Department: Planning, Design & Development Department

Salary: $98,731.00 - $141,926.09 Commensurate with Experience

Welcome to the City of Charlotte

Charlotte is America’s Queen City, opening her arms to a diverse and inclusive community of residents, businesses and visitors alike. Here you will find a safe, family-oriented city where people work together to help everyone thrive. The mission of the City of Charlotte is to deliver quality public services and promote the safety, health, and quality of life for all residents.

Our guiding principles include:

• Attracting and retaining a skilled and diverse workforce

• Valuing teamwork, openness, accountability, productivity, and employee development

• Providing all customers with courteous, responsive, accessible, and seamless quality services

• Taking initiative to identify, analyze, and solve problems

• Collaborating with stakeholders to make informed decisions

SUMMARY

The City of Charlotte is seeking a Commercial Compliance Program Manager within the Planning, Design, and Development Department with extensive zoning knowledge and experience who will implement the City’s commercial zoning regulations. The Manager will be responsible for leading and managing department programs, focusing on regulations, ordinance implementation and collaboration with internal partners and external customers. This position will supervise, lead, and manage staff responsible for reviewing and approving commercial development projects for compliance with the zoning articles within Unified Development Ordinance (UDO). This position will oversee training, coaching and implementation consistency of the UDO and Legacy Code. Performs professional, technical, and detail-oriented work to enforce the City’s zoning regulations.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

• Participate in the Department’s Program Management Team to foster collaboration and leadership for Department and City Planning Department led programs.
• Communicate and support the department’s philosophy, goals and policies.
• Represent the department and the Division Manager/Deputy Director/Director (at his/her request) with other divisions and departments, City Manager’s Office, elected officials, Planning Commission, other departments and the public to make presentations, provide training, and facilitate program discussions.
• Provide research, coordination, problem solving, & customer service on complicated zoning issues to the public, constituent services for elected officials and the mayor, and internal team members including residential & commercial zoning, code enforcement, subdivision, rezoning, Historic District Commission, Urban Design, UDO team, city attorney’s office, Mecklenburg County Water Quality, and the Charlotte Department of Transportation.
• Lead, supervise, train and coach commercial zoning staff and provide support with escalated issues.  Manage the operations and innovation of programs and services.    
• Continually track implementation issues for patterns that may warrant text amendments to the UDO and communicate findings to leadership. 
• Track and create UDO text amendment requests and implementation policies. 
• Manage assignments that ensure implementation consistency in planning and permitting across Land Development teams. 
• Collaborate with the Deputy Division Manager, Residential and Subdivision Compliance Manager, and Rezoning Manager on UDO and Legacy Code implementation. 
• Undertake complex and difficult planning and regulatory project assignments as needed. Interpret and explain complex planning processes, regulations and analyses to other agencies, staff and to the public. Create and refine processes in response to emerging and changing issues, and to improve customer experience in multiple review platforms. 
• Facilitate meetings with staff, other departments and members of the public as needed, and serve as a representative for various meeting groups upon request.   
• Serve as zoning liaison for high profile projects. 
• Manage inquiries about conceptual/hypothetical scenarios and creative development options. Research properties and find applicable ordinance references for various scenarios and odd lot issues.  Identify, solve problems and make strategic linkages between assigned projects and broader City policies, regulations and objectives.  
• Occasionally attend meetings outside of business hours to represent zoning. 
• Provide customer service responses to inquiries via phone, email and in-person.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Ability to solve complicated zoning related matters is required
• Extensive knowledge of planning and land development principles and practices related to regulatory services (zoning regulations and ordinances)
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with internal staff including other planning divisions, the development community, community leaders, other governmental agencies, and the public
• Ability to comprehend technical ordinance and legal requirements related to zoning matters and convey such information in an easy-to-understand fashion
• Ability to supervise, coach and mentor staff
• Analytical skills applicable to planning and regulatory projects and initiatives
• Excellent customer service skills (such as the ability to effectively communicate graphically, verbally, and in writing)
• Effective time management with ability to meet deadlines and timely respond to internal and external customers
• Ability to work collaboratively in multidisciplinary teams to ensure process efficiencies and achieve positive impacts for the community
• Ability to collaborate with diverse groups on a variety of issues and maintain a high level of collaboration within and outside of the department and lead staff to do likewise
• Ability to prioritize and respond quickly and professionally to escalated or time sensitive questions
• Ability to perform effectively and efficiently with minimal level of supervision

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in planning, Architecture, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, Political Science, Public Administration, Social Science or related field
• AICP and CZO, or other certifications (AIA, GISP, LEED, PE, etc.)
• Three years of supervisory experience in the Planning function

Minimum Qualifications:

• Four-Year degree in Planning, Architecture, Geography, Landscape Architecture, Engineering, Political Science, Public Administration, Social Science or related degree
• Minimum seven (7) years of progressively responsible planning experience in multiple planning areas (notably policy planning and implementation)

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

The City’s Background Check Policy requires background checks to be conducted on final internal or external candidate(s) applying for any position with the City of Charlotte. The type of information that will be collected as part of a background check includes, but is not limited to: reference checks, social security verification, education verification, criminal conviction record check, and, if applicable, a credit history check, sex offender registry and motor vehicle records check.

Background checks must be in compliance with all federal and state statutes, such as the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The checks must be consistent with the guidelines set forth by these laws requiring organizations to obtain a candidate’s written authorization before obtaining a criminal background report, motor vehicle records check or credit report; and to properly store and dispose of information derived from such reports.

Final candidates must pass a pre-employment drug-screening test and physical examination. During the selection process, candidates may be asked to take a skills test, and/or participate in other assessments.

The City of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, national origin, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation or on the basis of actual or perceived gender as expressed through dress, appearance, or behavior.

Our culture is to serve the community honorably.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply online.

Federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job.

You are welcome to visit the City of Charlotte Human Resources Department lobby, where self-service application kiosks are available. They are located in our office at 700 East 4th Street, Suite 200, Charlotte, NC 28202. We are open Monday through Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (EST), excluding official City holidays.

For questions about your application or the hiring process, please email [email protected].

The City of Charlotte is committed to making our services and programs accessible to all. Upon request, auxiliary aids, written materials in alternate formats, language access, and other reasonable accommodations or modifications will be provided. To make a request, please fill out the Innovation & Technology ADA request form or call 704.336.4120.

BENEFITS

The City of Charlotte provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees.

Click here to learn more about the City of Charlotte’s benefits.

The City of Charlotte is a drug and alcohol-free workplace.