Job Posting - Director of Planning and Inspections

Director of Planning and Inspections

Organization: Orange County, North Carolina
Salary:
Close Date: Open until filled

Job Description:

Orange County is located in the north-central portion of North Carolina and is seated in Hillsborough. It is part of the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Metropolitan Statistical Area, which also includes the world-renowned Research Triangle Park. The combination of strategic location and exceptional quality of life makes Orange County a sought-after place in which to live, work, learn, and play. The County’s towns - Carrboro, Chapel Hill, Mebane, and Hillsborough - as well as its rural areas are marked by a stable labor market, well-educated workforce, low unemployment, and diversified employment base. At the heart of Orange County is the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which is perennially ranked as one of the nation's best undergraduate and graduate institutions. The County's two public school systems - Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County – rank among the best in the Southeast. The convergence of Interstates 40 and 85 in central Orange County gives the area access to Research Triangle and Piedmont Triad regions. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is fifteen miles east of Chapel Hill, while Piedmont Triad International Airport is about forty miles west of Hillsborough. In addition to solid education and location, Orange County offers a good dose of history - Hillsborough is home to more than one hundred structures dating from the late 18th century to the early 19th century.

Orange County operates under a Commissioner-Manager form of government. The governing body is the Board of County Commissioners (Board). The Board formulates policies, adopts the annual budget, and establishes a tax rate to support County operations and programs. The Board consists of seven commissioners, elected on a staggered basis to four-year terms. The County Manager is appointed the Board and is responsible to manage the County’s daily operations, to implement policies established by the Board and to administer the annual County budget. The County Manager has authority over County department heads and employees including the Director of Planning and Inspections.

The Planning and Inspections Department has an authorized staff of thirty-six full-time employees. It is organized into the following divisions: Administration Planning & GIS; Comprehensive Planning; Current Planning & Zoning; Engineering & Stormwater; and Inspections (Inspections. includes Building Inspection, Plans Examiner and Property Development).

Under general direction from the County Manager, The Director and is responsible to manage the Planning and Inspections Department in the performance of professional planning activities, and to ensure that federal and state grant funding is acquired and distributed in compliance with all mandates and regulations. He or she directs, manages and oversees building permits and inspections operations in accordance with the North Carolina State Building Code; zoning and subdivision review/enforcement in accordance with the Orange County Unified Development Ordinance; provides long range planning services and activities to those areas in Orange County lying outside municipal planning jurisdictions; provides transportation/transit planning at the local and regional level; and collaborates and coordinates with municipalities on mutual land use planning matters. The Director is required to lead and participate in the formulation, periodic analysis, and revision of a comprehensive planning program and is responsible for the direction and administration of all planning programs and policies for Orange County. Additionally, the Director provides professional staff support to the County Planning Board and Board of Adjustment.
For additional information about Orange County and the Planning and Inspections Department, visit www.orangecountync.gov.

Requires graduation from an accredited college or university with a master’s degree in Planning, Urban Studies, Environmental Studies, Public Administration, or closely related field AND six (6) years of progressively responsible work experience in local government planning AND three (3) years of work experience serving as an administrative head or deputy/assistant of a planning agency or an equivalent combination of training and experience as defined above.

The successful candidate will be:

· A compassionate and collaborative professional planner who can develop and mentor a capable and professional staff and is comfortable with delegating tasks, sharing information, trusting staff to perform the work, and managing multiple projects concurrently.

· A seasoned planner with experience in providing county level or regional planning, comprehensive and small area plans (land use, subdivision zoning, COG, MPO-transportation & bus transit system, and utility & watershed development as well as providing site plan review and building inspection services.

· A professional planner with the appropriate analytical skills and ability to provide objective recommendations and analysis relating to planning activities and situations and who can manage the work of the Department as requirements change.

· A planner who is cognizant of growth trends and issues and who will provide the necessary support to the County Board of Commissioners and other community organizations as they review both threats and opportunities in the community.

· A technically savvy planner who has background and experience in providing the appropriate technology (examples include Microsoft Suite, GIS mapping, remote workforce concepts, spreadsheets, and financial software). to support the long and short-term planning efforts of the staff and the communities that the Department serves.

· A politically savvy leader who can provide technical advice to County officials, as well as work with the County Planning Board and other local boards and commissions, as required and/or necessary, on their planning and growth needs.

· A strong communicator with a record in developing as well as supporting the needs of a professional planning team and Department.

· A seasoned professional leader who can "hit the ground running".

To Apply: The position will remain open until filled and the process will move forward immediately upon receipt of an adequate pool of well-qualified applicants. If interested, please email your resume and cover letter with current salary right away to slavin@bellsouth.net. For additional information about this job, contact Robert E. Slavin or Barbara Lipscomb at Slavin Management Consultants by phone at (770) 449-4656 or by email at slavin@bellsouth.net.

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY RECRUITER/EMPLOYER

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