About the Department
Position Title: Planning Manager
Department: Community Development
Reports To: Department Director
Work Schedule: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Community Development Department is seeking a Planning Manager to serve as a senior-level supervisory professional responsible for overseeing all phases of long-range planning and development review. This position plays a critical role in guiding the City’s growth, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations, and advancing strategic planning initiatives.
The Planning Manager operates under general supervision and policy direction, exercising independent judgment while coordinating planning activities with City departments, divisions, and external agencies.
City Values in Action
- Accountability: Ensures planning processes and development reviews are accurate, consistent, and aligned with regulatory and organizational standards
- Empowerment: Fosters a collaborative environment that supports staff development, cross-functional teamwork, and informed decision-making
- Innovation: Encourages creative and forward-thinking approaches to planning, development, and community enhancement
- Ownership: Takes responsibility for delivering high-quality outcomes that positively shape the City’s growth and long-term vision
This position is ideal for a strategic and collaborative leader who is committed to excellence in public service and plays a key role in shaping the City’s future development.
Position Duties
The functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this position. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the position as necessary.
- Supervises, directs, and evaluates assigned staff, processing employee concerns and problems, directing work, counseling, disciplining, and completing employee performance appraisals.
- Coordinates, assigns and reviews work and establishes work schedules; maintains standards; monitors status of work in progress; inspects completed work assignments; answers questions; gives advice and direction as needed.
- Supervise collection and analysis of economic, demographic, land use, and other data for the purpose of conducting planning activities.
- Process updates to the comprehensive plan elements or portions of elements for review by the Community Development Director, Local Planning Agency, City Council, and State of Florida.
- Assists Director in the establishment of strategic direction and objectives for the Community Development Department.
- Assist the Community Development Director in review of planning division expenses for preparation of the annual operating budget.
- Prepare small area plans, for neighborhoods and other sub-districts of the City as requested by Community Development Director, City Manager, and City Council.
- Review proposed and current developments for compliance with the land development code, the comprehensive plan, and decisions made by various City, County, State and Federal authorities.
- Responsible for the management and coordination of the Planning Commission board, agenda, meetings and staff.
- Attend and participate in conferences, meetings, seminars, community meetings and workshops set by the Community Development Director, City Manager, City Council, city advisory boards and committees; participate in selected groups and organizations outside City government that impact City work, including those with intergovernmental regulatory or financial aid impacts.
- Draft, implement and train on policies, plans, standard operating procedures, requirements, and
instructions that are required to achieve acceptable planning practices. - Ensure compliance with Florida Statutes and Regulations regarding all planning processes and procedures.
- Coordinate with the state, Department of Commerce, Local Planning Agency, Department of
Transportation, Osceola County Planning and Transportation, Osceola County School District and other local, regional, State and Federal agencies in matters of interest to the comprehensive plan. - Draft ordinances, resolutions, development agreements, inter-local agreements, and other documents for legal and administrative review.
- Supervises the work of consultants in the planning field; acts as conduit of information between
consultants and City staff, facilitates successful consulting contracts. - Supervise review of applications for annexations, land use amendments, encumbrances, rezonings,
mixed use districts, planned unit developments and other processes of long-range planning division. - Working knowledge of the Development Review process
- Ability to interpret land development codes and planning policies.
- Performs related work as assigned.
Minimum Qualifications
Requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Planning, Public Administration or related field. Four (4) years’ experience in planning with two (2) years progressively responsible supervisory experience; or possession of any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience which provides the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Preference will be given for an active certification with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Must possess and maintain a valid Florida state driver’s license with an acceptable driving record.
Other Qualifications
Physical 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 essential functions. While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to communicate. The employee is frequently required to stand and remain stationary. The employee is occasionally required to remain stationary; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
Mathematics:
Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry.
Language Ability:
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Reasoning:
Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
Work Environment:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.