JOB DESCRIPTION

The City Planning Director will work closely with the City Manager, City Council, and various committees, commissions, boards, and community partners. This role is ideal for someone who is passionate about municipal planning, enjoys public engagement, and is skilled at balancing policy and regulatory responsibilities.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serves as the sole Planning Department lead, overseeing all planning functions and initiatives.
• Serve as the primary planning liaison to City leadership and various committees, commissions,boards, community partners, and the public.
• Analyze planning and development issues and provide professional recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with City code to include zoning, subdivision, land use, and annexation.
• Review site plans, subdivisions, and land-use applications.
• Manage and update GIS data, maps, and official plan records.
• Administer the City's Comprehensive Plan including providing technical expertise to comp plan re-writes and required updates.
• Develop and manage the department budget as well as the commission, committee, and board budgets that fall under the planning oversight.
• Identify, apply for, and manage planning-related grants.
• Collaborate with the Building Official on zoning impacts, ordinances, and training.
• Work with the historic preservation committee and provide guidance to the committee and public.
• Attend evening meetings and assist with ordinance drafting as needed.

Ideal Candidate:

• 10 plus years of experience as a municipal planner
• A bachelor's degree in planning
• AICP Certification (American Institute of Certified Planners)
• Extensive knowledge and proven experience in planning, zoning and building codes, annexation,subdivision reviews and consolidation, site plan reviews, comprehensive planning, and land-use principles.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to interpret and present complex planning topics to elected officials, boards and commissions, stakeholders, and the general public.
• 3 plus years of experience in community resiliency planning to include hazard mitigation, coastal resilience, climate adaptation, and related initiatives.
• Certified Flood Plain Manager (CFM) certification
• Strong proficiency in GIS, cartography, and spatial analysis tools.

The salary for this position will start at $100,000 annually and may vary depending on qualifications and experience.

Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with evening and after-hours work as needed to support meetings and City operations.

Employment is contingent upon pre-employment drug screening and background checks. For more information, please contact Shelby Shockley at 302-645-7777 ext. 107.

Applications are available at the City's website at www.ci.lewes.de.us and can be mailed to Lewes City Hall, PO Box 227, 114 E. Third Street, Lewes, DE 19958, or may be submitted via email to hr@ci.lewes.de.us.

The City of Lewes is an Equal Opportunity Employer.