JOB SUMMARY:
This is a professional position with the City of Frederick, Maryland, responsible for administering the City’s historic preservation planning program. This individual is a working manager responsible for assisting staff in the evaluation of applications for conformance with the City’s Historic District Design Guidelines and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The successful candidate serves as a key liaison to the community, commissions/boards, and applicants on historic preservation matters. This individual provides expertise to City departments, citizen review boards, businesses, and residents. This position receives direct supervision from the Deputy Director for Planning and supervises professionals, paraprofessionals and office support staff in the Historic Preservation Planning Division.
 
Regular hours are Monday through Friday centralized around the hours of 8:00 a.m. until 5 p.m. with regular work required after hours to attend public meetings.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Answers questions and provides technical assistance to staff, citizens, land use professionals, and others regarding Section 423 of the City’s Land Management Code (LMC), the Frederick Town Historic District Design Guidelines, Design Guidelines for Individual Districts, and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. 
• Supervises staff in the processing and technical review of applications for exterior rehabilitations and additions, accessory structures including fences and signs, new construction, and demolitions within the Frederick Town Historic District Historic Preservation Overlay (HPO) and in individually designated HPOs.
• Administers the City’s Certified Local Government Program in coordination with the Maryland Historic Trust to ensure that all training and technical requirements are met.
• Meets regularly with applicants to discuss applications.
• Oversees the preparation of written reports/documents to be presented to the Historic Preservation Commission, and, when applicable, the Planning Commission and Mayor and Board of Aldermen.
• Responsible for identifying, developing and managing research initiatives that implement the goals and objectives of the City’s Comprehensive Plan related to the documentation and preservation of history that reflects all segments of Frederick’s population.
• Responsible for overseeing the City’s Demolition Review process for properties outside of a designated HPO.
• Responsible for overseeing the annual administration of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit process. 
• Responsible for overseeing the administration of the City’s Archaeological Assessment process. 
• Provides technical and procedural support to the Historic Preservation Commission, and, when applicable, the Planning Commission and Mayor and Board of Aldermen at public meetings.
• Oversees the coordination of public notice requirements in accordance with the LMC and State Code, where applicable.
• Monitors the effectiveness of the Historic District Design Guidelines and relevant sections of the LMC and identifies opportunities for improvement or amendments necessary to comply with applicable State and Federal regulations.
• Assists in the investigation and resolution of alleged violations of the LMC and Historic District Design Guidelines.
• Oversees staff in the preparation and execution of community outreach initiatives, including the regular publication of local research articles and speaker presentations.
• Promotes the professional development and training of Historic Preservation Planning staff and Historic Preservation Commission members.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

 
QUALIFICATIONS: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 
REQUIRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in urban planning or a related field plus seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in land development review and architectural history.
• Experience with grant administration and contract management.

 
REQUIRED CERTIFICATES AND/OR LICENSES:

• Vehicle Operator’s license with satisfactory driving record that meets insurability standards of the City’s insurance carrier is required. The employee must maintain the license for the duration of their employment.

 
REQUIRED SKILLS (Communication/Language; Mathematical; Computer; etc.):

• Thorough knowledge of principles and practices of historic preservation planning and architectural history including methods of conducting research and statistical analysis.
• Extensive knowledge and demonstrated experience in working with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. 
• Strong and effective written and spoken communication skills including the ability to effectively and clearly present complicated information to officials, peer groups and citizen groups.
• Self-motivated, capable of taking initiative.
• Ability to effectively supervise and evaluate the performance of staff members, ensuring that staff members effectively carry out the responsibilities of their position.
• Ability to research issues, analyze data, and effectively writes reports and plans for presentation to elected officials, citizen boards, and the general public.
• Ability to interact with the general public and to respond to inquiries, by phone, email, and walk-ins, concerning all aspects of the development review process.
• Knowledge of basic computer software is required, MS Office and Adobe software, with familiarity of ARC view and GIS systems desirable.
• Ability to work evenings for scheduled meetings and special meetings as needed.

 
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the incumbent to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to frequently move about for long periods of time. The employee is required to occasionally remain in a stationary position for extended periods of time, to compile and retrieve information from computers, telephones phones, etc., to draft and write, and to handle paperwork. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include the ability to observe and inspect items directly in front or to either side of self, to assess items at a distance, to distinguish colors, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.
 
WORK ENVIRONMENT/CONDITION: The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
 
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to work in a typical office setting. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The employee may be occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions.