Urban and Regional Planners Jobs Near Me in South Carolina

Job Summary

Within broad parameters defined by the City Manager and in accordance with general organizational requirements and accepted practices, directs and manages the Planning and Development Department. Serves as advisor to City Council, City Manager, Planning Commission, Design Review Board, Historic Review Board, Board of Zoning Appeals, and other department heads on issues concerning land development and planning matters. Facilitates and implements the long- and short-range plans for the City, its business districts, corridors, and neighborhoods. Identifies complex obstacles to appropriate development growth and advances innovative and creative solutions to overcome them. Oversees appropriate development projects and adheres to the Greenville Development Code. Works with City Council, various Planning Boards and Commissions, other City Departments and the public on planning and development issues. Evaluates complex proposed development projects and determines compliance with City policies, objectives, and ordinances. Works collaboratively with other City departments, developers, design professionals and contractors to ensure that new construction meets City development objectives. Articulates City policies to the public. Advises and supervises staff in evaluating development applications and service delivery. Directs consultants, who carry out planning projects. Attends City Council, Design Review Board, Historic Review Board, Board of Zoning Appeals, Planning Commission, and Project Preview meetings. Provides timely and thorough responses to inquiries made by the public, City Council, and City Manager. Prepares, reviews, and/or edits City Council formal meeting and workshop information, documents, and material. Works with commissions, committees, and task force members as required. Develops, manages, and monitors the department’s annual budget.

Essential Functions	% of Time
Provide Overall Direction and Leadership to Department: Plan, communicate and provide a strategic vision and direction for the Planning and Development Department. Provide the leadership necessary to meet the City’s current and long-range needs. Oversee management of personnel through subordinate levels of supervision. Set priorities, delegate work assignments, projects, and programs; monitor workflow; and review and evaluate work products, methods, and procedures. Meet with staff on a regular basis to clarify mission and objectives. Provide policy guidance and interpretation to staff. Ensure that City and department policies as well as applicable law and ordinances are consistently enforced. Coordinate with Human Resources on various personnel matters. Oversee and direct recruitment and selection of Department personnel. Direct the annual review of departmental job descriptions to ensure roles and responsibilities of all positions are accurately reflected. Provide for staff training and professional development; lead and support department succession planning. Oversee, direct and implement consistent discipline procedures. Manage the Department’s annual performance evaluation process. Oversee, direct and implement programming and overall management of the City’s Civic Design Center.
Advise on Development and Planning Issues: Work with the City Manager, City Council, various Planning boards and commissions, other City departments and the public on planning and development issues. Ensure timely preparation and completion of accurate staff work for presentation to boards and commissions. Evaluate Department procedure regarding recommendations and implement changes to ensure efficiency and completeness. Develop training programs that improve the functioning of boards. Attend City Council, Design Review Board, Historic Review Board, Board of Zoning Appeals, Planning Commission, and Project Preview meetings. Communicate with City Council regarding actions of development boards. Work with Council to find solutions to development issues; head up task forces and develop recommendations. Advise Council on development, environmental, urban design, and infrastructure planning issues. Provide recommendations to Council regarding appropriate planning methodologies.
Evaluate Potential Development: Evaluate proposed development projects and determine compliance with City policies, objectives, and ordinances. Identify obstacles to appropriate development growth and advance innovative and creative solutions to overcome them. Work collaboratively with other City departments, developers, design professionals and contractors to ensure that new construction meets City development objectives. Articulate City policies to the public. Provide guidance and recommendations to achieve City development objectives. Make recommendations to the development process to achieve appropriate, compliant development. Apprise Planning and Development staff regarding recommendations to ensure compliance with City policy. Coordinate with other departments regarding potential developments.
Manage Long-Range Planning Efforts: Facilitate and implement the long- and short-range plans for the City, its business districts, corridors, and neighborhoods. Identify complex obstacles to appropriate development growth and advance innovative and creative solutions to overcome them. Supervise and advise staff on appropriate Comprehensive Plan amendments. Evaluate long-range planning goals and develop and execute implementation strategies. Advise staff on appropriate implementation mechanisms to ensure Comprehensive Plan conformance. Supervise staff and consultants preparing long range neighborhood and area plans.
Interpret City Development Regulations and Policies: Interpret City codes, regulations, plans, policies, and functions for staff, elected officials, boards and commissions and the public. Oversee zoning enforcement efforts. Approve violation and summons notices. Testify at court hearings. Meet with violators and negotiate ways to come into compliance.
Manage Department Budget: Provide administrative oversight of operational and capital improvement budget development and expense monitoring. Direct the development and submission of the annual department budget making operational and capital project budgetary recommendations to the City Manager, assuring that appropriate linkages exist between budget goals, funding limitations, and service levels adopted to meet specific departmental/organizational goals. Review expenditure reports and progress reports for operational and capital project budgets throughout the fiscal year. Conduct monthly monitoring of budget expenditures against budget allocation. Work collaboratively with Deputy Director, division administrators and Department staff in overcoming budget challenges within the fiscal year or project life. Work with Department staff in closing out completed budget year and capital projects.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

Master's degree in planning or related field.

