Community Development Director

City of Claremont•Claremont, CA

22h•Onsite

About The Position

The City of Claremont is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and solutions-oriented leader to serve as its next Community Development Director. This executive-level position offers an opportunity to lead a multidisciplinary department responsible for the planning, development, infrastructure, and preservation of a community known for its distinctive character, tree-lined neighborhoods, historic resources, and highly engaged residents. As a member of the City's executive management team, the Director will oversee a Community Development Department of approximately 23 positions encompassing Planning, Engineering, Building, and Community Improvement. The Director will work through experienced professional staff and division leadership to establish priorities, strengthen coordination across functions, streamline processes, and ensure responsive and effective service delivery. Claremont is seeking more than a technical expert. The successful candidate will be an experienced people leader and mentor who can develop staff, establish clear expectations, navigate challenging conversations, and create an environment of accountability, collaboration, and professional growth. At the same time, the Director must bring sufficient technical knowledge and municipal experience to provide sound guidance across the Department's diverse responsibilities and confidently advise the City Manager, City Council, commissions, staff, applicants, and community. The position reports directly to the City Manager and provides direct and indirect supervision over professional, technical, and administrative staff.

Requirements

Six years of responsible professional experience in urban planning or engineering, including four years of management and supervision of technical management staff.
A Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in city or regional planning, civil engineering, or a related field.
Possession of a valid California Class C driver's license and satisfactory driving record at the time of hire.
Demonstrated experience coaching, mentoring, and developing staff and establishing clear expectations and accountability.
Comfortable addressing difficult issues and having constructive conversations with employees, applicants, residents, and other stakeholders.
Understand municipal planning and development processes and possess sufficient breadth to effectively oversee Planning, Engineering, Building, and Community Improvement functions.
Look beyond individual divisions and identify opportunities to improve workflows, eliminate unnecessary barriers, and create efficient and coordinated processes.
Exercise sound judgment when balancing regulatory requirements, community expectations, development interests, organizational priorities, and practical considerations.
Communicate complex and sometimes sensitive information clearly to elected and appointed officials, employees, applicants, and members of the public.
Be politically astute without being political and able to successfully operate in a highly engaged community.
Build trust through consistency, transparency, follow-through, and respectful communication.
Bring a collaborative, solutions-oriented approach and be willing to make decisions when needed.

Nice To Haves

A Master's Degree in a related field is desirable.
Progressively responsible municipal experience, preferably at the Assistant Director, Deputy Director, Director, or comparable management level, and a demonstrated ability to lead professional and technical staff through subordinate managers and supervisors.
A confident and approachable leader who provides direction while empowering managers and subject-matter experts to lead their respective areas.

Responsibilities

Plans, organizes, directs, and evaluates the programs, services, and activities of the Community Development Department.
Provides executive leadership across these functions while empowering division leaders and professional staff to effectively manage their respective areas.
Establishes departmental priorities and performance expectations.
Develops and mentors staff.
Facilitates collaboration across divisions.
Evaluates and improves operational processes.
Oversees departmental personnel and administrative matters.
Manages the Department's budget.
Ensures high-quality, responsive service to internal and external customers.
Serves as a key advisor to the City Manager, City Council, Planning Commission, Architectural and Preservation Commission, and Traffic and Transportation Commission.
Translates complex technical and regulatory issues into clear information.
Provides thoughtful recommendations.
Effectively facilitates discussions involving competing interests and viewpoints.
Provides visible, consistent leadership to the Department's management and professional staff.
Establishes clear expectations, provides meaningful feedback and coaching, supports employee development, and effectively addresses personnel and performance matters.
Evaluates existing development review and departmental processes to identify opportunities for greater efficiency, consistency, coordination, and transparency.
Brings a solutions-oriented approach while balancing customer service with regulatory requirements and the City's established standards.
Helps lead Community Development's implementation of a new permitting system in partnership with Information Technology.
Plays an important role in ensuring the implementation is not simply a technology project, but an opportunity to evaluate workflows, streamline processes, and improve the experience of staff and customers.
Builds productive relationships with residents, applicants, developers, businesses, consultants, community organizations, and other stakeholders.
Listens to concerns, explains complex processes and requirements, manages expectations, and navigates challenging or competing interests professionally.