Director of Planning and Zoning - City of Somerville

Statement of Duties

The Director of  The Director of the Planning, Preservation, & Zoning Division of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development oversees the core long-range planning, ordinance development, and permit administration functions of the Division; supervises Division staffing of the Historic Preservation Commission, Planning Board, Urban Design Commission, and Zoning Board of Appeals; and leads Historic Preservation efforts for the City of Somerville. Employee is required to perform all similar or related duties. 

Essential Functions: 

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position. 

• Lead and direct staff in the Planning, Preservation, & Zoning Division of OSPCD. 
• Establish a clear vision and mission for the Division. 
• Develop goals, objectives, and annual work plan for each of the Division’s primary functions and monitor progress toward targets.  
• Supervise one or more of the core long-range planning, ordinance development, and permit administration functions of the Division. 
• Create and implement communication strategies for each of the Division’s primary functions. 
• Prepare and manage the Division’s annual budget, grants, & other financing and routinely track and assess financial performance. 
• Make strategic decisions about the allocation of personnel and financial resources; hiring, evaluation, and promotion of staff; and the selection of consultants. 
• Manage the workload assignments of staff through the delegation and rebalancing of Division capacity. 
• Conducts regular Division staff meetings and meets regularly with Division staff, OSPCD Directors, and other City Departments. 
• Develop a deep knowledge and understanding of the Somerville community. 
• Attend events and serve in appointed positions to represent PPZ, OSPCD, or the City. 
• Develop and maintain working relationships with elected officials, advocacy organizations, neighborhood organizations, and other metropolitan, state, or federal agencies and institutions. 
• Demonstrate assertiveness that inspires, builds confidence, and encourages collaboration internally and externally. 

Minimum Qualifications:  

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree and five to seven- (5-7) years of experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.  

Special Requirements:   

Certification by the AICP is desired. 

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill 

Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of the legal underpinnings and procedural aspects of zoning and other land use regulations in Somerville.  Extensive knowledge of all facets of urban planning and economic development. 

Abilities: Ability to meet and deal with the public effectively and appropriately; ability to handle problems and emergencies effectively; ability to communicate clearly, both orally and in writing; ability to operate a computer; ability to maintain confidential information; ability to maintain, manage, and organize records; ability to deal appropriately with external clients of the department, City employees, City officials and other state and federal governmental agencies.  Ability to manage multiple tasks in a detailed and effective manner in accordance with time constraints. 

Skill: Excellent written and oral communication skills.  Proficient data processing skills. Excellent personnel management skills. 

Work Environment  

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices, with occasional exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours to attend evening meetings. 

Physical and Mental Requirements  

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions. 

Physical Skills 

Little or no physical demands are required to perform the work. Work effort principally involves sitting to perform work tasks, with intermittent periods of stooping, walking, and standing. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment and computer paper (up to 30 lbs.)

Motor Skills 

Duties are largely mental rather than physical, but the job may occasionally require minimal motor skills for activities such as moving objects, operating a telephone system, computer and/or most other office equipment, typing and/or word processing, filing, and sorting. 

Visual Skills 

Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes and routinely reviewing maps and blueprints with a need for color vision. 

Hours: Full-Time
Salary: $121,448.89 annualized, plus benefits
Union: Non-Union
FMLA: Exempt
Date Posted: August 20th, 2024

City of Somerville residents are especially encouraged to apply.

The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Adrienne Pomeroy at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or apomeroy@somervillema.gov.

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completition of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation (for non-union positions) union positions vary by contract
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Cigna
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.

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