Director, Central Maryland

State of Maryland•Baltimore City, MD

3d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) is seeking a talented, knowledgeable, and motivated professional to join its Planning Best Practices Division and expand its Regional Planning Program in the Central Maryland region. As a cabinet level state agency, MDP collaborates closely with Maryland’s cities, towns, and counties to build a more sustainable and thriving future. MDP’s Regional Planning work program presents an unparalleled variety of projects for the proper candidate, including municipal and county community and economic development, best practices and curriculum development, regional coordination, statewide policy review, and comprehensive sustainable growth implementation. This position serves as one of the division’s leaders, alongside the Directors of Eastern and Western Maryland. Two upcoming statewide planning efforts, overhauling Maryland’s comprehensive planning framework and drafting the next state development plan, offer exciting opportunities to advance revitalization, housing supply, sustainable transportation, and regionally tailored development. In addition to managing the Southern Maryland Baltimore Metro Regional Planners, this position has its own regional planning duties for Frederick, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties and the municipalities therein. This position will be located at the Department of Planning’s new office in the City of Baltimore at 120 E. Baltimore St. This Position is eligible for Telework.

Requirements

Possession of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university that includes 30 credit hours in Planning, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies, Architecture, Public Administration, Engineering, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Economics, Public Finance, Political Science, Sociology, Regional Science, Information Technology or Urban Affairs.
Three years of experience in research and planning projects related to the development and use of land, water, transportation, community, or natural resources by assisting in obtaining, analyzing and conducting research on demographic, socio-economic, political, cultural, geographic or land-use trends.
Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields can substitute for one year of the required experience.
An additional master’s degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields can substitute for one additional year of the required experience.
A Doctorate degree from an accredited college or university in one of the specified educational fields can substitute for two years of the required experience. Two years is the maximum number of years that may be substituted by education for the required experience.
U.S. Armed Forces military service experience as a commissioned officer in Logistics, Urban Planning, Architect, Geospatial Intelligence Analyst or Cryptologic classifications; or Logistics, Urban Planning or Architect specialty codes in the Architect field of work, on a year-for-year basis, for the required experience and education.

Nice To Haves

2 years experience with managing and executing complex planning and community development projects that involve multiple stakeholders
2 years experience with making public presentations representing a department or organization
2 years experience and proficiency with GIS, urban design, landscape architecture, Adobe, or other similar software visualization tools.

Responsibilities

Manages the Southern Maryland and Baltimore Metro Regional Planners, including the assignment of work and coordination of the Maryland Department of Planning’s (MDP’s) local engagement.
Serves as the lead for MDP’s Central Maryland Planning Best Practices Program.
Provides managerial oversight of best practices development and planning liaison activities provided to appointed and elected officials, and staff of municipal and county planning departments, or other government agencies in Maryland’s Central Region (Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s, and St. Mary’s Counties).
Participates in these activities as needed to meet regional demands, at the direction of the Director of Planning Best Practices, or as Central Region staffing needs require it.
Ensures technical assistance services provided are consistent with, and in furtherance of, the programs and policies of MDP.
Responsible for allocating Central Maryland Region staff resources, as well as coordinating with other MDP division staff to secure their resources, to meet fluctuating project and programmatic demands by both content area and jurisdiction.
Visits the Central Maryland region as required by the Director of Planning Best Practices to advance department programs and projects.
Reviews and approves formal plan reviews of Central Maryland Region staff and ensuring they advance MDP policy and objectives and demonstrate high quality, accurate analysis.
Supervises two full-time regional planners who develop and advance planning best practices and provide general planning advice and technical assistance to municipalities and counties in the Central Maryland Region.
Establishes systems, resources, capacity building mechanisms, and partnerships which municipalities and counties can use to implement local planning programs and land use regulations with limited direct assistance from MDP staff.
Oversees the provision of direct technical assistance to jurisdictions where appropriate and as directed by department leadership.
Serves as the lead Regional Planner for the Maryland Capital Region (Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George’s Counties) and the liaison to the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
Completes statutorily mandated local government plan reviews and comments.
Prioritizes and assesses the work of supervised staff.
Organizes interagency coordination and work groups.
Manages technical assistance requests.
Deploys and maintains best practice resources.
Manages grants.
Develops and reviews legislative policies.
Creates new best practice resource and educational products.
Implements state planning legislation.
Coordinates local and regional planning collaborations.
Upgrades protocols and processes.
Assists in the administration of the division’s communication and local government services including preparing outreach materials, maintaining web-based information, responding to public inquiries, organizing statewide informational workshops, presentations, and webinars, and serving as the liaison between local governments and MDP leadership.
Prepares materials for division, department and regional meetings.
Allocates division resources.
Supports the preparation of annual reports to the Governor and General Assembly.