Community & Regional Planning Director

Western Piedmont COG•Western Piedmont Council of Governments, NC

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Western Piedmont Council of Governments (WPCOG) is seeking energetic, self-motivated, and detail-oriented candidates for the position of Community & Regional Planning Director. WPCOG is an innovative and forward-thinking organization dedicated to addressing planning issues for the region, serving 28 local governments in western North Carolina. The Community & Regional Planning Department provides various planning services, acts as a consultant on discrete projects, and consists of thirteen full-time positions organized into four divisions: Community & Regional Planning, Code Enforcement & Emergency Planning, Research & Data Analytics Center & GIS Services, and Natural Resources & Environmental Planning. Key opportunities include leading the development of the 2027 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), supporting staff development and improving project management systems (including championing Airtable), and managing budgets and grants for departmental services and local government support.

Requirements

Strong interpersonal skills to work with the public, local officials, regional partners, and WPCOG staff.
Significant experience as a manager, assistant manager, department head, assistant department head/division manager at a local government, COG, or private sector planning services firm, or relevant organization.
Ability to lead strategic projects important to the region and organization.
Ability to develop and lead department managers and employees.
Demonstrated capability to develop and manage relationships with local government leaders.
Strong budgeting ability and understanding of complex organizations.
An inclination to develop new services and programs to serve our region and its local governments.
Considerable supervisory and administrative experience.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with community groups, federal, state, and regional, municipal, and county officials and staff, as well as with the general public.
An equivalent amount of education and experience may be considered.

Nice To Haves

Graduation from an accredited college or university with a Master’s Degree in public administration, urban, community, or regional planning, or related field.
Significant professional experience in public sector planning, administration, and management of federally funded programs.

Responsibilities

Plans, directs, organizes, supervises, and participates in the work of department staff responsible for planning, the research and data analytics center, and environmental programs.
Directs and coordinates assistance to local government members with grant programs, including grant writing and renewals.
Manages contracts with local governments.
Oversees budget preparation and maintenance across several work groups.
Coordinates work efforts among department work groups.
Serves as planning director for member local governments as assigned and contracted.
Sets strategic work plans, supervises efforts, and participates in grant administration and other tasks.
Leads the development and design of the 2027 CEDS and implementation of its critical components.
Identifies and sustains training tracks and needs for individual staff.
Improves project management systems within the department.
Champions the development and implementation of Airtable within the Planning department.
Seeks grants to support local governments, partners, and to build or expand departmental services.
Tracks multi-year grants and projects in conjunction with the Finance Department.