Director of Community Development at Kitsap County Personnel & Human Services

Kitsap County is hiring its next Community Development Director to lead the Department of Community Development (DCD).  This is an excellent, long-term career opportunity in the unique geography of the Kitsap Peninsula. Located on the western shore of Puget Sound across from the main Seattle metroplex, and east of the mighty Olympic Peninsula, the county is home to Bainbridge Island, as well as some of the last affordable property in the area. A classic mix of environmentalists and progressive developers guarantees the Director and the DCD all the professional challenges they will ever need.  This is a great opportunity for a growth-oriented leader, focused on staff-development, to help a department build its culture, and to help a growing community navigate dynamic change.  

Reporting to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) through the County Administrator, the Director, provides superior customer service to the department's myriad customers, partners, and stakeholders. Accessible and visible, the Director also provides strategic direction and a path for meaningful professional development to the DCD’s 78 employees. 

About the County 

Known for its natural beauty and livable communities, Kitsap County faces new challenges, opportunities, and responsibilities, as more people move here. The county is a short ferry ride across the Puget Sound from Seattle and has over 200 miles of saltwater shoreline, estuaries and lakes, as well as mountains, forests, and parklands.  Diverse and growing unincorporated communities, including Silverdale, the County's largest urban growth area, and the unique ferry community of Kingston, rely on the DCD for their permitting and land use applications. In partnership with other local government entities, the County is planning now for how to accommodate significant state-mandated growth targets in housing and population. For more information about Kitsap County, please visit our website.

The DCD has several advanced systems and has earned national awards for its permitting system, public disclosure request system, risk check program, and its workflow management dashboards. It has received two Governor's Awards for comprehensive planning efforts and is recognized by federal and state agencies for its natural resources program as a "go to organization" for Puget Sound water quality restoration efforts. 

The Community Development Director reports to the County Administrator, who manages BOCC departments on behalf of the Board. The role has both outward- and inward-facing aspects. First, the Director serves as the face of the department to the community, engaging with community stakeholders over key planning and land use initiatives.  Second, the Director must ensure staff are well-resourced, focused, cared for, heard, and considered, so that all of them work together to execute the department's strategic plan. 

The Director facilitates problem-solving for high-level issues having far-reaching impacts on Kitsap County. 

This opportunity is ideal for anyone who relishes challenges and values public service, and who wants to make visible, lasting impacts on local communities in alignment with the Board’s values of Integrity, Welcoming, Professionalism, Accountability, Responsiveness, and Efficiency.

Kitsap is poised to grow in the coming decade, as residents leave surrounding Puget Sound counties to enjoy Kitsap's quality of life and housing market.  The new director will partner with external and internal stakeholders to recommend to the Board ways to address some of the department's key challenges, and to take advantage of its opportunities. Some of the challenges include working to implement new state regulatory requirements in a way that balances regulatory needs with maintaining affordability of housing.  Next, as the impacts of climate change become clearer, climate hazards will need to inform planning efforts to foster resiliency.  Finally, as communities want to achieve a more integrated, livable built form, the department needs to pivot from the current, conventional zoning code to a more efficient, flexible code.  The Director will be at the forefront of meeting these challenges.  

The Department has many qualified, experienced staff members who care very deeply for the Kitsap County community and about doing their jobs well and professionally. With a focus on improving services for permit customers, the Department has significantly improved the speed of permit processing, increased the use of technology, and eliminated redundancies. 

With the pandemic mostly in the rearview mirror, the community would like to build stronger connections through quality, in-person customer service and community engagement. 2025 is planned to be a significant year of community engagement with an emphasis on Kitsap’s unincorporated area, Silverdale, and environmental assets in a “Year of the Rural.” Community engagement topics include mediation, strategic planning, thoughtful discussions of character, public participation, and customer service. 

QUALIFICATIONS FOR PERFORMANCE OF THE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor’s degree in public administration, Planning (Land Use, Urban, Environmental, Long, Current) or closely related field from a college or university accredited by the US Department of Education, and 
• Ten years of progressively responsible professional level experience in a public planning position, including three years of supervisory and managerial responsibilities is required; or
• Any equivalent combination of experience and education which provides the applicant with the desired skills, knowledge and ability required to perform the work.

• AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners), 
• Master’s degree Public Administration, Political Science, Community Planning, Environmental Planning, or closely related field.  
• Certification as a building official, planner, or professional engineer. 
• ICC (International Code Council) certification, or 
• Experience working with the WA State Growth Management Act. 

Criminal Conviction Standards: 

• The successful incumbent will access to a secured/confidential facility or computer system(s). As a result, Kitsap County will be conducting an extensive criminal background check by law enforcement agencies, which may include fingerprinting. 
  1. Please review the following list of disqualifying crimes and negative actions to determine if you meet our standard for this position: https://www.dshs.wa.gov/ffa/disqualifying-list-crimes-and-negative-actions

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT

(The physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Kitsap County provides reasonable accommodation to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.)

• The duties in this position are performed in an office setting and may be required to lift at least 20 pounds.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE OF DUTIES

• Management: Plans, organizes, controls, integrates, and evaluates the work of the Department of Community Development: develops, implements, and monitors day to day and long-term plans, goals and objectives focused on achieving the community’s priorities as conveyed through the Board of County Commissioners’ mission, vision and values linked here.  Provides managerial assistance to subordinates in planning and implementing programs. 
• Direction: Establishes direction, goals, objectives, and priorities for the department. Plans, organizes, directs, and evaluates the performance of department staff; establishes performance requirements and personal development targets; regularly monitors performance and provides coaching for performance improvement and development. Reports on performance and coordinates with HR and County Administrator on personnel changes, growth, and management.
• Leadership: Provides leadership to develop and retain highly competent, public service-oriented staff through strategy development, recruitment, selection, compensation, training, and day-to-day management practices that support the County’s mission and values. Partners well with other County departments and builds strong relationships with other Department Directors and officials. Identifies specific training needs and gaps within teams and creates plans to remedy. 
• Community Role: Represents the County and department in the community; informs and advises community groups, as well as the County Administrator and Board of County Commissioners, on local and regional community development, environmental and infrastructure planning issues. Builds relationships with diverse stakeholders to ensure Department’s work is understood and clear to all. 
• Broader Context: Monitors national and state-wide developments in building, planning, economic and community development matters; evaluates their impact on County programs and operations; implements departmental process improvement where warranted; represents the County in regional conferences and other forums.
• Customer Service: Responds to and serves the public promptly and respectfully.  Lead staff to exercise thorough, thoughtful, and helpful expertise about building and planning requirements and/or services to all customers in a friendly, open, and unbiased manner.
• Code Interpretation: Offers and facilitates guidance to County staff members to support clarity, fairness and consistency across the Department in decisions related to application of building and land use codes. Includes Fire Marshal’s office, land use, building inspection, development assistance and other development-related work units.
• Budget: Managing the presentation of the department's budget, workplan, and reporting with a focus on aligning resources with strategic priorities and evolving workload. Develops and administers departmental budget, including the forecasting of funds for staffing, equipment, materials, and supplies, and monitoring of expenses.  
• Communication: Collaborating with key stakeholders, and effectively and proactively communicating with customers on the status of major projects and initiatives.
• Innovation: Identifying customers thoughtfully and fostering a culture of innovation to continuously improve on meeting current and emerging customer needs and community engagement expectations.  
• Technology: Utilizing internal and external resources, technology, and continuous improvement techniques to report metrics, improve process, create more capacity and deliver greater value.
• Process Improvement: Develops and monitors processes and procedures controlling permit applications, plan review, building inspection, and code enforcement; review development approval/denial and the development of recommendation reports and letters. 
• Legislative Review: Reviews and monitors proposed changes to federal, state, and local laws to determine their impact on departmental policies and practices; prepares, coordinate, and implements responses and recommendation to the Board of County Commissioners.  
• Project Management: Plans and directs current and long-range projects related to comprehensive and current planning, zoning, subdivision activities, environmental analysis, building, and code enforcement. 
• Comprehensive Plan and Zoning: Oversees the Comprehensive Plan and zoning code revisions process. Anticipates planning and zoning needs, coordinate with other Directors/disciplines, and facilitates current and long-range planning efforts to develop and implement the City’s strategic vision.

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