Job Announcement

One of the Most Dynamic Urban Counties in the Nation

Fairfax County is one of the largest jurisdictions in the Commonwealth of Virginia with over 1.1 million people. This urbanizing county has a history of stable political leadership, effective citizen engagement, outstanding service delivery and award winning land use planning. Fairfax County is seeking a long range planning division director in the new Department of Planning and Development, formed through merging the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Office of Community Revitalization, effective July 1, 2019. The Assistant Planning Director for the Planning Division (hereafter referred to as division director) will oversee a large staff of professional planners who update and monitor the county's Comprehensive Plan and conduct long range planning.

Skills and Abilities

The ideal candidate will demonstrate the capability to oversee areas and functions of long range planning to meet the needs of the county and will be skilled at working with others and fostering strong partnerships with those in the public and private sectors, including business and community groups. The division director will be an effective liaison across departments and functions; between the public and private sectors; and, between elected officials and staff. The successful candidate should have proven experience in leading multiple complex land use projects and be able to bring innovative ideas and approaches to comprehensive planning, to the benefit of the department and county. The successful candidate is expected to be approachable, a strong communicator and negotiator, and an individual who can establish and maintain effective relationships with stakeholders, gaining their trust and respect. The ideal candidate will have supervised and mentored staff, and supported training and continuous learning for those in an organization.

Specific areas of division responsibility include:

• Researching and formulating future land use plans; public facilities planning; developing and implementing environmental and heritage resources policies; participating in development review; and, collecting and analyzing land use data.
• Playing an integral role in the design of major planning studies and concomitant staff resource allocation, with an emphases on the timely analysis and presentation of complex data to community partners, as well as community participation and outreach efforts.
• Managing the execution of the division's Comprehensive Plan amendment work plan; interpreting Comprehensive Plan recommendations and policies;
• Overseeing the analysis and interpretation of data affecting community planning; reviewing planning studies as part of federal, regional and interjurisdictional review requirements;
• Representing the agency at public hearings and meetings; preparing issue papers and memoranda;
• Participating in the preparation of the agency's annual budget; and establishing division priorities and setting standards for performance management.
• Working with county boards, authorities, commissions, and citizen advisory groups on a variety of issues, and as a technical and policy advisor to the agency director, county officials and regional representatives on matters relating to long range planning.
• Fostering a climate of excellence in public service and promoting positive interactions with all stakeholders.
• Supporting innovation and excellence in planning.

Note: Attendance at evening meetings on a regular basis and ability to work overtime is expected.

Employment Standards

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Any combination of education, experience and training equivalent to the following:
graduation from college in a planning-related field and six years of increasingly responsible experience within the specific area of assignment - long range planning, short range planning and/ or zoning. At least two years of experience must have been as a supervisor of a major functional area.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
The ideal candidate possesses the following: a master's degree in land use planning or other related field, plus increasingly responsible professional planning experience. Senior level management experience in urban planning, including supervision of the planning operations of senior staff in a large planning agency. Supervisory experience with professional and technical staff. Experience interacting with boards, authorities, commissions and task force or citizen advisory groups.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:
With or without reasonable accommodation. Position is primarily sedentary. However, employee may be required to do some walking, standing, bending and carrying of items less than ten pounds in weight. Work requires the ability to operate keyboard driven equipment.

CERTIFICATES AND LICENSES REQUIRED:
A valid driver's license is required.

NECESSARY SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS:
Is required to complete a criminal history record check and credit check as a condition of hiring and periodically thereafter. Note: Some local travel is required.

SELECTION PROCEDURE:
Panel Interview, may include an exercise.

It is the policy of Fairfax County Government to prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age, veteran status, political affiliation, genetics, or disability in the recruitment, selection, and hiring of its workforce.

Reasonable accommodations are available to persons with disabilities during application and/or interview processes per the Americans with Disabilities Act. Contact 703-324-4900 for assistance. TTY 703-222-7314 . EEO/AA/TTY.