Planning & Permitting Ombudsman

Frederick County Government; Frederick (MD); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation leave

Sick leave with carryover

Health insurance

Job summary

Frederick County Government seeks a planning, zoning, and permitting professional to guide homeowners, agricultural applicants, and small businesses through regulatory processes. The role emphasizes project management for CIP and county initiatives while ensuring compliance and continuous process improvement.

You will collaborate with municipal partners, resolve high-level issues, and support strategic initiatives to enhance service delivery and reduce barriers in a complex permitting

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required in planning, civil engineering, construction management, public administration, or related field.
• Substitution: Associate’s degree with 7 years of relevant experience allowed.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical and administrative aspects required for assisting homeowners, small business owners, and the agricultural community through planning, zoning and permitting.
• Independently manage moderately-complex projects, including CIP, FCPS, and county-priority initiatives.
• Provide high-level guidance and problem resolution to move projects through planning, permitting, and construction processes.
• Represent the division in interactions with senior managers, division directors and municipalities, presenting updates and improvement strategies.
• Carry out strategic initiatives by eliminating barriers and improving programs.
• Assist with conflict resolution and cross-agency problem-solving across permitting, development, or inspection challenges.

Skills

Permitting types

Communication skills

Multitasking

Cross-agency collaboration

Data analytics

MS 365 / project tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in planning, civil eng., construction management, public administration, or related field

Associate’s degree + 7 years experience (substitution)

Tools

Microsoft 365 Suite

Permit software

Project management software

Job description

Exempt; full-time; 40 hours per week; Monday – Friday; 7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. full-benefits. Partial teleworking schedule may be available in accordance with Division policies.

This professional position is responsible for assisting applicants through the planning, zoning, and permitting processes with a primary focus on homeowners, agricultural applicants and small businesses. The position assists the Small Business Navigator in providing project management support for large, complex capital improvement projects (CIP), including FCPS and other county priority initiatives. The position provides technical and procedural oversight of permitting and other applications to ensure regulatory compliance and assists in process and workflow improvement efforts that reduce barriers and enhance service delivery. The role also supports strategic initiatives of the County Executive and Administration by resolving high level issues, advising leadership on regulatory or policy changes, and coordinating with municipalities and agency partners. In addition, the position serves as an Ombudsman by assisting with conflict resolution within Division and cross-agency problem-solving, addressing recurring or multi-agency applicant concerns, developing informational resources, performing site visits, and maintaining applicant support data to identify trends and recommend targeted process improvements. Direction is given to staff; supervision is received from the Deputy Division Director of Planning and Permitting.

NOTE: The upper pay range reflects possible wage rates for internal County transfers and promotions, which are calculated per County policy. For external hires, offers are made at the base wage rate, with limited exception.

Frederick County Government values the principles of diversity and inclusion, and strives to ensure equal opportunities for its workforce, applicants and community members.

TOTAL COMPENSATION PACKAGE

Frederick County offers an extensive compensation package to reflect how highly we value our employees. The following is what you can expect in your first year as a full-time benefited Frederick County Government employee.

• 11 days of Vacation leave with increase after 2 years of employment
• 15 days of Sick leave with unlimited annual carryover
• 11 paid holidays, plus 2 additional floating holidays (10 and 11 month employees may not receive all holidays)
• Day 1 coverage of comprehensive Medical Insurance Plan options to include generous County Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution (if enrolled in the high-deductible plan). This is part of a full range of benefits including Dental, Vision, and Flexible Spending
• Employee Health Center with no or low-cost primary and urgent care
• 100% County paid 2x annual salary Group Term Life Insurance and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) benefit
• County and Employee funded Defined Benefit Pension Plan
  • Vesting after 5 years of service
  • Additional service credit for eligible previous public service, military service, etc.
• Work/Life balance programs include: Employee Assistance Program and Employee Wellness Program
• Generous Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Other employee-paid benefits such as Deferred Compensation Plan, Legal Resources, Supplemental Life Insurance, Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Lifetime Benefit with Long Term Care plan

NOTE: Benefited employees will accrue service and leave based on the FTE and/or hours worked per calendar year.

For more information, visit our benefits page on the Frederick County Government job opportunities webpage .

