Recruitment Brochure

WORKING FOR THE CITY OF MCKINNEY
Working for the City of McKinney is more than a job.  It is an opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.  It is also an opportunity to have a hand in the development of one of the fastest growing communities in the nation.  In 2014, our community was named "The #1 Best Place to Live in America."  Although proud of that honor, everyone on our team is committed to making McKinney an even better place to live, work and raise a family.  That's why we exist.
 
OUR CORE VALUES
City of McKinney employees work hard and at a very fast pace.  However, we also look after and support one another.  All of us are guided by four employee-inspired values – Respect, Integrity, Service, and Excellence (RISE).  We are also supported by servant-based leaders who foster and support a healthy, family-oriented culture.  All new employees are expected to embrace and live by our core values and commit to helping us sustain our exceptional work environment as a high performance organization.
 
SUMMARY OF POSITION
The Assistant Director of Planning supports the Director of Planning in providing leadership, administration, management, strategic thinking, visioning, and development of the Planning Department. The Assistant Director should be a confident, self-disciplined person who can work closely with the Department Director, elected and appointed officials, other city departments, public agencies, developers and the public to ensure that the work performed by the department meets the quality standards established by the City. In addition to supporting the Department Director, this position will also have primary management responsibility for preserving and revitalizing the historic assets of the city. This includes but is not limited to development and redevelopment in the city's Historic Town Center, historic preservation, implementation of innovative financing tools and incentive programs, and management of the Historic Preservation Advisory Board (HPAB). In order to be successful, the person in this position must be able to motivate and inspire staff to strive for excellence while thriving in an innovative, fast-paced and competitive environment.

Essential Functions/Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

GENERAL EXPECTATIONS FOR ALL EMPLOYEES 
In order for us to continue to achieve our primary function of making McKinney a better place to live, work, and raise a family, we hold these expectations for all employees.

• Learn and demonstrate an understanding of how team, department, and City goals are interconnected.
• Contribute to a positive work culture.
• Maintain regular and reliable attendance.
• Ability to assess his/her work performance or the work performance of the team.
• Contribute to the development of others and/or the working unit or overall organization.
• Ability and willingness to work as part of a team, to demonstrate team skills, and to perform a fair share of team responsibilities.
• Ability to continuously learn and develop through a mix of internal and external training opportunities, and if applicable, encourage subordinates to do the same.

 
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist in providing leadership for interpreting, implementing, and enforcing development regulations such as the zoning ordinance and subdivision ordinance, in support of growing a strong and resilient community.
• Meet with and manage others' interactions with key City Staff in order to further the land use and development goals of the city including members of the Engineering Department, Fire Marshal's Office, City Attorney's Office, City Manager's Office, the City Secretary, the Chief Building Official, Parks, Recreation and Open Space, etc.
• Manage professional and technical personnel in a faster-than-average paced environment which places importance on timely, thorough and error-free work.
• Make interpretations/determinations on complex development issues.
• Advise developers, property owners, and the public regarding planning issues.
• Resolve citizen and developer concerns.
• Conduct organizational and operational studies and recommend modifications to programs, policies, and procedures.
• Develop realistic and attainable goals through a team process and ensure success through assigned accountability and the use of performance measures.
• Develop and maintain a knowledgeable, service-oriented, productive work group; supervise staff, either directly or through others.
• Utilize data and other analytical information to improve efficiency, manage resources, improve services and improve decision-making.
• Actively seek input and information from a variety of different viewpoints in order to develop, oversee, and implement new and innovative programs and services that emphasize creative problem solving; solicit employee participation to continuously improve the department.
• Represent the City on multi-agency committees. Attend professional conferences and seminars to stay abreast of changes and trends in the planning and development field.
• Ensure the success of McKinney's Historic Town Center through the direct management and leadership of activities such as historic preservation, revitalization, economic development, and neighborhood empowerment.
• Manage the implementation of the TIRZ district(s), including presentations to the TIRZ Board(s).
• Perform public relations and outreach work related to planning and development activities, including attendance at opening, ribbon cuttings, community events, and other official functions.
• Serve as a liaison or department representative for projects and interactions that occur with boards and commissions such as the City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Historic Preservation Advisory Board.
• Provide timely, accurate and thorough performance evaluations for supervised employees.
• Ensure compliance of plans with Zoning and Subdivision Ordinances, related City Ordinances and State Law.
• Assist in providing leadership for interpreting, implementing and enforcing the Comprehensive Plan, including its goals, policies, and objectives, in support of growing a strong and resilient community.
• Assist in the management and follow-through of City Council and Commission decisions, assuring that cases are completed and forwarded to the Building Inspections Department and/or the Engineering Department.
• Assist in the development and implementation of goals, objectives, policies and priorities for departmental services and operations.
• Assist in ensuring that the City Council's goals and focus areas are being satisfied and properly addressed.
• Assist in establishing appropriate service and staffing levels; monitoring and evaluating the efficiency and effectiveness of methods and procedures; and allocating resources.
• Assist in the preparation and maintenance of annual department budget, including projections, fiscal responsibilities, and resource management.
• Comply with all city policies and procedures, including those defined in the City of McKinney Employee Handbook
• Exhibit and embody respect, integrity, service and excellence in all actions, interactions, speech and decisions.
• Elicit respect and trust through actions and lead by example.

