Planning Director

The City of Auburn, Alabama, is seeking an experienced planning professional interested in leading the Planning Services Department.

The Community:

Auburn is a growing, dynamic and progressive university community located along Interstate 85 in east central Alabama. Auburn has a strong reputation for having a small-town feel (82,971 pop.) while providing big-city amenities and has frequently been named among the best places to live in the United States. Home to Auburn University, Auburn is one of Alabama’s fastest growing communities and one of the nation’s fastest growing Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Auburn’s success as a thriving city is driven not only by its excellent local school system, but by a diversified economy and industrial base.

Known as “The Loveliest Village on the Plains,” Auburn is home to a growing number of local parks, not to mention the hiking, biking and waterfalls to be found in the 700-acre Chewacla State Park. In addition to numerous athletic facilities and events, Auburn also boasts diverse restaurants and a bustling cultural scene with world-class museum and performance venues. Auburn sits along Interstate 85 near Alabama’s border with Georgia, providing easy access to the international and regional airports and opportunities in Atlanta, Birmingham, Montgomery and Columbus.

The City of Auburn strives to support this thriving community by providing excellent city services to benefit Auburn now and in the decades to come. More than 600 professionals serve the public with the highest standards of excellence and accountability, supported by a management team that embraces recognized principles of high performing organizations. As a result, the city’s biennial citizen survey shows that 76% of residents are satisfied with the value received for their city tax dollars, 42 points above the national average.

About the Planning Services Department:

The Planning Services Department is one of four departments in the Development Services Business Unit. The Planning staff consists of a Director, (2) Principal Planners, (4) Planners and one Administrative Assistant.

The Job:

The Planning Director is a member of the City’s management team. The City prides itself on being a high performing organization, and management team members are committed to being innovative, adaptable and collaborative. The successful candidate will exhibit highly developed communication, technical, analytical and leadership skills that demonstrates their ability to execute job functions in a fast-paced environment within a growing community.

This position is primarily responsible for administering current and long-range planning activities for the City.  Some of the major duties of this position include:

• Administering, managing and updating the Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Plan;
• Zoning Ordinance administration, interpretation and management including processing of applications permitted under the Zoning Ordinance, either by right or conditionally, including site plan review, the issuance of zoning certificates and variance requests;
• Administration and interpretation of City Subdivision Regulations and subdivision plats;
• Annexation Policy administration and evaluation of annexation requests;
• Prepares area-specific plans as identified in the Comprehensive Plan or other City plans
• Establishes a work program for the Planning Services Department in conjunction with Biennial Budget initiatives and the implementation of planning objectives;
• Staff liaison for the Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Adjustment, Historic Preservation Commission and a member of the Downtown Design Review Committee (DDRC).

Minimum Requirements:

A baccalaureate degree in city or urban planning or a closely related field and considerable related planning experience with at least five (5) years of experience in supervisory or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to perform the work.  AICP certification.

Salary, Benefits and Recruitment Process:

The annual salary is $125,000, depending upon qualifications. The City of Auburn has an excellent benefits package.

This position is open until filled.

Interested individuals may submit their application electronically via the City of Auburn’s website which can be accessed using this link:  http://www.auburnalabama.org/jobs.

The City of Auburn is an equal opportunity employer and a drug-free workplace.