Executive Director of Planning and Development

Location:  City of Eugene, OR Download:  City of Eugene, OR - Executive Director of Planning and Development Brochure

City of Eugene, OR
Executive Director of Planning and Development

The Community:
With a population of more than 153,000 Eugene has been hailed as "A Great City for the Arts & Outdoors" due to its unique and exciting mix of arts, culture, education, scenic beauty and passion for recreation.

Eugene is the second largest city in the state of Oregon and the county seat of Lane County. It is located in the Willamette Valley between the rugged Pacific coast and the breathtaking Cascade Mountains, about 50 miles east of the Oregon Coast. Eugene boasts more than 100 city parks, 250 miles of bicycle trails, and numerous lakes, rivers and streams nearby that offer a wide range of recreational activities to residents and visitors.

Despite its easygoing and accessible small-town atmosphere, Eugene is successfully meeting the challenges of a growing population and lean economy.  The city offers a rich and lively cultural scene, with everything from museums and art galleries to music concerts and multi-cultural festivals.

Eugene is home to the University of Oregon, Northwest Christian University and Lane Community College.  Eugene is also known as "Track Town, USA" due to the University of Oregon's long tradition of supporting track and field including hosting the NCAA Outdoor Championships ten times and the US Track and Field Olympic Trials four time at Hayward Field. 

Eugene serves central and southern Oregon as a retail and wholesale trade center. Education, government, and tourism are also contributors to the overall economy.

Eugene's climate, with an average temperature of 53 degrees, is one of the city's attractive features. Mild winters, long growing seasons, and few drastic weather changes are characteristic.

The City of Eugene Organization:
The City of Eugene is an organization that prides itself on excellence and our commitment to a high quality of work and service to our community.  In 1944, the citizens of Eugene adopted the council/manager form of government. The mayor serves as the City's political head and chairperson of the council. He or she is elected by the city at large on a nonpartisan ballot for a four-year term. In this form of government, the City Council develops legislation and policies to direct the city, but hires a professional manager (the City Manager) to oversee City of Eugene personnel and operations and to carry out the City Council's direction.

The Executive Director of Planning and Development is part of an executive team of department directors that report to the City Manager.  The Executive team works collaboratively to lead the City organization to achieve excellence in serving our community.

The Position:
The Department:
The Planning and Development department works as a team toward a more sustainable, livable community by guiding the City's built, natural and social environments to promote a better quality of life for all residents.  They provide leadership and a regional vision by modeling practices and innovative programs to achieve an equitable social system with access to employment, food, housing, clothing, recreational opportunities, a safe and healthy environment, and social services; a healthy local economy that supports new businesses, jobs and economic opportunity; a healthy natural environment and connected, protected and managed habitats for native plants and animals.

Responsibilities:
The Executive Director, Planning and Development will receive administrative direction from the City Manager.

The primary responsibilities of this position will be to oversee the activities and operations of the City of Eugene Planning and Development department divisions, which include:

Planning and Development
Economic Development
Building Permit Services
Administration

In addition to the day to day operations of these divisions, there are a number of strategic initiatives currently underway including:

Envision Eugene: Establishing an Urban Services boundary for the City of Eugene.
Downtown revitalization and redevelopment
Ongoing economic development and sustainability initiatives

The department currently has a number of talented employees with a high level of skill and professionalism with frequent community interaction through day to day activities and long term strategic partnerships and interface.  The Executive Director of Planning and Development will be responsible for continuing these efforts and leading the organization to the next phase of accomplishing the objectives of sustainable growth, community involvement, and high quality professional service to our citizens. 

The Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate must be a dynamic, visionary leader who can bring together the various elements of the community, the Department and the leadership of the city in order to meet a broad spectrum of community needs.  Additionally, the ideal candidate should be able to build successful partnerships both internally and with the community to ensure that a common vision is enacted and supported.

The successful candidate will possess a record of accomplishment and success in economic development and land use planning. This individual should also have experience with urban development and redevelopment and be well versed in managing the development and challenges that may occur in both areas.  The knowledge of current trends, issues and strategies that affect and influence all aspects of economic and community development is required.

This person should demonstrate innovative thinking that promotes an environmentally sustainable future and understand the current concepts of conservation and sustainable development.  This person will have the ability to integrate multiple plans that are currently established.  The ideal candidate will have strong leadership abilities and will be able to make strategic decisions pertaining to staff and procedures within the organization.  

This individual must be able to adhere to the highest ethical and moral standards and be able to display transparency.  The successful candidate must be able to set a positive example of competence, professionalism, energy and work ethic to the organization and community.  Advanced written and oral communication skills are imperative for this position. 

Education and Experience:
Qualified candidates will have a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited four year college with major coursework in urban studies, public or business administration, economics, architecture or a closely related field.  A Master's degree is preferred.

Eight years of progressively responsible administrative and managerial experience in providing direction and supervision of department or division programs and operations is required. Municipal government and economic development experience is preferred. A combination of education and experience will be taken into consideration when reviewing applicants.

Salary:
The City of Eugene is offering a competitive salary commensurate with experience and a comprehensive benefits package. Relocation assistance will be available for the successful out of area candidate. Residency within the City of Eugene will be required for this position.

 

How to Apply:
Interested applicants should forward a cover letter and resume to:
resumes@affionpublic.com
Reference: EugeneEDPD
Deadline to receive resumes: July 16, 2010

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Harrisburg, PA 17101
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Posted: 03/22/2022