Director of Planning and Development

City of Martinsburg•Martinsburg, WV

14d

About The Position

Performs a variety of supervisory, administrative, technical, and professional work in the current and long-range planning programs of the city related to the development and implementation of land use and related municipal plans and policies. A major portion of the work is performed mostly in an office environment. Some outdoor work is required in the inspection of various land use development, construction sites, or public works facilities. Field inspections are subject to all weather conditions which may cause dangerous inspection circumstances. The noise level is usually quiet in the office work and moderate to loud in the field work.

Requirements

Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Public Administration, or a closely related field preferred. Graduation from a four-year college or university with a degree in urban planning, public administration, or a closely related field, and 7–10+ years of experience in municipal planning, zoning, or preservation. An equivalent combination of experience and training which indicates possession of the knowledge, skills, and other characteristics may be substituted for the above qualifications.
7–10+ years of experience in municipal planning, zoning, or preservation. Experience supervising staff and managing departmental operations.
Proficiency in GIS, permitting software, and presentation tools.
Deep knowledge of zoning law, land use policy, and public engagement.
Extensive knowledge of planning programs and processes.
Strong communication and presentation skills.
Ability to communicate ideas effectively both orally and in writing, with people on all levels.
Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with City officials, department heads, associates, and the general public.
Commitment to Martinsburg’s values and long-term sustainable growth.
Professionalism and ability to deal with the public in a calm, reasonable, and rational manner.
Familiarity with GIS, permitting software, and planning technologies.
Ability to multi-task in changing situations, without undue stress or frustration.
Must be physically capable of moving about on construction work sites and under adverse field conditions.
Use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls. Hand-eye coordination is required to operate testing instruments, computers, and various pieces of office equipment. Reach with hands and arms. Must be able to occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Stand, walk, sit, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crawl, and/or crouch. Driving.
Sight, hearing, speech, and smell. Must be able to speak and hear. Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
Ability to read, speak, and write English. Ability to effectively communicate and project positive attitude. Must be able to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.

Nice To Haves

AICP certification strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Maintains the required confidentiality of all work.
Oversees development, implementation, and oversight of the City’s comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance, and subdivision regulations.
Supervises planning and zoning staff and consultants, including hiring, training, and performance evaluation.
Advises City Council, Planning Commission, and Historic Preservation Review Commission.
Coordinates with Public Works, Engineering, Legal, and Building Inspection on development matters.
Facilitates public hearings, workshops, and community outreach.
Reviews site plans, rezoning requests, and ordinance updates.
Manages departmental budget, contracts, and consultant coordination.
Advises on land use legislation and policy changes.
Presents strategic planning cases at public hearings.
Participates in emergency planning related to land use and infrastructure resilience.
Stays informed about planning trends, technologies, and regulations.
Manages and supervises planning operations to achieve goals within available resources; plans and organizes workloads and staff assignments; trains, motivates, and evaluates assigned staff; reviews progress and directs changes as needed.
Provides leadership and direction in the development of short and long-range plans; gathers, interprets, and prepares data for studies, reports, and recommendations.
Oversees assigned projects to ensure contractor compliance with time and budget parameters.
Provides professional planning and land use advice to City Council, City Manager, Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Code Appeals Board, and other officials; makes private and public presentations to supervisors, boards, commission, civic groups, and the general public.
Maintains the planning library and infrastructure records and communicates official plans, policies, and procedures to staff and the general public.
Assures that assigned areas of responsibility are performed within budget; performs cost control activities; monitors revenues and expenditures in assigned area to assure sound fiscal control; assures effective and efficient use of budgeted funds, personnel, materials, facilities, and time.
Determines work procedures, prepares work schedules, and expedites workflow; studies and standardizes procedures to improve efficiency and effectiveness of operations.
Reviews utility permits, street use permits, franchise utility permits, etc.
Issues written and oral instructions; assigns duties and examines work for exactness.
Maintains regular contact with consulting planners, City, County, State, and Federal agencies, professional and technical groups, and the general public regarding division activities, services, city planning, and zoning regulations and ordinances; resolves complex disputes between planners and applicants as required.
Supervises the development and implementation of growth management, land use, utility, housing, transportation, park and open space, facilities, or other plans and codes to meet the City’s needs and any inter-governmental agreements or requirements.
Supervises the evaluations of land use proposals for conformity to established plans and ordinances; evaluates proposals’ development impact as they relate to the adopted plans of the City and make recommendations.
Evaluates land use proposals to ensure compliance with applicable City, State, or Federal laws, sign permits. Reviews subdivision plats, boundary line adjustments, and minor land development proposals.
Ensures the maintenance of accurate and complete records of department activities and of records relating to licenses, permits, maps, blueprints, overlay, and sketches pertinent to urban planning and development programs and projects.
Provides staff support to the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Code Appeals Board, and Historic Preservation Review Commission as needed.
Evaluates environmental information and recommends mitigation measures to reduce adverse impacts of development.
Assists in the designs for parks, streetscapes, historic preservation, and other municipal projects.
Any and all other duties assigned by the City Manager.