Community Development Director reports directly to the Town Manager and manages all functions and personnel within the Department. The Director provides direct supervision of the Planning Division related to current and long-range planning programs, performing, and overseeing land use planning work on major development projects, as well as developing, administering, and enforcing Federal, State, regional and local land use regulations. They oversee building permit and inspection processes, project management, and construction inspection in conjunction with the designated Building Official. They direct enforcement of Town codes and ordinances.

The Community Development Director contributes on an organization-wide basis as a member of the Town Manager's Executive Leadership Team, and promotes Town's Core Values through professionalism, accountability, community focus and excellence (PACE).

The ideal candidate for this position is an experienced community development professional that possesses the following attributes:

• Strong leadership and management abilities to guide the internal and external operations of a multi-disciplinary department effectively and strategically. A personnel management approach that fosters a supportive and collaborative workplace environment while ensuring accountability.
• Demonstrated knowledge, technical proficiency, and experience in current and long-range planning principles, laws, rules, regulations, practices, and techniques. Strong knowledge of planning disciplines including land use, urban design, comprehensive plans, and affordable housing. Experience facilitating and/or participating in inter-jurisdictional planning and development projects.
• Excellent communication skills to provide accurate and accessible information to multiple audiences including the Town Council, Planning and Zoning Commissions, Board of Adjustment and Appeals, staff, regional and local government representatives, State officials, developers, and public. Practices responsiveness by providing consistent, transparent communication of relevant project information within the organization and to other external stakeholders.

• Strong and comprehensive customer service ethic demonstrated through clear and respectful communications, responsiveness, and flexibility. Promotes and exemplifies a genuine culture of customer assistance that is friendly, accessible, understandable, and solution-oriented within regulatory and legal parameters.

The Town of Camp Verde Community Development Department (CDD) manages growth through planning, zoning, and building services while providing professional, competent, and consistent service to the public in order to enhance the community and the lives of the residents while protecting our heritage and natural surroundings in a manner that will maintain a balance between the quality of life and the economic stability of the Town.

The department includes three divisions: planning and zoning, building safety and code compliance with a total number of nine full-time employees. The Community Development Director will oversee the Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment and Appeals as the staff liaison.

These are exciting times for the Department and the CDD will shape numerous large projects of all types, including but not limited to:

General Plan Update: The Town's current general plan is from 2016. Under Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S. 9-461-06), every city in Arizona is required to prepare, maintain, and update every 10 years a long-range general plan that provides a vision and policies for the growth and development of the city. The Town's General Plan update is being led by the Town Manager and the Town's Planners with additional support from a third-party consultant. A Technical Advisory Group has been formed to aid in the process, which includes representatives from each of the boards and commissions, the Town Council, and the community. The General Plan will not only need to be finalized in 2025, the CDD will need to execute a robust community engagement campaign and put the plan before the voters for hopeful approval.

Comprehensive Zoning Code Update: The Town Council recently approved the complete rewrite of the Town's Zoning Code. This task is being handled administratively by the Planners and will require oversight and support by the Director. Anticipated completion of the rewrite is at the end of 2025.

GovWell & Digitization: The Town recently contracted with GovWell to aid with the digitization of CDD applications. In addition to assisting with the implementation and execution of this program, the Director will support with the digitization of all CDD records over the next two years.

Community Development Action Plan: To improve community relations, an action plan was developed following a stakeholder engagement meeting. The action plan focuses on enhancing staff support, improving operational efficiency, and fostering transparency in processes for internal teams and external stakeholders through targeted initiatives like training, streamlined communication, digitized records, and consistent project review timelines. These efforts aim to create a supportive and efficient administrative environment while keeping all stakeholders informed of progress. The completion of the action plan as well as the hosting of future stakeholder meetings will be the responsibility of the Director.