• Lead the technical and administrative aspects required for assisting homeowners, small business owners, and the agricultural community through the planning, zoning and permitting process
• Independently manage moderately-complex projects, including CIP, FCPS, and county-priority initiatives, directing project activities from planning and design through construction and occupancy
• Provide high-level guidance and problem resolution to ensure projects move through the planning, permitting, and construction processes in an expedited manner
• Lead resolution of moderately-complex or sensitive code violations by coordinating with staff, technical experts, and municipal partners to develop compliant and effective solutions
• Represent the division in high-level interactions with senior managers, division directors, department heads, municipalities, and elected officials presenting updates, recommendations, and process-improvement strategies
• Carry out strategic initiatives by eliminating barriers, improving programs, and providing high-visibility support based on evolving priorities
• Assist with conflict resolution and cross-agency problem-solving by evaluating issues, coordinating with technical experts, and implementing compliant and effective solutions to complex permitting, development, or inspection challenges
• Develop handouts and informational bulletins that outline the review and approval processes for applicants
• Investigate and resolve complex applicant challenges across planning, zoning and permitting application and approval processes, providing recommendations for process improvements based on recurring issues
• Assist other staff in responding to emails and calls from applicants and other stakeholders
• Perform site visits and lead coordination with Main Street managers and town officials to assist small businesses and applicants through the county permitting and inspection processes
• Coordinate with the Office of Economic Development and division communications staff to develop and update public-facing resources that help applicants understand and navigate regulatory requirements
• Maintain and update applicant support systems, including databases, metrics, reports, and annual summaries to leadership and elected officials
• Participate in pre-application meetings with business owners, contractors, and review agencies
• Assist in the management of complex projects, as needed

• Perform other related duties as required

To perform this job successfully, an employee must be able to perform all essential functions satisfactorily. Any employee's position may not be assigned all functions or equipment listed above, and the examples may not cover all functions or equipment that may be assigned. Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform their essential functions.

The qualifications/requirements, knowledge/skills/abilities and physical requirements or working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

• Bachelor’s degree in planning, civil engineering, construction management, public administration, or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in planning, zoning, land use, construction codes, or a closely related field

Substitutions for the above-listed required education and experience are an Associate’s degree with 7 year experience as described above.

KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS / ABILITIES

A successful incumbent operating in this role displays the following:

• Advanced knowledge of all permitting types
• Advanced knowledge of the functions, operations, and interdependencies of government agencies involved in development review and planning including site planning, subdivision, and land‑use planning
• Intermediate knowledge of project management principles, process improvement methodologies, and workflow analysis
• Advanced knowledge of laws, codes, and regulations related to planning, zoning, permitting, local land use, land preservation, and Frederick County’s permitting and construction processes
• Advanced knowledge of the principles and objectives of permitting and inspection functions
• Intermediate knowledge of site planning, subdivision, and land‑use planning
• Advanced knowledge of division and departmental procedures for application acceptance, submission, and code requirements
• Intermediate knowledge of construction industry practices and related terminology
• Intermediate knowledge of the functions and interdependencies of government agencies involved in development review, permitting, and inspections
• Ability to demonstrate technical judgment when assisting with planning and permitting processes
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with the public, including those with varying levels of understanding of planning and permitting requirements
• Strong and effective written and spoken communication skills, including the ability to prepare and present clear, concise reports and information to Division leadership
• Skill in customer service, including handling sensitive, confidential and complex inquiries
• Skill in evaluating processes, identifying inefficiencies, and recommending improvements
• Skill in data tracking, analysis, and reporting to support metrics and applicant support systems
• Ability to effectively utilize Microsoft 365, project review and project management tools, permitting software, and related application processing systems
• Ability to moderately complex projects through pre-application, review, construction, and completion, while administering multiple project assignments simultaneously
• Ability to investigate and resolve applicant challenges across planning, zoning, permitting, and inspection processes
• Ability to coordinate multiple assignments simultaneously
• Ability to collaborate effectively across agencies, municipalities, and internal work groups, and maintain positive working relationships with applicants and stakeholders
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with co-workers, developers, business owners, government agencies, municipalities, and the public, including individuals with differing backgrounds, objectives, and priorities
• Ability to work with department and division leadership to improve service delivery through the development and implementation of revised procedures and protocols

PREFERENCE MAY BE GIVEN FOR

• Experience working with a municipal or county government
• Work experience applying planning and permitting policies and procedures

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS

• While working in this position, the employee is required to consistently sit and rarely lift up to 20 pounds
• While working in this position, the employee is required to consistently work indoors

• Failure to meet or maintain the minimum qualifications or additional requirements may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination
• Requires the ability to arrange and complete travel to various sites (using a car or other reliable transportation
• Available for varied working hours (which may include evening hours) for scheduled meetings, workshops and other departmental priorities

KIND OF EXAMINATION (may include)

1. An evaluation of training and qualifications
2. One or more interviews