 
OTHER JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Perform other duties as assigned or directed.                         

 
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND BEHAVIORS

• Ability to embrace and embody the City's core values of Respect, Integrity, Service, and Excellence (R.I.S.E.).
• Ability to communicate effectively with peers, supervisors, subordinates, and people to whom service is provided.
• Ability to produce desired work outcomes, including quality, quantity, and timeliness.
• Ability to plan and organize work, time, and resources, and if applicable, that of subordinates.
• Demonstrate high level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and investment on results.
• Ability to lead a team; contribute as a team member and treat co-workers, subordinates and others with respect.
• Ability to build professional relationships with internal staff and internal and external customers.
• Ability to perform leadership work in preparation for the future.
• Ability to seek, accept, and implement strategic direction.
• Ability to effectively supervise a team or project and manage resources in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to delegate authority in specific situations while ensuring close follow-up and oversight.
• Ability to proactively recognize the need for and implement improvements to policies, processes, procedures and other strategic areas.
• Ability to use data, metrics and other key performance indicators to evaluate and improve staff performance as well as the performance of key services and processes.
• Ability to identify, create, and implement processes that better standardize work and improve efficiency.
• Ability to identify and implement creative solutions to complicated, technical issues.
• Ability to coordinate, manage, strategize, and/or correlate data and/or information. Includes exercise of judgment in determining time, place and/or sequence of operations. Includes referencing data analyses to determine necessity for revision of organizational components.
• Ability to perform mathematical operations involving basic algebraic principles and formulas, and basic geometric principles and calculations.
• Ability to exercise the judgment, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the direction, control and planning of an entire program or set of programs.
• Ability to evaluate, audit, deduce, and/or assess data in order to determine actual or probable consequences and to identify and select alternatives.
• Ability to apply principles of influence systems, such as motivation, incentive, and leadership, and to exercise independent judgment to apply facts and principles for developing approaches and techniques to resolve problems.
• Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of information against sensory, judgmental, or subjective criteria, as opposed to that which is clearly measurable or verifiable.
• Skill in responding to and managing emergencies and incidents.
• Skill in resolving customer complaints and concerns.
• Skill in speaking and dealing tactfully and effectively in high pressure situations.
• Knowledge of the theory, principles and techniques of the planning profession and development process.
• Knowledge of federal, state and local laws, ordinances and codes pertaining to a wide variety of planning topics.
• Knowledge of research, analysis, interpretation and application techniques for statistical and informational data related to development and planning for a rapidly growing city.
• Knowledge of customer service and public relations techniques.
• Knowledge of budget projection, development, management and justification practices and procedures.
• Knowledge of city policies and procedures.
• Capable of performing semi-skilled coordinated movements such as, operating a computer terminal, calculator and various office equipment.

Required Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor's degree in Planning, Geography, Urban Studies, or closely related field and seven (7) years previous experience in progressively responsible leadership roles in a planning department; including at least two years' experience in a supervisory capacity. An equivalent combination of education, training and experience may be considered.
 
Any work related experience resulting in acceptable proficiency levels in the above Minimum Qualifications may be an acceptable substitute for the above specified education and experience requirements.
 
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Master's degree in Planning, Public Administration, or closely related field and member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is preferred. Experience in municipal planning is preferred.
 
CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Must pass a drug screen and background check.
• Must have Class C Texas Driver's License

Physical Demands/Supplemental

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Tasks involve the ability to exert light physical effort in sedentary to light work, which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of light weight (25 pounds).  Tasks may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or work station.  Some tasks require visual and sound perception and discrimination and oral communications ability.
 
WORK ENVIRONMENT
Essential functions are generally performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
 
 
The above statements describe the general nature and level of work being performed as of the date of preparation and approval.  They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of the position.  Employees holding this position will be required to perform any other job-related duties as requested by management. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee, and all requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.
 
The City of McKinney is an equal opportunity employer (EOE) committed to an alcohol / drug free workplace and to providing equal opportunities regardless of age, race, color, gender, religion, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.