What are the responsibilities and job description for the Planning Manager - Community Development Department position at City of Blue Springs?
The Community
The City of Blue Springs, Missouri is strategically located near the center of Jackson County, Missouri at the eastern edge of the Kansas City metropolitan region. Located 19 miles east of downtown Kansas City, Blue Springs is the 9th largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area with an estimated population of 56,000. The city, which covers 22.26 square miles, is served by I-70 and by state highways 7 and 40 providing convenient commuter access to the various cultural, educational, social, legal, financial, and marketing institutions of the region.
Blue Springs is recognized as a community of choice for many reasons:
• Blue Springs is known for its favorable housing market, award-winning schools, and its designation as a preferred place to live for commuters.
• An average annual growth rate of 1.5% per year means that more people than ever are making Blue Springs their community of choice.
• Blue Springs’ geographic location proximity to Kansas City makes it an attractive residential area and a hub for commerce.
• Blue Springs takes pride in its nationally recognized park system, featuring 22 city parks, where residents can enjoy beautiful landscapes and take part in recreation activities.
The Position
As the Manager of the Planning Division in the City Development Department at the City of Blue Springs, you will join a vibrant team of professionals. This position is flexible in terms of being a great opportunity for either a current Planning Manager or Supervisor OR a seasoned an experienced Senior Planner looking to make the transition into a management role.
The key duties for this position include:
• Managing the development review activities and long-range comprehensive planning, historic preservation, Main Street, and downtown activities.
• Making presentations and providing advice to the City Council, Planning Commission, Board of Adjustment, Historic Preservation Commission, and other similar groups.
• Assists in the development and implementation of operational policies for the preparation of the department's fiscal and program budget; develops, reviews, and analyzes programs and special projects to assess effectiveness.
• Participates in the review and approval of development proposals; oversees enforcement of City zoning, subdivision, and planning codes; as well as application review and conditions of approval; oversees and/or performs field inspections for the planning division as necessary.
Coordinates with other departments involved in the development review process in order to ensure a uniform planning product; participates in staff meetings and conferences.
• Confers with citizen groups, applicants, and/or their representatives regarding the implementation of ordinances and other laws applicable to property development.
• Facilitates the communication of information regarding new legislation and current trends and practices in professional planning to staff.
• Supervises staff as assigned.
• Participates in the recruiting and selection of team members evaluates performance and provides feedback. May act in place of the City Development Director in his or her absence; oversees administrative procedures as directed.
Desired Capabilities
Education: Graduation from a recognized College or University with a Bachelor’s degree in planning, public administration, geography, architecture, community development, environmental sciences, landscape architecture, or a closely related field. A Master’s degree in Planning, Public Administration, or a closely related field may be substituted for one year of the non-specialized required experience.
Experience: Five years of increasingly responsible professional environmental and/or land use planning experience including two years of responsible supervisory, administrative, or managerial experience.
Licenses and Certificates: Valid, lawful driver’s license is required at the time of appointment.
Must be able to obtain American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Certification within one year of accepting the position.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Skills: Must have adequate skills to understand and operate assigned personal computer, multi-line desk telephone, voice mail, electronic mail, cellular telephone, and pager to ensure adequate and required levels of communication are achieved; convey complex job-specific information clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing; adapt readily and quickly to the changing dynamics of the workplace in terms of goals and objectives, technological changes and changing professional requirements; handle personal and job-related stress in a healthy and productive manner to ensure negative effects do not diminish job performance; establish and maintain appropriate professional working relationships with internal and external customers, ensuring adequate listening and problem-solving skills are used as necessary; and understand and apply required general safety and job-specific loss control and risk management programs, policies, and techniques.
Mental Requirements: Must have the capacity and demonstrated ability to: independently manage multiple assignments and tasks to ensure each is completed as required; and understand and apply specific City and department requirements, policies, and procedures when completing assigned tasks
Physical Requirements: Must have the physical ability to: sit for prolonged periods; understand normal conversation; physically move from one location to another; operate assigned equipment and tools; retrieve physical and electronic resources and information necessary to complete assigned tasks and, must be able to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds and transport it 15 feet.
Supervisory Responsibility: Provides direct supervision of assigned professional, technical, clerical, and volunteer staff.
The preceding job 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. These conditions are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.
The City of Blue Springs is an organization that strives to embrace the spirit of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive and barrier-free environment in which all individuals have access to the City's facilities. If contacted for an employment opportunity, please advise Human Resources if you require accommodation.
