i.e. what was missing or caused their application to be turned down; establish a tracking system to detail the status of each and every application.
• Routinely attends meetings of the County Commission and Planning Commission and presents information and participates in discussion relevant to development in the County.
• Participates as a leader in a management team responsible for the administrative affairs of the County in a manner consistent with adopted policies.
• Advises in the executive and legislative affairs of the County with respect to relevant departmental purview.
• Works to establish and maintain effective and positive relationships all departments in the county, appointed and elected officials of surrounding communities and seeks to develop cooperative programs which benefit the citizens of Morgan County; maintain effective and positive relationships with the development community.
• Must exercise initiative and sound judgment; react resourcefully under varying stressful conditions and environment.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE AND CERTIFICATIONS:

• High school diploma or equivalent and, graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a Bachelor's Degree in urban planning, geography, urban design, public administration, or a related field. Master's Degree preferred; AND

• Five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in the formulation and administration of development codes, planning policies and procedures in a rural environment

NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Considerable knowledge of various planning and development codes, procedures and requirements related to review of plans and community development in compliance with all applicable laws, ordinances, and regulations; planning and development methods and procedures typical to county infrastructure.
• Ability to lead, guide, mentor and performance manage planning and development staff ensuring effective and smooth department operation while following all applicable employment laws.
• Considerable knowledge of the Building, Mechanical, Plumbing, Electrical and Energy Codes; considerable knowledge of current building construction methods, materials, tools, and equipment.
• Must have the ability to learn quickly in a challenging dichotomous environment of rural preservation and changing urban trends.
• Must be competent in providing development reviews (i.e. subdivision, conditional use, site plan, etc.); have the ability to comply with applicable county and departmental policies and safety standards.
• Ability to read and accurately interpret plans and specifications of any complexity, and to compare them with construction in progress; have some knowledge of environmental laws and processes pertaining to institutional controls.
• Ability to make a decision or solve a problem by using logic to identify key facts, explore alternatives, and propose quality solutions.
• Read, interpret and apply laws, rules, regulations, policies and/or procedures; abide by laws governing access to public and private records (Government Records Access and Management Act).
• Ability to maintain cooperative working relationships with coworkers, management, contractors, developers and public contacted during the course of work activities; communicate effectively verbally and in writing; understand and follow clear work instructions; distill relevant and useful elements from vast amounts of information.
• Ability to take initiative in addressing problems in day to day operations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive records and information.
• Ability to promote a positive attitude, and motivate peers to work as a team.

SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS:

• Must possess a valid Utah State Driver's License
• Must be proficient in writing new code or revising existing code to provide for the unique needs of the County
• Must be proficient in reviewing and/or writing development agreements
• Must possess a clear understanding of the creation and implementation of special zoning districts tailored for resort development, mixed uses, and planned unit developments
• Must be able to attend evening meetings
• AICP Certification is preferred

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The physical demands of this position and work environment characteristics described are representative of those that must be met or will be encountered by an employee while successfully performing the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk, talk or hear; use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Occasionally lifts, carries, pushes, pulls, or otherwise moves objects weighing up to 30 pounds.

Work is performed mostly in office settings. Some outdoor work is required in the inspection of various land use developments, or construction sites. Hand-eye coordination is necessary to operate tools, computers and various pieces of office equipment. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet. Work is performed in an office or other environmentally controlled room.

Possible Job Modifications: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of the specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. The job description is subject to change by the County as the needs of the County and requirements of the job change. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.