Over eight (8) years of progressively responsible professional experience in planning or a related field with at least five (5) years of responsible supervisory and administrative experience.

Preferred Qualifications

AICP certification.

Driver's License Requirements

Valid South Carolina Class D Driver's License.

Performance Requirements

Knowledge of:

Principles and practices of city planning, including zoning, subdivision, and land use regulations.

Federal programs and regulations, state, and local laws, codes, regulations, and standards concerning land use and public planning.

Regulations and procedures regarding environmental issues.

Development plans review and permitting processes.

Multi-disciplinary construction and site plan requirements.

City codes and ordinances and state laws concerning code enforcement activities for new development.

Current and long-range comprehensive and neighborhood planning practices and procedures, land use regulation and issues, housing, transportation, infrastructure, economics, physical design, public administration, engineering, and finance as related to municipal planning.

Recent developments in the field of planning, as well as local, state, and federal grant regulations and compliance requirements.

Principles and practices of municipal finance and budget development, administration, and accountability including funding sources impacting program and service development.

Principles and practices of customer service.

Ability to:

Plan, organize, direct, and coordinate Planning and Development department operations, including the operations of the City's Civic Design Center, evaluate program and work objectives and effectiveness, establish broad organizational goals and realign work and staffing assignments for the department.

Make sound, logical interpretations of complex codes and regulations laws, and guidelines.

Manage multiple projects and perform a wide variety of duties and responsibilities with accuracy and speed under the pressure of time-sensitive deadlines.

Make recommendations regarding planning, zoning and design issues when applicable and interpret the City’s planning and zoning codes and procedures for City officials and the public.

Provide supervision, leadership, training and work direction for assigned staff.

Communicate at a superior level verbally and in writing, including capacity to communicate complex ideas and technical information clearly and compellingly to a variety of audiences, responding promptly to inquiries and issues with a solutions-oriented approach.

Apply the highest level of creative thinking, complex analysis and reasoning to originate and develop innovative program or production concepts, techniques or procedures which can have a major impact on the nature and quality of programming or operations.

Establish and maintain effective working relationships with City officials, City department heads, staff at all levels, consultants, the public and a wide range of external organizations and agencies, including the Chamber, Convention and Visitor Bureau, commercial realtors, developers, financial institutions, business and property owner associations, and City appointed boards and commissions, responding promptly and providing a superior level of customer service.

Effectively handle communications involving a high degree of difficulty (i.e. contentious, confidential, sensitive or political) with very diverse contacts both inside and outside of the organization.

Use discretion, persuasion, conciliation, dispute resolution, mediation or negotiation skills when dealing with and/or facilitating resolution of complex, unusual and difficult situations.

Handle situations that are often unique where precedents and/or prescribed solutions do not exist.

Consult on issues, presenting complex information, explaining analysis and rationale, and making recommendations to obtain cooperation, consensus, or approval of action to be taken.

Use tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within general policy, procedural, and legal guidelines.

Exercise integrity, ingenuity and inventiveness in the performance of assigned tasks.

Expertly conduct research, locate relevant information, and critically evaluate the research findings and prepare comprehensive reports. Write policies, contracts, speeches, formal presentations, and/or technical and legal documents and correspondence.

Read geographic maps, development site plans, blueprints, and tax maps.

Read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical journals and procedures, financial reports, legal documents, and governmental regulations as well as literature, books, reviews, reports, and abstracts.

Work with advanced mathematical operations methods and functions of real and complex variables.

Drive a City vehicle.

Operate general office equipment to include scanner, printer, copier, telephone, and computer with Microsoft Office Suite.

Working Conditions

Primary Work Location: Office environment.

Protective Equipment Required: None.

Environmental/Health and Safety Factors:
Relatively free from unpleasant environmental conditions or hazards. Seasonal exposure to extreme temperature and wetness and/or humidity.

Physical Demands:
Constantly requires fine dexterity, vision, hearing, and talking. Frequently requires standing, walking, sitting, and handling/grasping. Occasionally requires foot controls, kneeling, climbing, and twisting. Sedentary strength demands include exerting up to 10 pounds occasionally or negligible weights frequently; sitting most of the time.

Mental Demands:
Frequently requires time pressures, frequent change of tasks, irregular schedule/overtime, performing multiple tasks simultaneously, and working closely with others as part of a team. Occasionally requires emergency situations, tedious or exacting work, and noisy/distracting environment.

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance

The City of Greenville is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Prospective and current employees should contact Human Resources to request an ADA accommodation.

Disclaimer

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.

DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT - 0526

Planner I

Planning & Zoning Deputy Director

DIRECTOR OF PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT - 0526 in Greenville, South Carolina at City of Greenville (SC)

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